Indian Robin

A rather shy and secretive bird. Picture taken in Maniccawaththe, Avissawella.

'Jambu' fruits, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

November is the season for 'Jambu' fruits. It is also called the 'rose-apple'. The old chronicles of Sri Lanka written in 'Pali', refer to India as 'Jambu-dweepa' presumably because of the abundance of these trees in India of those times. I took this picture in our garden in Avissawella. Squirrels, parakeets and various insects have a field day, eating these fruits. Children love the juicy, fluffy center of these fruits and end up with a sore-throat by overindulgence.

Indian Robin - Black Robin, Kudagama, Sri Lanka.

The 'Black robin' looks like the 'Oriental Magpie Robin' but is totally black. It makes a hissing call unlike the Oriental Magpie Robin' which is a very musical bird. The male 'Black Robin' is black and the female is a greyish red. I took this photograph at Kudagama, Avissawella in February 2010.