Flying Sri Lankan Visit

Last Friday 17th I set off on the night flight Heathrow to Colombo and then train to Galle, arriving there mid afternoon Saturday.
The reason was distribute some much needed funds that Wendy and I had raised for the villagers of tsunami hit village of Mahamodara.
Our main plan had been to buy a tuk tuk for one beleaguered family and this was duly delivered on Monday 20th. Superb to see as I handed it to Raja so that he can make a worthwhile, albeit small income from the vehicle.

Bird wise, my time was so limited that I just had local wanders. The only new bird for me was in the last hour before getting the train back to Colombo. I took one last walk to the beach and overhead, 2 red billed tropicbirds. This was indeed a bird I have wanted to see on the previous 3 trips but it has alluded me. A rare but regular sea passage bird. Needless to say, on this last walk, all my camera kit was packed, so no photos as this magnificent bird swooped low overhead, highlighted by perfect blue sky!!!
The rest were nevertheless pleasing to see. I could only manage to get out at first and last light, which did not lend itself to super sharp photos. However: a few here of common residents species found within half a mile of the house I was put up in.

rose ringed parakeet

white breasted waterhen

Black drongo

brown headed barbet

young red wattled lapwing

red wattled lapwing

peacock, new bird for this small site

cattle egret

yellow billed babbler

Loten's sunbird

strangely posing cattle egret coming into breeding plumage

suspected oriental garden lizard

purple rumped sunbird

locals call this black monkey

greater coucal

brown pelican in Colombo. Suspect introduced species so not a Sri Lankan tick for me

I returned from this quick trip and bit of an understatement to say, I felt pretty under the weather. Last Saturday, admitted to the local hospital with Dengue Fever. This is a mosquito borne tropical disease known as breakbone fever as dehydration is so complete, all the joints in the body become dry and increasingly painful. Intravenous rehydration and intravenous paracetamol often need to be administered along with a heavy clout of penicillin. Now on the mend although still very sore. Lucky, as worse symptoms include need for blood transfusion, life threatening dengue hemorrhagic fever or potentially fatal dengue shock syndrome where there is a rapid drop in blood pressure!!
There is no vaccine and whilst I am now immune to one of the 5 possible types, it does mean if I contract one of the 4 others, it could possibly be far more serious, so need to be careful on future trips to rain forests etc.