bed and breakfast Archives - GlenMyu Estate Luxury Bed and Breakfast

Birds of Sri Lanka – what you might see at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

Birds, Birdwatching, Holiday / By Mikeez

What kind of birds live in Sri Lanka?

What birds will I see when I stay at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka?

We are lucky at GlenMyu Estate to have an environment that is attractive to birds and we have a variety that we regularly see here foraging, nesting and swooping around the land.

Here are some pictures and videos of birds that I have seen visiting the Estate.

Unfortunately my camera and video are great for capturing the birds and if you visit the estate with better equipment you will no doubt get much better pictures than I have!

A Black Throated Kingfisher — A White-Throated Kingfisher

A White-Browed Fantail and Chicks — A White-Browed Fantail and two chicks

A pair of Ceylon Hill Mynas — A pair of Lesser Hill Mynas.

A Hill Swallow on a nest — A Hill Swallow nesting.

A Hill Swallow with some twigs — A Hill Swallow gathering twigs.

Black eagle — A Black Eagle passing over GlenMyu Estate

Birdwatching in Sri Lanka — A bird starting flight

A Purple Rumped Sunbird — Purple Rumped Sunbird

Here are some videos that I have taken of some birds that visited the estate.

We are also very lucky to have a neighbour who has a lifelong interest in birds and bird watches daily. She has identified a large number of the 34 endemic species of birds that visit this part of Sri Lanka.

How do I find out more about Birds of Sri Lanka?

If you want to know more about the endemic birds of Sri Lanka, the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka has a complete list pf birds and additional interesting information in the following link https://fogsl.cmb.ac.lk/list-of-birds-of-sri-lanka/

Another website where a community identifies birds is https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/birds-of-sri-lanka

Avibase – The World Bird Database gives details of the birds and also some examples of bird song https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/avibase.jsp?lang=EN

The Ceylon Bird Club is another good resource http://www.ceylonbirdclub.org/endemic_birds.php

Books?

I use “A Photographic Guide to theBirds of Sri Lanka” by Gehan De Silva Wijeyaratne which I find has some good pictures to help identify the birds.

Find out more about GlenMyu Estate, Hotel and B & B, Haputale, Sri Lanka.

There are three king size on suite bedrooms for guests which all have superb views of the hills below.

A natural spring fed swimming pool is available for the use for guests and is a great place to have a refreshing swim or just hang out listening to the nature that passes by.

Where is GlenMyu Estate?

You can find out where we are on the map below.

Birds of Sri Lanka – what you might see at GlenMyu Estate, Haputale, Sri Lanka. Read More »

Ducks, ducks and more ducks and a birthday.

Birds, Our Animals at GlenMyu Estate / By Mikeez

Ducks, ducks and more ducks and a birthday.

We didn’t plan to have ducks.

I thought that having chickens ay GlenMyu would be good to provide us with organic eggs. They would also provide a good home and life for the birds we were to rear.

We have friends back in the UK that have a henhouse in their smallholding. They get a steady stream of eggs throughout the year. My only objection was that I found the cockerel to be quite aggressive and scary. I wasn’t looking forward to dealing with this challenge on a daily basis whilst collecting the eggs.

Our friends also have turkeys from time to time. Then the scare factor doubles for me!

Some research - but not enough.

Ruwanthi did a bit of research as we were also trying to grow organic rice at the estate. She came across some articles about Japanese farmers using ducks to keep their paddy fields weed free. The ducks also provided good natural fertiliser for the rice while they were going about their work.

Another birthday!

As one gets older birthdays are more of a challenge when it comes down to marking another year around the sun. The conundrum is exacerbated when you live remotely. This results in limited purchasing opportunities. And being tied to the property whilst the development of the building and land is in progress doesn’t help.

This years birthday present - so easy?

I was delighted in 2019 whilst driving down the hill from Haputale to Beragala that my pondering over a suitable present this year. It was solved when Ruwanthi asked my to stop the car.

After about 20 minutes Ruwanthi returned looking for my wallet to complete the purchase of four duckling. And a packet of duck feed to keep them going.

I was a little bemused as it was another commitment we were taking on without much planning.

A mixed welcome from the dogs.

We arrived back at GlenMyu and the dogs were ejected from their cage. This would become a residence for the ducks until we arranged a more suitable home for them. I really don’t know what the dogs thought of the situation!

The ducks lineage is just like the dogs on the estate being a bit of this and a bit of that. However, we did work out that we had a Muscovy due to her markings.

A name for the duck.

The Muscovy duck is now called Mama Kahlu as she has been prolific providing a stream of new ducklings. Once she decided to sit on her eggs there was no moving her. Our duck numbers grew and grew so quickly that I was concerned that we would be overrun by them at the property!

Still learning - at our age!

We have have learnt a lot over the eighteen months or so that we have had the ducks. We have lost a few; one flew away, two were meals for the mongoose. One duckling went missing mysteriously in the middle of the night. Two ducklings have drowned? ( I didn’t think that this was possible).

A farm animal or a pet?

Ruwanthi has a great relationship with Mama duck. She follows Ru when clearing demanding the worms that are dug up. Muscovys are renowned for being quite friendly and acting like a pet.

At this current time (July 2021) we have Mama Duck and one of her offspring sitting on eggs. You can see from the videos below that Mama is quite comfortable in her endeavour being an old timer now. The younger duck is very protective and hisses as me as I get near.

Maybe my reservation about chickens and turkeys being scary will also be the case with some of the ducks we raise!

Come and experience the ducks for your self at GlenMyu Estate.

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A Beach or the Hills? – the choice is yours.

Holiday, Sri Lanka, Things to do on holiday in Sri Lanka / By Mikeez

Where should I go on my holiday to Sri Lanka? - I want experience something different and new.

A beach resort or hanging out in the Hills? Different options in Sri Lanka

The idyllic image that comes to mind of Sri Lanka is pristine beaches edged by Palm Trees looking out onto the azure sea with gently rolling waves.

My early experiences of visiting this wonderful Paradise Island reflected the normal pattern of tourists spending their holidays.

The usual tourist thing.

We would arrive at Bandaranaike Airport which is situated on the West Coast of the Island and, after reacquainting ourselves with my wife’s family, we would hug the coastline and visit some of the beach resorts of the West such as Negombo, Bentota, Kalutara and on the South such as Hikkaduwa, Matara or Galle.

In later trip we ventured towards the splendid East Coast visiting Arugam Bay, Passikuda and Trincomalee.

We stayed at Maalu Maalu Hotel in Passikuda and enjoyed a pristine beach with very few other tourists https://www.themeresorts.com.

Each beach has its own unique personality and vibe. Some are great for surfing, some are great for swimming and some are just a place to lie on a subbed and soak up the sun.

A word of warning

It is important that you are aware of the timing of the North Eastern and South Western Monsoons which hit the Island annually so that you can plan what side of the island you should visit on your holiday. The weather and waters are not that friendly depending upon what time you visit.

The Centre of the Island, Cultural Sites, Safaris, National Parks, Hiking, Tea Plantations and Waterfalls

If you are not a sun worshipper and want to wander away from the beaches Sri Lanka has an abundance of things to see and do if you venture inside the Island.

Around 60% of people that visit the Island do not explore the interior.

Do something different!

What people normally do (which is just fine).

Typically a tour would be clockwise around the Island and enjoy a mix of reconnecting with nature, enjoying spectacular scenery and visiting cultural sites.

The itinerary would normally be as follows:
Land at Bandaranaike Airport and stay at one of the beach hotels in Negombo.
Travel towards Kandy and stop at the Pinnawella Elephant Orphanage.

Stay in Kandy and visit the Temple of the Tooth.

Head towards Dambulla and visit the rock temple.

Travel to Polonnaruwa and then Anaradhapura to visit the many ancient temples.

Travel to Nuwara Eliya and visit the tea country and take in a tea factory tour to see how the worlds favourite beverage is made.

Go South and do a safari at Yala National Park.

Visit the former Dutch port of Galle and then head back to Colombo.

It sounds quite exhausting does it?

I have known friends who did this type of trip as part of their honeymoon and then went on to the Maldives for a week of doing nothing on one of those beautiful Islands.

Perhaps it’s my age and energy levels but I always thought that I would need a week of doing nothing if I was going to endure this trip.

Sri Lanka may be a small island however it can be quite exhausting travelling around as it can take quite a while to get from one place to the next.

A stay in the Hills

Being from the UK and experiencing a week or two (if we were lucky) of weather of 25-30 degrees celsius during the summer where we would be complaining about the heat after a few days I am pleased that we ended up in the Hill country.

A pleasant temperature.

I can handle a day or two at a beach resort but I find that I need to get to a place where the temperature is a bit more comfortable for me.

Where we live at GlenMyu Estate the temperature ranges from around 22 degrees to 30 degrees during the day. It can get cooler at night and we provide a duvet for our guests.

Our neighbours advise that we are living in the closest thing to a Mediterranean climate and that is really soothing.

I read some reviews of other hotels in the area before we built GlenMyu where the guest wished that they had stayed there for more than one night as they loved the scenery and climate.

So - do something different and visit the Hill Country

GlenMyu Estate is located in the Hill Country of Sri Lanka. The Hill Country is also commonly known as Up Country.

The nearest town is Beragala which is located on the main A4 road towards Welawaya.

The nearest larger town is Haputale which lies 400 plus metres above Glenmyu.

If you enjoy peace and relaxation we believe that there is no better place to be.

Stay at GlenMyu Estate to explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country

A stay at GlenMyu Estate as you explore the Sri Lankan Hill Country and see sights like Horton Plains National Park is a unique experience.

We only have three bedrooms and you will need to book early during the peak holiday season.

The estate is usually within an hours drive of the major sightseeing locations such as Nine Arch Bridge, Ella Town, Upper Diyaluma Waterfall, Lipton’s Seat, Bambarakanda Waterfall and many more,

GlenMyu Estate is listed on Booking.com and Airbnb.
Contact us by the WhatsApp button on our website for direct booking rates.

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