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Vil Uyana – a budding wetland
When I visited the construction site of the Vil Uyana hotel, I got an opportunity to observe the rapid colonisation of the artificial wetland complex by wildlife. It is situated on a site of just over twenty acres, and bordering it are small areas of reedbeds and marshlands.

The Reedbed Conservation Society, introduced to the project by architect Sunela Jayawardene, has already begun planting reedbeds with indigenous plants. The transformation of what was previously abandoned, arable land is remarkable. The wetland has all the elements of a major hydraulic project, except for water being ducted in underground pipes. It is complete with sluices, turnoffs, spills and a canal feeding a storage reservoir, which harvests and feeds water into a show reservoir.

Fortunately, a site was chosen, which could not have been made better for constructing an artificial wetland. This idea came from the famous scientist C. R. Panabokke, who conducted some of the preliminary analysis. Dr. Godaliyadde and his assistant Mr. Palugaswewa, with contractor Nihal Karunaratne, had over the last year transformed the idea of a privately constructed wetland into a reality in the harsh dry zone plains of Sigiriya. The wildlife had been quick to colonise the new lakes. Marsh crocodiles had moved in, while construction was underway. The otter, always an elusive mammal had been seen, along with Common Kingfishers and Common Sandpipers.

I walked around the site with resident naturalist Nadeera Weerasinghe, hoping to see one of the four marsh crocodiles present, but they eluded us. A Red-wattled Lapwing was anxious for one of its young in the freshly planted paddy fields around the paddy field chalets under construction. A flock of Cattle Egrets were very much more relaxed, and a pair of Paddyfield pipits were collecting nesting material. Near the research station, a Pied Kingfisher hovered over the Kunu Ala. From the dense vegetation around the stream, I heard the chakking of a migrant Blyth's Pipit, while a Yellow-eyed Babbler’s song wafted over the fields.

The next morning, we inspected an area of grassland at the back. I was in search of the beautiful Blue Pansy; a wary and active butterfly. I was pursuing one of the many Dragonfly and Damselfly species when Nadeera called me over. A dark butterfly took flight and rapidly settled down a few feet away. It spread its wings, showing a beautiful blue upper surface with red rings. Then it began to flick its wings, and then closed in to show a pale under-surface, marked with wavy lines, which served to camouflage it. I also found a Lime Butterfly, still in a torpid state.

Gehan's Journal is an ad hoc series of lightly edited extracts from notes maintained on his laptop by writer and photographer Gehan de Silva Wijeyeratne.

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