Pied Kingfisher - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

I hadn't photographed a Pied Kingfisher until my last trip to Arugam Bay in July. I came across a pair of them hunting along a small waterway on the side of the road. They were making short flights out over the water and hovering for a while and returning to their perch on a telephone wire. Fortunately for me, they hovered for long enough for me to take a few photographs.

More inside.

 Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Pied Kingfishers range from sub-Saharan Africa across to west Asia. The species found in Sri Lanka is considered to be a sub-species named leucomelanura. They are about 17cm in length and are white with a black mask. The males have a narrow second breast band while females have a broken breast band. The photographs above are of a male. It hunts by hovering over water to locate prey and then diving bill first to capture fish. 

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. The conditions were not ideal as the clouds were a very bright background for these flight shots. I also had to push the ISO up to be able to shoot photographs of the birds in flight. I'm hoping to get some better shots in the future but they are not too bad for a first effort.

Paddyfield Pippit - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

The Paddyfield Pippit, a small passerine, is a common bird found in scrub, grassland and cultivated areas through Asia. I photographed these birds while driving to the Kudumbigala Monastery in July. It's a relatively plain looking bird with a streaked grey and brown body. However, measuring in at around the 15cm mark, it is large for a Pippit.

More photographs inside.

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Richards Pippit and Blyths Pippit are similar in appearance to this species and differentiating them can be difficult in the winter month when they migrate into the area. 6 subspecies have been identified. The Paddyfiled Pippit is smaller, weaker in flight and has a shorter tail. 

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

This species breeds throughout the year, mainly in the dry season, and may have two or more broods in a year. The nest is built on the ground under a slightly prominent area which could be a push or a tuft of grass. A clutch usually consists of 3 - 4 eggs which are greenish in colour. When disturbed near the nest the parents may feign injury to distract predators.

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

I came across these birds by the side of the road and photographed them from the car. I used the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens for all these photographs.

Black-winged Stilts - Yala, Sri Lanka

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Black-winged stilts are common waders found in most Sri Lankan tanks. Their distinct red legs and black wings make identification straightforward. I hadn't actually photographed this species before our last trip to Yala and was quite keen to get a few shots of them in flight.

More photographs inside.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

We stayed at a house outside the park during our time in Yala. Just before leaving for Colombo, I walked down to the bottom of the garden and found a number of Black-winged Stilts in the tank adjacent to the property. The photographs on this post were shot during the 30 minutes I spent at the tank.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Males of this species are said to have a black back with a greenish gloss while female's backs have a brown hue. Immature birds are grey in colour  instead of black and have a sandy hue on their wings. The Black-winged Stilt belongs to the avocet family and mainly feed on insects and crustaceans.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. If I were to take these shots again, I would probably get lower down to the ground and shoot at a similar level to the birds as they fly past.






  

Superb Fairy-Wren - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

I have uploaded a couple of photographs of the Superb Fairy-Wren previously but thought I'd share a few more recent shots of the male of this species on this post. Again, the photographs were taken over a weekend spent on a friends farm in Sandy Hollow in the northern reaches of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

More photographs inside.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

As with most Wrens, the Super Fairy Wren doesn't sit still for long. They spend their time hopping from branch to branch foraging in the undergrowth. Photographing these birds takes a fair bit of patience as you need to wait for them to appear in the open. Then you have to try and focus on the bird before it disappears again.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

I used AI Focus to track the birds while they moved about feeding. As soon as they stepped out into the open I hit the shutter release to take the photograph. It does sounds a lot easier than it actually was! The main issue I experienced while photographing these birds was focusing. As the camera would sometimes focus on the leaf litter or on a stray leaf. I couldn't pre-focus as the birds were unpredictable.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

All the photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. A tripod wasn't use as the light was strong enough to use a quick shutter release.

Indian Peafowl - Yala, Sri Lanka

Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Indian Peafowl are a common sight in the dry zone jungles of Sri Lanka and are probably one of the most easily recognisable birds in the area. The male has an unmistakable train of elongated blue and green upper tail covert feathers and a metallic blue crown and neck. The female doesn't have the train of feathers or the same bright plumage.

More photographs inside.

Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Peafowl are native to the Indian Subcontinent but have been introduced to many other parts of the world. In Sri Lanka they are common in the dry zone and have adapted to living around areas populated by humans. In India the bird is protected by religious sentiment and can be found foraging around villages and towns.

Indian Peahen (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The male's tail is fully developed after it reaches the 4 year mark. Interestingly the blue and green colours of the Peacock are not a result of pigmentation but the micro-structure of the feathers themselves. The males are known for raising their train in the shape of a fan and quivering them as part of a courtship display.

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Peafowls forage in small groups called musters which usually consist of a Peacock and 3 - 5 Peahens during the breeding season and only Peahens and young. Their diet consists of berries, grain, snakes, lizards and small rodents. They are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to stay hidden during the heat of the day. When disturbed they prefer to run through the undergrowth and will avoid taking flight.

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All the photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Unfortunately I didn't see any Peacocks with raised feathers during this trip. 




 

Little Green Bee-eater - Sri Lanka

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Little Green Bee-eater is a common sight throughout Sri Lanka's dry zone and can often be heard twittering in open grasslands. Its Blue/Green chin makes it easy to differentiate this species from other Bee-eaters found in Sri Lanka (Blue-tailed Bee-Eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and the European Bee-eater).

More photographs inside.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

On my last trip to Sri Lanka I photographed this species on a number of occasions in Yala, Panama and Anuradhapura. Most of these photographs were taken when the species was perched on branches at or below eye level. Later on I read that Bee-eaters in Sri Lanka seem to divide the airspace vertically with the Green Bee-eater occupying the lower part,  the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater occupying the middle region and the upper region occupied by the Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

This species of Bee-eater is distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Western Arabia and Asia. Several variations in plumage can be found across different regions and a number of subspecies have been identified. Some populations are said to move around seasonally but patterns have not been observed.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Green Bee-eater's diet mainly consists of insects including Bees, Wasps and Ants which are caught in flight. This species seems to hunt from perches which are relatively close to the ground (less than a meter in height). Once it captures it's prey it can often be seen thrashing the insect on its perch to get rid of stingers and the exoskeleton.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Yala, Sri Lanka

This species is also known to sand bathe quite frequently (picture below) and have been known to bathe in water too. These birds are solitary nesters and their nests are tunnels dug into a sandy bank (some can be as deep as five feet). A clutch consists of 3-5 eggs which are incubated by both sexes. The eggs take 14 days to hatch and chicks fledge in 3 - 4 weeks.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Photographing these birds in flight is tough as their flight paths are not predictable. I haven't been too successful at getting decent flight shots of them to date but will keep trying.

Ashy Prinia - Yala, Sri Lanka

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia, also known as the Ashy Wren-Warbler, is found throughout Sri Lanka but it is commoner in the dry zone. I had photographed this species previously, on a trip to Anuradhapura a few years ago and got another opportunity to photograph it in Yala last year.

More photographs after the jump.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These Prinias are found in grassland, woodland, scrub and even gardens in major cities. They are found in the Indian sub-continent as well as western Burma. In some regions the plumage of the bird varies based on season. The race found in Sri Lanka, brevicauda, is said to be endemic and varies in terms of plumage and tail length.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia is known for making snapping noise, thought to be produced by the wings, while in flight. Some authors suggest that the noise is made by snapping its tail while others think it is produced by the birds mandibles.  

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

During the breeding season these birds build nests close to the ground in shrubs or tall grass and lays around 3 - 5 eggs. The breeding season varies from area to area but is generally after monsoons. The birds are thought to be monogamous and both sexes are involved with incubating the eggs and feeding the young.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. The birds were flying in and out of some shrubs when I saw them. Getting a clear shot was a bit of a challenge as they didn't perch on exposed branches very often. 

Oriental White-eye - Sri Lanka

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Oriental White-eye is a common bird found in the lowlands in both the dry and wet zones of Sri Lanka. It can be found in the mid hills as well but is rarely seen at higher elevations. On my last trip to Sri Lanka I was able to photograph these birds in Thalangama, Yala and Kandy.

More photographs inside.

 Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

It is similar in appearance to the endemic Sri Lankan White-eye but is lighter in colour and slightly smaller. Both species can be seen in mixed flocks. Their presence is often given away by their constant calling while they move through the undergrowth. Their diet consists of nectar as well as small insects and other invertebrates.

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The White-eye's range stretches east from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia as far as Malaysia and Indonesia. A number of subspecies have been recognised throughout this range. Their habitat varies form scrub to moist forests.

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka 

White-eyes are social birds and form flocks which separate only during the breeding season which stretches from February to September, with April considered a peak. Their nests are shaped like cups and are built out of cobwebs, lichen and plant fiber. Two eggs are laid and they hatch in about 10 days.

 

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The hardest part of photographing these birds was getting them on an open perch for a clear shot. The fact that they are constantly on the move and quick, didn't help matters. These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.




   

Black-fronted Babbler - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

I photographed a flock of Black-fronted Babblers in Thalangama while they foraged through the undergrowth. I hadn't photographed them prior to this and was quite happy that I was able to move quite close to them and fire off a number of frames.

More photographs inside.

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

These Babblers are found in India and Sri Lanka. Three subspecies have been found in Sri Lanka, one each in the dry, wet and hill zones of the island. The species found in India have a complete black hood while the Sri Lankan species, pictured here, have a black mask.

 

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

They are weak in flight and tend to clamber up vegetation when startled. Their diet consists mainly of insects. Like most Babblers the Black-fronted Babblers are noisy birds and their presence is often given away by their calls. They are also known to join mixed species feeding flocks.

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Breeding season is between May and July and a clutch usually consists of two eggs. Nests are often built low down on bushes and shrubs. The nest is said to look like some dry leaves that have got stuck in a bush with an opening on one side.

  Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Photographing these birds wasn't hard as they were foraging when I found them and they weren't bothered by me being around. I had to keep looking around to find birds which had hopped out onto an exposed perch in order to get a clear shot. All photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

Common Wood-Shrike - Yala, Sri Lanka

Common Wood-Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Common Wood-Shrike is a member of the helmetshrike family Prionopidae and is found throughout Southern Asia. The sub-species found in Sri Lanka is sometimes considered a separate species, the Sri Lanka Woodshrike. I photographed them in Yala and Anuradhapura in July.

More photographs inside.

Common Wood-Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka the Common Wood-Shrike is found throughout the dry zone and up to the mid hills. It can be seen in the wet zone as well but is rarer and localised. In Asia the  bird is found in Sri Lanka, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Thailand and Laos.

Common Wood-Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The female of this species is duller than the male and appears to be slightly brown in colour. They are often seen in pairs and this was the case in Yala. The bird in the second photograph on this post is most likely a male and the other photographs are of females.  It is not a small bird and was easy to spot in the mid canopy. Fortunately they flew down onto lower branches and I was able to shoot a few clear frames of the bird.

Common Wood-Shrike (Tephrodornis pondicerianus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. From a photography point of view, the fact that the bird was above eye level was a bit frustrating as the angle distorted the proportions of the bird.

Emerald Dove - Sri Lanka

Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) - Sinharaja, Sri Lanka

Of all the pigeons found in Sri Lanka, the Emerald Dove is easily the most striking. It's brilliant green wings and red beak and feet make identification easy. It's a shy bird and as a result, although common,  is rarely seen. On my last trip to Sri Lanka I photographed this species in Sinharaja as well as in Wilpattu.

More photographs inside.

 Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

The sighting in Sinharaja was the best in terms of photography. We had just walked in through the gate and around the first corner of the main road when we saw a male Emerald Dove (males have a white patch on their shoulder) walking towards us. I was expecting it to stop briefly and then disappear into the undergrowth on the side of the road but fortunately this was not the case. The bird just walked straight at us and I was able to fire off a number of frames as it approached. It continued until it was well beyond where we were standing before it took flight.

Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) - Sinharaja, Sri Lanka

I was also surprised to see a number of them in Wilpattu. They were foraging along the edge of almost every road we drove on and took flight as the vehicle approached. They were probably on the road as they are not used to vehicles driving in the park (the park had been closed to visitors for years and opened up very recently). Most of them flew into the forest and disappeared into the undergrowth pretty quickly. One of them flew up and perched on a branch by the side of the road and allowed me to take the second shot on this post.

 

 Emerald Dove (Chalcophaps indica) - Sinharaja, Sri Lanka

Both Wilpattu and Sinharaja are have a thick canopy and very little direct sunlight gets through. As a result, to get decent photographs of these birds I had to jack up the ISO. In Sinharaja I had to use an ISO of about 2000. All photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

Crested Serpent Eagle - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster) - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

The Serpent Eagle is one of the more common birds of prey found in Sri Lanka. Although it is found across tropical Asia, the Sri Lankan subspecies is endemic. In total, 21 subspecies of the Serpent Eagle have been identified across its range.

More photographs after the jump.

 Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster) - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

On my last trip to Sri Lanka in July, I saw the Serpent Eagle in Kandy, Arugam Bay and Wilpattu. The sighting in Wilpattu was the best in terms of photography as we were around 10 meters away from the Eagle. We came across it while driving down a road which had thick undergrowth on either side. The bird was perched on a branch that was about 10 feet off the ground and overhanging the road.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster) - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

Fortunately for us, it was not spooked by the approaching vehicle and was content to watch us as we drove up and stopped almost under the tree. I was able to photograph it while leaning out of the jeep window. We spent about 10-15 minutes with the eagle before driving off right under its perch. When we came back about half an hour later, we were surprised to see it still on the same perch.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela spilogaster) - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.