Thursday, February 24, 2011

Indian Robin

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

Oriental Magpie Robin

A very common bird in Sri Lanka. It has a beautiful song early in the morning. I took this picture in our garden in Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Grey Wagtail

I took this picture on the banks of the Kelani Ganga at Aswaththe, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

'White-browed bulbul'

I took this picture at Maniccawaththe, Avissawella.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Black-headed Munias

Photos taken in the shrub jungle near Maniccawaththe, Avissawella, Sri Lanka.

White-throated King-fisher

Seen commonly in Sri Lanka and detected by its piercing cry. It eats insects flying in the air most of the time.

Brahminy kite


Little Cormorant

Picture taken at Kudagama, Avissawella. The bird is cooling off after a dive.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

The 'Common King-fisher'


 I saw this bird on the banks of the Kelani Ganga at Aswaththe, Avissawella and took these pictures.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Sri Lankan Grey Hornbill

I took this picture at Kosgama in a wooded area close to a house. There were two hornbills. One of them settled on a branch and I managed to zoom in and take this picture. In the picture you can see the hole in the Kithul tree. This is obviously the entrance to the nest of the couple as they were hovering around all the time.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Spotted Dove

Picture taken in my garden at Avissawella.

Sri Lankan Paradise Flycatcher - Male

Picture taken in my garden at Avissawella.

? Cormorant - Female.

I took this picture in the moat in front of the Dalada Maligawa, Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Red-backed wood pecker - (Black rumped flameback)

I took this picture at Nawalapitiya, with a Fuji S1500, using a zoom of 12X.

Tickell's blue flycatcher

I took this picture amid heavy foliage at Kosgama. The blue flash in the greenery alerted me to this rare sighting in Kosgama.

Modernisation

'Once there were green-fields, touched by the sun,...'

 Modernisation has come to Nawalapitiya. Telephone and Electricity pylons with their accompanying wires, cellphone transmission towers on the hills and reams of coloured plastic despoiling the once virgin beauty. That is the price of modernisation.

Monday, February 7, 2011

One of a herd of Buffaloes at Malabe

Buffaloes have been the beasts of burden in South Asia for millenia. They are still used very profitably in Sri Lanka. I took this picture of the head of one of them in the outskirts of Colombo, at Malabe.