White-browed Fantail - Yala Sri Lanka

White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The White-browed Fantail, also called the White-browed Fantail Flycatcher, is a common fantail found in the lowlands and the mid-hills of Sri Lanka. I saw this species in Yala, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Arugam Bay in July. However, I only photographed it in Yala.

More photographs inside.

White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Measuring in at 18cm in length the fantail is a little larger than a house sparrow. Apart from its plumage, it's loud whistling song, the constant twitching of its tail and the regular opening and closing of its wings make this species unmistakable. It's nest is shaped like a cup and is made out of plant matter bound together with spider webs. A clutch consists of 2 or 3 cream coloured eggs with dark brown spots. The duties of building the nest, incubation and feeding the young are shared by both sexes.

White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All the photographs on in this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I pushed the ISO up a bit in order to use a faster shutter speed. No tripod was required.

 

Red Browed Finch

Red-browed Finch - Neochmia temporalis

The Red-browed Finch was one of several species we spotted around the Barrington tops area. Although it wasn't a lifer for me, it was the first time I managed to photograph them. Photographing them isn't easy as they are constantly moving while they forage on the floor. They were feeding in the undergrowth and the combination of the canopy and the undergrowth guaranteed that the quality of light wasn't the best.

More photographs after the jump.

Red-browed Finch - Neochmia temporalis

There are four "races" of Red-browed Finch and they are spread along the east coast of Australia. They are found in undergrowth forests, grassy clearings, coastal scrubs, heath, mangrove habitats. Females are similar in appearance to mails. This Red-browed Finch is also known as Red-browed Firetails.

Red-browed Finch - Neochmia temporalis

I used the 100-400mm Canon lens and the 7D to photograph these birds. I pushed up the ISO to about 400 from memory for these shots. In hindsight I should have pushed it up a bit more!

Red-browed Finch - Neochmia temporalis

White-browed Bulbul

The white browed Bulbul is a shy member of the Bulbul family of passerine birds. It is a resident breeder in Sri Lanka and the coasts of peninsular India. More info after the jump.

The white-browed Bulbul is about 20cm in length with a long tail. The upper part of the bird is an olive gray while the under parts are whitish. This species of Bulbul is identified by the white supercilium, the white crescent below the eye and the dark eye stripe. It also has a yellow vent, which is not always seen. The sexes are similar in plumage. It feeds on fruits, nectar and insects. It builds a cup shaped nest in a tree and typically lays two eggs per clutch.

The bird is usually detected by its characteristic call, a "loud rattle of sweetish notes", which is a familiar sound in the dry zone forests of Sri Lanka.

This photograph was taken at the Thalangama tank. I was out looking for Kingfishers when I came around a bend in the road and found it perched on a branch about 6 feet off the ground. It was very close to where I was standing and surprisingly it did not fly off or hide. I took these images at a focal length of 400mm. The light wasn't the best so I had to crank up the ISO to 1600. I was using the 400D at the time and wasn't too happy about increasing the ISO that much. At least I got a half decent image though!