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

Scaly-breasted Munia

The Scaly-breasted Munia is a common bird found throughout Sri Lanka, ascending to the highlands where it may be seen in the same habitat as the endemic Black throated Munia. More info after the jump.

The Scaly-breasted Munia, also known as the Nutmeg Manikin or the Spice Finch, is a resident breeder in tropical southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka east to Indonesia and the Philippines. It has also been introduced to Puerto Rico where they are already widespread in lowland agricultural areas. It feeds on seeds and can been seen foraging on grasslands and crops and is therefore considered a pest.

A typical clutch consists of 4 - 10 eggs which are laid in an untidy and dome shaped nest. It will move into gardens to occupy suitable nesting habitats. They move around in restless flocks, seldom staying in one place for long. The sexes are similar, juveniles have light brown upper parts  and have uniform buff under parts.

I found a small flock of these birds near the Thalangama tank one morning. They were moving about in the undergrowth feeding on seeds in the grass when I came across them. They move around a lot and it took a bit of patience to capture the image above. The bird in the image perched on a stick and paused for a little while to look around before disappearing into the undergrowth. Fortunately there was enough time for me to lock focus and capture the image.