POWERSTATION CAVE 1, Norton Bridge

Herbert Daniel Gebauer - 06/01/2018

A so-called Powerstation Cave (or two) seems to be the home of bats. SITUATION 1: Eckrich, M. (1984 Mss: Bat cave distribution map) indicates Powerstation Cave at a road-head north of the cave of the –>Seven Virgins (±1 km, N06°52'20”: E080°30'50” Everest 1830). SITUATION 2: Eckrich, M. (1984 personal communication) indicated on a partial photocopy of the Survey of Sri Lanka sheet -Hatton- (One Inch series, a.i. before 1984) the location of a pair of caves, which lie opposite across a road and -- at a travelling distance of 6 or 7 km along the road (4 km in a direct line north-west) from Norton Bridge, which runs initially ENE via the Aberdeen estate (note 1) and a series of hairpin bends, and later generally north-west (along and above the north-eastern bank of the Maskeliya Oya) towards the village of Morahenegama (note 2) and Ginigathena (N06°59'11”: E080°29'22” WGS84) on the highway A7. -- at a spot (west of the hairpin bends) where the abovementioned road has just finishe a long right-hand bend (initially heading westish, later north) and continues (beyond the caves) for half a kilometre almost due north to a sharp left-hand bend, beyond which the road continues generally north-west towards village of Morahenegama, etc. -- at linear distances of about 1.5 km from the peaks Bambaragala to the north, from Kiripanagala 3473 feet (1058.6 m asl) to the west, and from Bulatwalakanda 3234 feet (985.7 m asl) to the south-west. CAVE LIFE: Since Michael Eckrich (München: Zoologisches Institut, 1984 Mss) indicates Powerstation Cave on his bat cave distribution map, there are possibly bats (Chiroptera) in this cave. a long right-hand bend (initially heading westish, later north) and continues (beyond the caves) for half a kilometre almost due north to a sharp left-hand bend, beyond which the road continues generally north-west towards village of Morahenegama, etc. -- at linear distances of about 1.5 km from the peaks Bambaragala to the north, from Kiripanagala 3473 feet (1058.6 m asl) to the west, and from Bulatwalakanda 3234 feet (985.7 m asl) to the south-west. CAVE LIFE: Since Michael Eckrich (München: Zoologisches Institut, 1984 Mss) indicates Powerstation Cave on his bat cave distribution map, there are possibly bats (Chiroptera) in this cave.