Wild-Srilanka

Above the waterline whales breach the surface, offering tantalizing
glimpses or longer, lingering views. To stare into the eye of one of
these mysterious, huge animals is to look back to the beginning of
time. Blue whales, the largest animal on the planet, are seen off
south coast Mirissa from November to May, as are Humpback and Sperm
whales, while on the north-west coast, off Kalpitiya peninsula,
dolphins by the score cut through the brilliant blue sea, leaping,
spinning, frolicking . . .

Sri Lanka.s birdlife is astonishing: ornithologists and birdwatchers
flock here to take in such dazzling encounters as a flamboyant
peacock strutting like a courtier, trying to impress the hens with
his shimmering tail feathers, and a White-bellied Sea Eagle swooping
from his perch on a half-submerged tree, diving low over an inland
tank to pluck a fish from the water. And not forgetting a Sri Lankan
Paradise Flycatcher flitting from perch to perch its amazingly long
tail feathers bobbing behind it like a chestnut ribbon.

In September, towards the end of the dry season, most water sources
have disappeared. The Minneriya tank, however, retains water
throughout the parched months, so there are elephant gatherings here
every year at this time, the number of these gentle, charismatic
giants sometimes exceeding 300. To see so many together - playing,
eating, swimming, looking for mates - is nothing but breathtaking.

Often heard reverberating across the forested slopes of the central
hills is the booming call of the .bear. monkey, a sub-species of the
purple-faced langur, whose name derives from its shaggy bulk. The
loris, smallest of the island.s primates, is also the most unusual,
an enigmatic nocturnal hunter with spindly legs and large, luminous
eyes. It possesses a unique, high-pitched call that pierces the
stillness of the tropical night, sending shivers down the spine.

Sri Lanka.s forests abound with an assortment of other furry, scaled
and feathered creatures. There are five species of deer, ranging from
the diminutive mouse deer - just 30cm in height and armed with
elongated canine teeth - to the sambhar, a large species in which the
bull grows impressive antlers. The latter are best seen in the high,
open area surrounding Horton Plains, where they gather in the evenings
to feed on the long grasses.

On a smaller scale, the island abounds with a wonderful diversity of
creatures. Butterflies dip and flutter on delicate wings. Gaudy
dragonflies hover on rigid, translucent wings while ethereal damselflies
dance amid the foliage. Spiders, like tiny gemstones, wait patiently in
gauzy webs that shimmer in the early morning sunshine.