Brahmini kites, Yala, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture of two Brahminy kites and a ?White-bellied sea-eagle, perched on a tree overlooking a pond inside the Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.

Wild elephant, Udawalawe, Sri Lanka.

Wild elephant behind the electric fence, Uda Walawe, Sri Lanka.

A Red-vented bulbul chick

I saw this Bulbul chick on the ground close to the nest where it was hatched. The parents were hovering close by. I was wondering whether it was unable to fly. If it stayed on the ground it would become easy prey to the cat roaming around. As I approached it its parents increased their chatter. In the twinkling of an eye it took wing and flew away. I guess fear and the warning from its parents induced it to make its maiden flight.

A view of 'Vedahiti-kande' - 'Kathiramalai' from Katharagama.

'Vedahiti-kanda' or 'Kathiramalai' is the sacred mountain on which Lord Murugan is said to have settled down, after marrying the Veddah cheiftain's daughter, Valliamma. It was a 2 hour difficult climb. Now you can reach the top by jeep available for hire at the bottom of the hill.

Brooding Bulbul

I took this picture in my garden in Avissawella. You can see the mother sitting on the eggs. She did not fly away when I went close. The male was hovering nearby giving warning cries. Prowling cats, the rat-snake and the Greater Coucal, which latter boldly goes to the nest and swallows the live chicks, are an ever present danger. The population of the bulbul is stable at the moment.