Nest of a Drongo - 'Baala kaputa' on a rubber tree.

Orchids in my garden, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

Spotted dove hiding among mango leaves, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

looking towards Mount-Lavinia from Wellawaththe, Sri Lanka.

'Lavinia' is supposed to have been the name of the daughter of a Governor of Ceylon of the British Colonial tuimes. He is supposed to have built a mansion at this site which later became the Mount-Lavinia Hotel.

Annual sports meet in progress, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

The first term of January to April is allocated for sports in the Government Schools in Sri Lanka. The above picture shows the final day of the sports meet at a school in Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Old and new buildings close to the Wellawaththe beach, Sri Lanka

Looking towards the land from the Wellawaththe beach you can see a two-storey building more than 50 years old and a new apartment block a few years old. The seaside location takes a heavy price on metal equipment like cars, electronic equipment, steel furniture etc by way of corrosion. The compensation is that there is always a breeze and everyday there is a beautiful sunset.

'Red-vented Bulubul' chicks, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Two 'Red-vented Bulbul' chicks, all skin and no feathers in their nest. At the slightest sound they open their mouths wide and stretch their necks upwards, to receive the titbits from their parents. Photo taken by me on 18/2/2010.

Female 'Red-vented bulbul' guarding her nest.

It was scorchingly hot outside today. I saw this female bulbul sitting in her nest, covering her delicate chicks. She was getting the heat on her plumes and was protecting her young ones. This was in my garden in Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Rocky promontory, Wellawaththe beach, Sri Lanka.

The rocky promontory at the Wellawaththe beach was a popular haunt of afficiandos of 'line-fishing' from our medical student days. It is still the same. You also see quite a lot of courting couples admiring the sunset. Photo taken by me on a Fuji Finepix S 1500 on 12/2/2010.

Golden sunset, Wellawaththe, Sri Lanka.

I took this picture on 12/2/2010 from the Wellawaththe beach. Camera used was a Fuji Finepix S 1500.

A squirrel having his breakfast, my home garden, Avissawella.

The antics of squirrels amazes me all the time. The above is a regular in my garden at Avissawella. They build their nests inside the drawers of my desk. The little ones grow up safe there.

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. 

?"Common bush-shrike', Kudagama, Avissawella, Sri Lanka

Photo taken in shrub jungle by a foot-path, Kudagama, Avissawella, in February, 2010. Camera used Fuji Finepix S 1500.

'Blyth's Pipit' - Kaluwandura, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Around 10am on the 4th of February 2010, we were returning from Kaluwandura, a village off Puwakpitiya. We saw this bird by the roadside. It circled around and would not fly away. There must have been a nest closeby for we spotted its other partner momentarily before the latter flew away. It gave us anexcellent photographic study.

Common Tailor-bird.

The above is a regular visitor to our garden. They flit about and are difficult to photograph. This one literally posed for the photograph taken by me a few days back.

'White-rumped Munia', Kudagama,Sri Lanka

The 'White-rumped Munia' and the 'Scaly-breasted Munia' are often seen together. I took this photo within a few feet of the picture below on a bright sunny day in Kudagama.

Scaly-breasted Munias, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

I saw a flock of 'Scaly-breasted Munias' plucking the ears from some wild grass. I could get quite close to them. Picture4 taken on a Fuji Finepix S 1500.

A 'Hanging parrot', Kaluwandura, Sri Lanka.

'Scarlet minivets' , Kaluwandura, Sri Lanka.

'Scarlet minivets' fly about in groups and are a rare sight. We saw this group at the top of a rubber tree. They were gone in a flash. Charaka Wickremasinghe took this lucky shot on a Fuji Finepix with a 10X zoom, on 4/2/2010.

Squirrel feeder.

A 'squirrel feeder' can easily be made by making perforations with a hot metal rod, into an empty plastic mega bottle. Bread crumbs, rice, plantains etc could be easily introduced into this bottle, tied to a tree. It provides a good relaxed viewing. A variety of birds also come here to partake of the food. This gives an excellent opportunity for photographic studies.

A 'Bittern', Kudagama, Sri Lanka.

A spotted dove resting in the shade, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Spotted doves are endemic to Sri Lanka. They are usually seen in pairs and prefer shade. They emit a rumbling cooing sound.