Wildlife Guide Biography / Memoir
By: Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne(Author), Bill Oddie(Foreword By), Rohan Pethiyagoda(Preface By)
208 pages, 280 colour photos, 10 colour maps, colour tables
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About this book
Sri Lanka has one of the highest species densities in the world including a number of endemic plants and animals. Unusually for a moderately sized island it also has large mammals. It is one of the best places in the world for seeing and photographing Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Leopards, Asian Elephants and Sloth Bears, dubbed Sri Lanka's 'Big Five'. It also has the largest annually recurring 'gathering' of wild elephants of anywhere in the word; a truly spectacular event. This book brings together all of Sri Lanka's top wildlife stories, many of which have come to light only in the last few years. Further chapters detail wildlife watching opportunities for primates, birds, reptiles, turtles, butterflies and dragonflies; a description of the parks and reserves by habitat type; and a wildlife watching calendar to help plan a trip. Throughout the book there are extracts from 'A Naturalist's Journal', which in the form of a first person commentary take readers to specific habitats in search of the animals to be found there.
Customer Reviews (2)
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A great review of Sri Lanka's wildlife
By
Keith
2 Oct 2019
Written for Paperback
I have just got the second edition of this book (I did not have the first edition). As a birdwatcher, I have been guilty of showing too little interest in the other flora and fauna of the island. This book has certainly opened my eyes to the possibilities. So yes you have 468 bird species listed for the country – but there are 125 mammals, 247 butterflies, 1700 moths – and many thousands of other insects and plants. Sri Lanka has many endemic species – for example 105 snakes, 65 dragonflies and 64 damselflies – plus 34 birds. I have been to the country three times and I really wish I’d had this book back then. Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne has done an excellent job in pulling together all of this information without burdening the reader with data and turgid facts. The text flows easily – based partly on his own diaries. As a top photographer himself, he has supplied most of the images too. Sixteen national parks are featured in more detail and there is a suggested 14-day itinerary for those who are planning a trip. Having visited three times myself I have never thought to look for whales – I have been a blinkered birdwatcher. Time to visit again!
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Beautiful introduction to wild Sri Lanka
By
Neil
5 Jan 2020
Written for Paperback
A great introduction to the fauna, flora and wild places of Sri Lanka. What is appealing about the book are the personal anecdotes from the author's diaries. The photos in the book are stunning from mega-fauna to dragonflies, frogs and butterflies. Maps help the naturalist to decide where to visit for different groups of species. From whale watching from Marissa to seeking tropical butterflies there is information here. This is a fine book whether as a sumptuous coffee table book or a serious introduction to this beautiful country's wildlife!
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Biography
Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne is one of Sri Lanka's most high profile wildlife personalities. He is passionate about Sri Lanka's natural history and has authored and photographed over 300 articles for national and international newspapers and magazines on Sri Lankan biodiversity, travel and business topics. His has written and co-authored over 15 books including various titles in the Naturalist's Guide series on the Birds of Sri Lanka, Butterflies & Dragonflies of Sri Lanka and Flowers of Sri Lanka.
Wildlife Guide Biography / Memoir
By: Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne(Author), Bill Oddie(Foreword By), Rohan Pethiyagoda(Preface By)
208 pages, 280 colour photos, 10 colour maps, colour tables
