Birding isn’t only for the countryside; City dwellers can spot fascinating species on their doorstep. Cities offer some of the easiest and most efficient birding opportunities than countryside areas do. Many places are quickly reached by public transportation so they are available to everyone.
Colombo, which is home to 110 out of 494 species of birds in Srilanka, is no different. Taking a guided walk in Colombo can help you get familiarized with the urban birding hotspots and get a better understanding of the birds you will encounter. In addition, through urban birding tour, you may discover some new places to visit in Colombo you hadn’t considered before. A big advantage of urban birding is that the Guests can often get a lot closer to certain birds since they’re used to being surrounded by people.
While Fort is the commercial city of Colombo, Capital district of Colombo offers rare urban forests and sanctuaries with extremely rich biodiversity which would offer you plenty of wildness, sounds, aromas, and sights of nature. Birdlife in the wetlands of Sri Jayawardhanapura is exotic with over 10 species of endemic and over 70 resident birds. In addition, this area is popular among a large variety of migrating birds, from August to February. While enjoying the throbbing birdlife and listening to their humming, you can catch glimpses of natural water ponds with varieties of lilies, marshes with seasonally-flooding grasslands and scattered pockets of scrubs. The co-existence of a significant number of butterfly species and various wild flowers that provide nectar is another salient feature of the forests of Capital District.
When you are touring this great city, all you need to do is tune your ears to the frequency of the bird songs, let your body feel the warmth of the water lakes, and open your sensors to let the lush greenery dazzle your soul.