Wildlife in a Suburban Garden

Accommodation in Sri Lanka, Ravi's Dream House.

Sri Lanka is a great place to visit and a great place for birdwatchers and Bird Photographers to visit.  I spent 10 days there recently and had a fabulous, safe and enjoyable time with some fantastic birds seen and photographed. I can thoroughly reccommend the house that I stayed in. The  owner  is Ravi Fernando.  A married father of two . The house is 2 years old and has all mod cons including en-suite and air con. It was perfect. For more details click on the link here to read about it. Ravi's Dream House.

For a look at some birds from my visit click here Gallery .  For all my other Galleries click the link here.

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

Having sat in the house for most of the day, when my wife arrived home at 3.15 I immediately took my turn to have the car and went out with the new camera to try it out.  Already the light was fading and other vehicles had their lights on...... and it was getting darker by the second.  My destination was Dawlish Warren Nature Reserve and the Black-necked Grebe that had been reported yesterday.  It might be a new addition to my Devon Galleries but had I left it too late, would it be there and if it was, would it be too dark?  It certainly would give the camera  a workout.  I got there just as the sun was dipping down and at the main pool, after a bit of guidance by another very friendly birder, there it was.  I snaped away, the camera set to 3200 ISO, almost a ridiculously high setting and I was still only getting about 1/100 of  a second but now I know that my new camera  is really going to do the business.  I couldn't believe the results when I got home, I am staggered that I managed to get any kind of photo at all let alone one that I am pleased with.

The first image with the new Pentax K511s camera.

The first photograph taken with the new camera.  I am restricted to the house, "car less" and of course waiting in for the camera to be delivered.  One of the improvements with the new camera is the ability to take pictures in low light without noise.  This picture  is the product of a massive crop, meaning that I have zoomed in close on the finished image.  One of the draw backs of doing this is that the captured pixels are made to appear larger on the resulting image. Any imperfections and noise is  easier to see. It seems that my images are going to be improved dramatically.

Today was all about Robins and a Jay.

One of the UK's nicest birds is the humble Robin.  We see them so often that we almost don't see them anymore.  I went for my first session at the hide today and the birds, obviously now finding it more dificult to find natural food, were coming to the feed almost constantly.  My camera and 500mm  lens was damaged  in Sri Lanka which at the time was a big blow. Fortunately I took a spare camera and struggled on with the lens.  I have replaced the camera with Pentax's new "flagship"  the K5 11s, (it arrives tomorrow).  The lens is back at the manufacturers and being repaired.  A spare part is on it's way from Japan!  So when I look at the image above and then consider that I used a broken camera and not my first choice of lens, I am really chuffed.  Light is the ultimate friend and enemy of the photographer and sometimes it  is just right and sometimes it just makes things difficult.

 

This is a typical pose of Britain's favourite bird.

Males and females are identical.

This is an Orinetal Magpie Robin from my recent trip to Sri Lanka.  They are not related to our Robin but you can see how the shape is very similar and they could get the name.

 

 

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Jays hit by acorn shortage

Short-nosed Indian fruit bat - (Cynopterus sphinx)

A really great bonus to see this individual.  It was hanging in a low tree in the garden of the property next door.  The locals were just as interested as me  to get a close look at it. We fed it  fruit including a mango which it couldn't get enough of, even licking the branch when it had been finished.

Common Kingfisher, the Sri Lankan sub-species.

We are all very familiar with the Common Kingfisher found here in the UK but you may not be aware that it is a common bird in other parts of the world;  Europe, North Africa and Asia as far as Japan and Indonesia.  However there are several sub-species in these more southern areas.  In Sri Lanka, the sub-species is "bengalensis".  I was told that they are common in Sri Lanka and not as shy  They are said to be slightly smaller and more brightly coloured than the nominate race here in the UK and although this was not immediately evident,  I think that I could see this in the birds that I saw.  It was also interesting to hear that their call was identical to the birds that I am very familiar with here in the UK.   The light is far far better in Sri Lanka and I took these in-flight shots with no difficulty whatsoever.

 

Kingfishers in Sri Lanka and Buzzards back at the hide.

Now I am back home in the UK and reflecting on my trip away, I am almost back to normal. I have spent the last 4 or 5 days sorting through the hundreds of photographs taken. I have to say that it proved more difficult than expected to photograph the Kingfishers  but I did have a bit of success. By far the most common Kingfisher was the Pied ((Ceryle rudis) and consequently I took the most photographs of this species. They have a particular habit of hovering high for for several seconds before plunging down in to the water beneath.  This is a real spectacle and makes for a real photo opportunity.  Here are a few photos of this very interesting behaviour.

 

They start by circling above the water before starting to hover.

This bird is a female, you can tell by the single patch of black on the white breast.

I also saw a male on this stretch of water, it seems that they are  territoriall because I watched one bird chase the other away aggressively on one ocassion.

.........a successful hunt.

This is a male with a double chest bar.

I was pleased when I went to the Buzzard hide this early afternoon, in only a matter of minutes, hardly before I had time to conceal myself in fact,  one of the Buzzards came in to investigate. It perched on the fence opposite and after checking that everything was safe, after a couple of minutes, it flew in to take the free offering off the post.  It didn't land but picked up the chick, acrobatically  in flight. 

 

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Buzzards in flight at last

Later in the evening of day 1.

Day 2 and a day with a "pro" Bird Guide

Yellow Bittern tops a great day.

Not a Stranger to this Paradise! (Courtesy of Borodin)

Final day inSri Lanka

Sri Lanka update

Sri Lanka Day 1 and the first outing with the camera.

Identifying some common Birds of Prey you may see in Devon.

Back home in the UK

I am now back in the UK, my trip from Sri Lanka on Emirates Air was wonderful, smooth, well organised and incident free.  Back in my homeland a few problems have already emerged.  Firstly having decided to use the train because I don't like the bus I am told that the train will terminate at Yeovil and then we bus it down to Exeter.  If you don't know the region, thats not a very convenient journey at the best of times  and its going to be a big chore. You will know more about the weather here in the UK than I do but pretty typical, its not like it never rains and then suddenly it does and mayhem ensues. 

 

Yours truly with the wonderful aircrew on my journey from Sri Lanka to the UK on Emirates.

 

Back in Sri Lanka this morning, I was up at well before 6 and got myself sorted and sat outside Ravi's shop drinking coffee.  As the sun came up I was ready to depart for the airport.   The wildlife was already active and breakfast was interrupted by a big rat that ran under my chair. My comment to Ravi that this was the first I had seen at his shop made me smile because he was almost put out that I hadn't seen more.  The rat caused much excitement between Ravi and the female members of his family who chased it with a broom, like they had a chance of catching it.  This early morning encounter was accompanied by loud laughter and giggles from everyone, even the early morning shop customers who joined in with lots of loud comments and again more laughing and joking. 

 

Ravi's Dream House, my 3 bedroomed air-con accomodation from a spot just in front of the shop.

 

A laugh and a joke is pretty much the standard reaction to most situations in Sri Lanka. I had a small injury to my toe nail the other day, this was about the only time that the joking stopped.  Indera (Mrs Ravi) was particularly concerned and had  a worried look on her face as Ravi tenderly bathed the bleeding toe with surgical spirit and then iodine. It seems that Ravi is also the local first aid man in keeping with his status in the village as jack of all trades.  

Natashia serves a customer at just after 6 am.  The bread piled up on the counter.

 

Eventually the excitement of the rat faded and we said our goodbyes with a look of real sadness on the face of Mrs Ravi who had genuine tears in her eyes, I climbed in to Ravi's taxi….. another string to his bow by the way….. waved at the mum and girls and  we pulled away.  The trip in to Colombo on the main road past Nogombo was the usual frantic dodgem drive, made all the more exciting by the early morning commuters who, although in a hurry haven't thought about actually getting the cattle out of the road.

I had experienced a real adventure in Sri Lanka.  Not even once was I concerned about safety of any kind, (apart from the perilous journey on the back of Ravi's moped). I  photographed just a few more than 50 species, around a 5th of the species in the country.  I am slightly disappointed in this number, it could have been more and would have been if I had travelled further afield looking for particular species.  However, I made a conscious decision to stay near to my chosen base and then try to get better and better shots of the common birds around that area.  Of these 50  birds,  most I hadn't photographed before and at least 30 were new species to me. My accommodation was perfect, made all the better because of the close proximity to the luxury hotel at the end of the street. This was a bolt hole and I enjoyed the late evening drinks with the "all inclusive" residents who treated me as though I were a guest in the hotel with numerous new friendships made. I learned a few lessons about quality of life by mixing so closely with the community.  I will definitely return again.

 

Looking over the wall from the front of the shop and in to the "garden" the new pig called Onya waits for breakfast.  I couldn't find out what happened to the old sow that was there when I first arrived but it's not hard to guess.  This waste land area was brilliant for birds with a dozen or so exotics seen every day.  You could do a lot worse than just sit there all day.

PS to this post.  In the end it took me longer to get from Gatwick to Exeter than it did from Dubai to Gatwick.  Having been in the company of some of the nicest and kindest people that I have ever met it was a rude shock to be greeted by the absolutely appalling rudeness and lack of care by the bus driver on the replacement service from Yeovil. I suppose if he was unemployed and then couldn't feed himself as would be the case in Sri Lanka, then he might approach his job with a bit more enthusiasm.

 

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Later in the evening of day 1.

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Final day inSri Lanka

Sri Lanka Day 1 and the first outing with the camera.

Final day inSri Lanka

My bags are packed and first thing in the morning I board the plane for my return home. I realised that I hadn't photographed any butterflies and the main part of my day  was spent trying to rectify that which I did and I am pleased with the results.

Even thoughI do have an ID chart I have to confess to finding it hard to give these two a name.

I made a great discovery late afternoon today, unfortunately a few days too late as it's my last day.   I realised that by siting quietly on a raised area of lawn just outside my  "house" I could get a clear view, in clear light, of the birds on the move at the end of their day, feeding in the scrubby garden next to Ravi's house.  I photographed 4 new species for the trip which was a real bonus considering I was in my own garden.  The highlight was a Brown - headed Barbet, this is the first time I haven't  seen a Barbet properly before  and I was really taken.  In every way apart from bill, they resemble a lovebird or other small parrot. Quite a stunning and interesting bird the size of a blackbird in the UK, bright green with a strong orbital ring.  The photos are not my best of the trip but a great little bird.

The next visitor was a Tailor Bird, I am familiar with them but not easy to see let alone photograph.  They are interesting because they make their nests by literally stitching leaves together using their long beaks as a tool.

I am thrilled with this shot and as it's a bird that I have seen before in the Far East I am very pleased to get a photograph.  For me the most impressive feature is this eye and russet head colour which has been picked up nicely by the strong sunlight which incidentally is really hard to deal with photographically.

It's been a constant quest all week to get at least a record shot of a male Purple-headed Sunbird and eventually, granted from a distance, I managed it.  These are  very exotic birds that replaces the Hummingbirds of the New World.

Not the usual close-up but a nice photo that captures the rich interesting foliage with creepers and a "sensitive plant".

Bulbuls are a common in the tropics  with numerous species.  This one is a White-browed Bulbul.  They are fruit, insect and berry eaters and about the size of a Starling.  The sexes appear to be similar, there were two together and I couldn't see any difference.

Finally, as I started this short trip in the tropics with an Indian Roller then here he is again.  This bird is a resident in Ravi's garden and just about the easiest bird in the world to get a good photograph of.  As I sat waiting for the visitors I was accompanied almost constantly by him on  the wires just to my left. If I had been here for a longer period I would have concentrated on him for a day or more.  Of course, had I done that I would have missed the chance to see and photograph any other species.  I have only just scratched the surface here in Sri Lanka but that was my plan.  I came to see and photograph the common birds close to my accommodation and not chase about looking for rarities.  Perhaps I may do that on another occasion.

To summarise, it's been a very successful 9 nights.  I have been safe, felt safe and stayed safe.  I have not been in the least bit isolated or lonely on my own.  My hosts Ravi and his family have been wonderful and it has been an immense privilege to live close to them, eat their food and get a real insight in to their day to day activities and way of life. You could for sure, make a documentary about their lives which would make very good entertainment.  The thing that impressed me more than anything was the really evident love that the parents have for their two children and the obvious respect and love the children have for their parents.  Both mother and father dote on the children and deliver them too and from school, not in a 4x4 as would be the case in the UK but usually on the back or sometimes stood on the front of a small motor scooter. Like I have said previously, health and safety is not a consideration.  It's obviously potentially very dangerous but the truth of the matter is, nobody gets injured or maimed. I even saw a mother, as a passenger today on the back of a scooter with a newborn in her arms. I think that may have been stretching it somewhat!

 

 

Sri Lanka update

Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to Blog yesterday, that was Sunday, I had a very hectic and tiring day, in fact the last week has worn me out. I have been coping with no more than 5 hours sleep if best.  Then add to that the incredible heat, frankly from about 10 in the morning until 4, its hard to do anything at all except try and get somewhere in a breeze, in the shade and preferably air conditioned. I made the mistake of sitting on my bed and then closing my eyes, this was around 7.30, the next time a woke it was way gone midnight and I then slept through until the next morning at 5.45 when I got up to carry on with my quest to get the best shots possible. But yesterday was a good one for sure.  I had booked a boat from the nearby Ranweli Eco Centre, just a Hotel that pitches its self on a green theme.  They employ some local guys to drive boats who are at least very interested in the birds and wildlife and also very knowledgeable.  I booked a boat to myself and the boatman of course with a 6.15 start.  We went to look for Stork Billed Kingfisher.  My guide the other day showed me how to call the Stork- bills who will respond by aggressively by calling back if they are males and the females will come to try and find the source of this new bird intruder.  I have been trying everywhere I go to perfect the  call which is relatively simple.  Yesterday I was really chuffed when suddenly a female flew in to me……. I had fooled her, always a great thrill to interact with wildlife like that. 

The boat trip was good, it involved the local canal and rivers. We looked for and saw 4 species of Kingfisher as well as Purple Sunbird, Black Bittern, Yellow Bittern, Red Vented and White Browed Bulbul  and,  as the day before Striated Heron and Stone Curlew and the usual Bee-eaters. 

 

Striated Heron (Butorides striata)

Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

 

However without doubt the highlight of the the day was smashing close ups with photos to match of a Brown Shrike. A really brilliant bird and wonderful to see.  I reckon that the photos of this bird are perhaps amongst the best  I have taken on this trip. 

 

Brown Shrike (Lanius cristatus)

A really lovely bird and closely related to the Red-backed Shrike.

 

My evening walk was not very productive, just a few birds including a small party of Nutmeg Manakin more commonly known as Spice Birds and even Scaly Breasted Munia, thats probably their best known name. 

Did I mention the Fruit Bat that paid a visit to Ravi's garden?  It was hanging from a tree very low on th edge of his neighbour's garden.  Ravi fed it with mango which it really enjoyed however it ignored totally the banana.  I managed some nice flash photographs.

 

I must tell you more about Ravi who's house I am staying in. Ravi and his family have a "corner" shop where they sell just about anything and everything.  Ravi has a finger in every pie but he is obviously a kind man and appears to be extremely honest.  His wife Indira is lovely and cooks breakfast for me every day which is a kind of omelette, I say that because it may resemble an omelette in some way!!  With it, I have local bread which gets delivered every morning at around 5.50 by a little man in local dress, from a box on the back of a moped.  Newspaper is used for most wrapping jobs and the bread is handled from one and then to the other and then left open on the counter by the dusty road where it is sold to the rest of the village who come in a constant stream.  It isn't at all hygienic as we would know it but  you just hope that you are OK…. perhaps in the west we are too fussy?  If you don't eat the bread then what are you going to eat?  There is a tap in the front of the shop where hands are washed (no soap),  all food is eaten by hand including rice with curry, their breakfast staple.  They drink weak tea, well we are in Ceylon, the home of tea.  I drink strong coffee which I brought from home, a good move on my part.  I haven't once felt ill or had a dickie stomach unlike at home where my obsession with dairy products, which I know I am allergic to, constantly upsets me. I am going to try and totally, 100% quit diary when I get back because I know I will feel better for it.  This morning Ravi took me to Nogombo on the back of his scooter which was about the scariest travel experience I have ever been on.  We missed most other road users and they missed us, but not by much.  There are only a few simple rules when using the road, these involve:  1. Staying almost on your side of the road and repeatedly sounding your horn so that other people know that you are just about to hit them and you are almost in control. 2. Try to avoid the cows which wander down the street. 3. big lorries and busses seem to have right of way based on the fact that they take longer to stop. 4. If you are a pedestrian its OK to wander along with the traffic and cross without looking as everyone else will go around you.  5. At junctions it's a free for all and perfectly acceptable to cut across everyone else because they may swerve around you of course, at least that's what they will try to do.  So why no accidents?  I have absolutely no idea, perhaps every vehicle as a magnetic shield around them and other road users bounce off without realising?  Back at his shop Ravi does a great business in cigarettes which he sells by splitting the packet and selling usually 3 at a time, at a great mark up of course.  His other big seller is coconut oil which is carried home in a Coke bottle.  He lets people come and use his mobile phone which he charges at 10 rupees for a minute which is hardly anything, just a few pence.  They have been incredibly kind and wecoming to me and tonight presents were presented to me for my grand daughters and grand children, how sweet is that. 

 

Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)........ a Chipmunk like animal, but not a chipmunk which is very common.

Water Monitor - Varanus salvator salvator.   The sub-species salvator salvator is restricted to Sri Lanka.

 

Yellow Bittern tops a great day.

I am at that point now where it's almost impossible to choose the best moments of the day to blog about, its been an absolutely incredible day.  Where to beigin? Shall I tell you about the Pied Kingfisher diving, as they do from 30 feet high and then successsfully catching a small silver fish,which it ate from a prominant perch opposite and giving me the privildege of witnessing a truly wonderful experience. Or shall I tell you about the Stone-Curlew Burhinus indicus that I stumbled on this morning  and all  before 7 in the morning, a species that I had hoped for but doubted I would be lucky enough to find.  Apart from my guided tour the other day I have done the rest of my birding close to my accomodation reasoning that I would be better served getting to know the resident birds from this locality, know doubt I could be finding much rarer birds but its all new to me and I am more successful as a photographer by "getting my teeth" in to the birds her.  If Little Cormorant, Taylor Bird and Purple rumped Sunbird are not exotic enough then there is something wrong.

The weather has been hot today and the fish market was perhaps not the ideal place in 30 degrees of heat and cloudless bright skies.  The smell of the drying fish layed out on the sand was at first almost unbearable but amazing how quickly the nose becomes accustomed to it.  The sights and sounds of dozens of working fishermen emptying their nets and sorting fish was a free spectacle but very entertaining. It was slightly disturbing to see the amount of baby fish being caught and it seems that this is not a consideration. It was also a surprise to see the amount of crows feeding on the drying fish and the odd dead rat!

 

Yellow Bittern (Ixobrychus sinensis) female.

Giant Squirerel.... imagine this on your bird feeder.

 

This afternoon at theRanweli Nature Centre I had probable the best experiences of the trip so far. 

 

Not a Stranger to this Paradise! (Courtesy of Borodin)

The first thing to say about today is its hot, very hot.  The kind of hot that makes even the simplest of tasks almost unbearably sweaty.  There is a muggy overcast feel to the air and the sky is the colour of a dirty towel. You can just tell that something has to give and the deluge will arrive at around 4 o,clock again if the pattern of the previous days is repeated. Now having said all of that I am undaunted and just shortly after 6 this morning I left the sanctuary of my air conditioned room, grabbed my coffee from Mrs Ravi (Indira), and headed out to find some birds, stuffing a hot freshly baked cake down as I walked. Sounds good? It was! It wasn't long before I was in to the local birds and my day was off in fine style with a glimpse and photos of probably, the most exotic bird that I have seen.... ever.... and I have seen a few in my time. How does this sound "Sri Lankan  Paradise Flycatcher" is that exotic enough. What a bird, who ever designed this stunner was having a fun day. He must have had some bits and pieces left over and decided to use them all. It's a small bird, the size of an English robin but it has a bright blue crest and a blue head, if that wasn't enough it has a tail around 4 times as long as its body. As it flies to feed as flycatchers do, the tail seems to follow on and makes it easy to see in the undergrowth.

 

I really need to try for better photos of this because it is such a stunning bird.

There is a white Morph of this species that is even more exotic, I caught sight of one yesterday but didn't manage a photo but hopefully I will be lucky again in the next few days.

 

As is often the case when you stand quietly, more birds started to appear as they came in to feed, the pair of Drongo that I had seen on the first morning really showed well this morning and I have enjoyed watching this pair behaving almost identically to the Eastern Phoebe that I photographed in Florida. ( returned in the evening and again had some stunning success with this pretty bird).

 

I hope you agree, what a stunner.

 

They sight their prey before flying to it and then return to the same perch.  They are very confiding and have their favourite perches which makes it relatively simple to get a good shot, with the photographers best friend.... patience).  I expect that most people would give this bird just a cursory glance but thats not my style.

Standing watching for and waiting for the Drongo I suddenly noticed that a small blossoming shrub to my left was swinging as though hit by a strong breeze, suddenly the culprit showed its self, a female Sunbird. What a bird and now the morning was getting even better. Sunbirds, delicate little nectar eaters use their long down curved beaks to probe inside blossoms. I adore sunbirds, the males are fantastically showy but the females are so smart.

 

This is Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica).  I wasn't that clever to name it without a lot of checking but glad to see a species that is Endemic to the Indian sub-continent....... cant wait to find a male.

 

I could go on and on but you may become bored if I did but I must mention my first Woodpecker, more Kingfishers and a Red vented Bulbul. After a short break and a few domestics I strolled down to the hotel with my gear to show the camera to the bar manager who even in the short time that I have been here in Sri Lanka has been really nice to me..... Imagine me making friends with the bar manager!  Everyone here at the hotel is on an all inclusive package, I am seemingly a novelty and my new found friend is taking a great deal of pleasure making sure that I am welcome, now ordering me food to go with the beer that has suddenly been placed in front of me........ and now the beer is being freshened...........

 

Greater Flameback (Chrysocolaptes lucidus).... Crimson backed form.

 

Time for a siesta before more late afternoon birding, photos to follow before the day is out and Julian you are spot on, yesterday's Tern species was as you said Great crested Tern Sterna Bergii. I am extremely impressed. A bit more about yesterday which on reflection was a slight disappointment and not as successful as I had hoped. I would have been better to plough a lonely, but single furrow rather than be carted around and shown birds through a spotting scope, usually in the distance. My guide was a knowledgeable intelligent man. The good photographs achieved were however from the car window  and not by aimlessly wandering along the side of a 3000 acre lake with the birds, thousands and thousands of them, on the far side. This was not a trip for a photographer, my fault I suppose.
On top of that, the guide was a deeply religious Buddhist who by the end of the day had convinced me that even though I had a happy Karma and he even said I was a nice man, my next life would see me as a dog or even worse if I didn't behave in this life......... woof woof! 

From the evening now...........This is without doubt the same bird that I photographed on day one, it is even on the same perch. I studied the shots that I had taken then and decided on a strategy to deal with the black and white plumage which is always difficult for a camera to cope with.  I under-stopped the settings to make certain that the white wasn't over exposed and it seems to have worked.

For my family and friends, I am fine enjoying the experiences tremendously and even my own company.  The Dolphin Hotel has been a bolt hole and I am welcome and welcomed which is good. Food for me is starting to be an issue, but so far I haven't starved but a bit worried about being too ethnic with my dodgy stomach. Enjoying the min bananas. Ravi is a friend and carting me around on the back of his moped which after my last experience of being on a moped is a bit of a concern.

 

There are a few hazards on the roads however.

 

THis next photo shows a bee, not a wasp so I was not risking life and limb getting this shot which is a bit special...... hope you like it.  No idea of the species but I am on the hunt.

......... and finally a gorgeous little Indian palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum),  very common and very nice to see.

Day 2 and a day with a "pro" Bird Guide

Today was a special one for me, quite a different experence and one that I had been looking forward too since I quickly cobbled together the trip a couple of weeks ago. I met Amila Salgado and his air conditioned taxi for trip 40k  up the coast to a RAMSA wetland at 8 this morning. It was quite an experience that had me gasping at times.  I won't itemise the whole itinerary..... how tedious that would be, but at a later date there will be a full trip report and contact details for Amila if you want to be in the company, as I was today of a guide with an intimate knowledge of the local wildlife and birds.  I booked his services because I wanted take a short cut to the best sites and then  learn something of the local birds  without having to spend weeks getting to grips with things.  I now know what is common, what is possible and what is considered to be a good find.   Our first stop was a roadside wetland area which wasn't particularly exciting and it was weird when he "scoped" a bird in the distance, stepped back and told me what he had focused on and invited me to look.  Not really my thing, but it might be yours.  We watched Pheasant Tailed Jacana and a few other water birds.  If you are a twitcher then this would be ideal for you, I am not and I found the hurried way that we put the scope on the bird, menatally ticked it off and then hurried back to the car for our next stop a bit alien to my usual "modus operandi". Never the less we saw some great birds and I took some great shots which I will tell you more about in the next few posts.  Internet connection will fail soon, and battery life is not infinite so for the time being please be content with a selection of today's beauties.

 

Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) 

Common Myna or Indian Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

 

Greater Sand Plover (Charadrius leschenaultii)

 This species breeds in Turkey and apparently a good bird to see here in Sri Lanka.

 

Guess this Tern species........ get in touch and let me know what you think...... answer  tomorrow.

Chinese pond Heron

 

 

Later in the evening of day 1.

As the day draws to an end I have now made my way again to the Dolphin Hotel for a drink and to Blog some more pictures and my latest impressions.  Things are going well, so well that  I am waiting for the fall to come  because  there hasn't been a single downside yet.  I am an emotional person as a musician, I was doing so well until I arrived at the hotel........ there is live music, not half bad as it happens  and I found it all a bit intense, sights sounds and all the things that I like to do, see and hear all mashed together was almost a sensory overload, some good music and of course a beer almost took a hold my emotions and nearly tipped my over the top.  But I have taken a grip now!  But wow, what an experience I had when I left the Hotel late this afternoon. I made my way back to the river and jumped in a three wheeled taxi vehicle for the short 1/2 mile journey.  It was overcast and the clouds were heavy with rain and even though sunset was still an hour away it was almost dusk.  It was hot and very muggy, the kind of weather that almost steams your glasses. I had stalked a few birds,  mostly  Cattle Egret but an elusive Great Stone-curlew or Great Thick-knee (Esacus recurvirostris) evaded  me as I tried to get near and it was a bit frustrating.  This was a first for me and I would have liked a photo as I have photographed a similar species in Australia. Suddenly the heavy clouds got too heavy and giant rain drops began to fall. My 3 wheeled Taxi driver appeared from nowhere (with wife on board) unannounced, to get me......... thats what you call service, and I climbed back onboard the scary but effective vehicle. Sri Lankans have a wonderful habit of smiling and laughing at almost  every situation and we giggled together as we made our way back across the canal where I had seen the Pond Herons this morning.  Suddenly there in front of us was a Pied Kingfisher  and "holy of holy" it landed right next to the road and my camera! I took about 50 shots in the few minutes that we watched, Anthony and Mrs Anthony laughing and giggling away, seemingly having the ability to share in my excitement!  

It was almost dark and I had to balance the camera between my legs........ there's always an excuse. But I am relatively pleased because I now  know that I am, for certain, going to get some great shots while I am here.

Back at Ravi's house I had a coffee and a finger  banana from Ravi's garden, I love fruit in the country that it's grown and particularly bananas hence my dislike of poor unripe imported  fruit back in the UK.  Ravi arranged a meal with his family and I chatted to his lovely girls as I waited.  Little Natasha sang me a song in Sinhala, the local language, about the Tortoise and the Hare which sounded suspiciously  like Incy wincy Spider to  me. Dinner was al-fresco in front of the shop on my lap with the girls using their fingers rather than cutlery. I had fried fish and rice with a few fresh green beans, pretty good and I have to confess that I am absolutely loving every minute of it.  Unpretentious, down to earth real people, not worried about a few flies and the odd bit of dirt...... and still those lovely smiles and laughter. I have gone almost native, the experience I have been craving and there are birds everywhere!  Am I in heaven?

Sri Lanka Day 1 and the first outing with the camera.

Well here we are in lovely Sri Lanka after a mamouth 22 hour journey...... by 7 this morning and after just an hour with the camera it had proved worth it 100 times over!  My accomodation is basically a villa........ except there is nothing basic about it.  It is larger than my own house in the UK with marbled floors, hardwood fittings and 3 bedrooms.   The main bedroom is airconditioned and there is an en-suite wet room.  There is a massive kitchen... like I am going to cook?  Ravi the owner is a delightful happy man with two adorable little girls and a smiling helpful wife.  They have treated me as though I am a very important person and have constantly fussed after me.  In fact I am hoping that my novelty may wear off by tomorrow as its a bit hard to creap up on to a wild Kingfisher with a pointing and gesticulating happy family pointing out the Bee-eaters as you take aim with the camera....... very funny really and anyone who really knows me and knows what a cantancerous misserable "git" I would normally be in situations like this, will laugh along with me.  The youngest daughter called Natasha is particularly sweet with a broad smile constantly and then a giggle to replace it, she laughs at me as though she understands my every word when in fact she understands very little!  When I got up this morning just before 6, Ravi was waiting for me in the garden to give me breakfast which I declined but he had a pot of coffee waiting.  He had got up at 5 or so to wait until I emerged from my deep and much needed sleep to make sure I had a coffee as I told him last night how important that is to me.  Then as I tried to wander off on my own they all followed me as though they were responsible for my wellbeing and photographic success.  Eventually they had to give up because school starts at 7.30 and they needed to get ready, leaving me at last  to myself, sitting on a block next to the river as I watched for Kingfishers.  A bit later they appeared, all the family that is, on a moped.... no crash helmets of course and the 8 year old sat on the petrol tank, waving merrily as they sped by.... of course scaring every bird for a mile around.  Very funny.

Breakfast when I eventually accepted it, I think they thought it was weird that I wanted to bird watch before the food, was a sloppy greasy fried egg caked in salt accomponied by some nice fresh home baked bred.  I asked Indira (Mrs Ravi), to cook the egg a bit more but she didn't understand and not wanting to hurt her feelings as she was so pleased with her success,  I ate it quickly before it made me sick.  My companions now were Ravi, his wife and one daughter and the neighbours big fat pig whose belly was as big as her appetite in this case .  I waited for the moment to add an egg to her breakfast (and not mine)  but as Ravi was watching intently I had to slide the uncooked egg down my own gullet...... yum!  The pig was upset but honour was maintained and Ravi remained a friend!  Mrs Ravi disappeared to sell phone cards to  the customers in "Ravi's Shop and Communications".  Not in this case like South West Telecoms but a vegie-cum sweetie shop that sells phone cards, well even Tony Rowe had to start somewhere.

So here are a few birds from the first day.

This is a female Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus), possibly a juvenile, males are all black with red eyes.

White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens)  At first I wasn't sure of the species but a bit of research confirms it as White-bellied Drongo, apparently they can be confused with the Black Drongo (Dicrurus macrocercus)  because juveniles are all black and as it happens you can see this in the image here (below) where the juvenile is on the left.

This is a White Throated Kingfisher.  I am confident that I will be able to get some thrilling photos of this species in the next day or so...... if not in the next hour because thats what I am off to do now.

This fabulous bird is an Indian Roller.  It has a territory in the garden/waste land right next to my house and I am confident that I will be able to get even better photos in the next 10 day.  I have already worked out which are its favourite perches and watched the way it behaves.  I can get really close but I need to be even closer to get that once in a lifetime shot.  I have already take 200 or so photos of it and am working through them but need to stop because while I am doing that I am not out looking at the other birds...... in the bar tonight will give the chance and I will be posting more then.

 

On my Way To Sri Lanka

Well here I am on the way to Sri Lanka. A big hello to all my friends and blog readers from around the world. My destination is Wakaal, a tiny village situated just north of Nogombo on the west coast of the island formerly know as Ceylon, famous for tea, friendly people and cricket. I hope to have a massive 10 days photographing the local birds and wildlife. I will be "blogging" daily to share my adventures with you. I am targeting Kingfishers, this is a great part of the world for this species where 3 species in particular are very common. There are potentially 3 other species that are possible and I hope to get some top class images of as many as I can. There are numerous other bird species that I have an interest in and I will also hope to add to my galleries of Gulls, Terns and Herons. Sri Lanka has several endemic species, that is to say species unique to that country but as well as that there are species which will be new to me that I am certain to see. This may also be a good country to add to my galleries of mammals with Palm Squirrel, Mongoose and Monkey being on my hit list. I haven't mentioned the reptiles yet, these include the very common Water Monitor Lizard and a host of snake species including the highly venomous and dangerous Cobra. I laugh in the face of venomous snakes having had close encounters with the highly dangerous King Snake in Australia and the Water Moccasin in the USA. Caution is the order of the day. It is all very exciting and, although I am not particularly happy about being on my own, it will be worth for the almost guaranteed success. My arranged accommodation is cheap and cheerful but having spent 35 years in the Royal Marines when a bed and a locker was considered a luxury, I am more than used to roughing it if necessary. Clean and safe is probably my only requirement. I am already an hour in to my journey now and having a reasonably comfortable journey on the train to Paddington to catch my connection to Gatwick. It's Tuesday Lunchtime and I am due to arrive at my accommodation tomorrow, in fact, in around 22 hours time, quite a journey although the actual time in the air is just around 11 hours. My first stop and connection is Dubai and then a further stop somewhere in Sri Lanka before flying on to Bandaranayake Airport. Travelling is all part of the adventure but it can be a little stressful particularly when you are travelling on your own. I do like my own company but there has been times when I have travelled alone before to "find myself" and didn't particularly enjoy the person I found. My first point of tension was when I struggled to find my reserved train seat and then found someone else sitting in it. They were less than pleasant but having made a promise to myself to "chill", relax and enjoy every aspect of the trip I moved away and went to find somewhere else to sit. I contemplated 1st class but when I discovered the upgrade was £154, well you know what, I stayed put in 2nd! I hope to be able to blog as I go along, even on the journey so keep checking back to enjoy this adventure with me. There will be photographs and reports of every aspect of my trip, accommodation, food and interaction with the 'locals" so plenty to enjoy for everyone. For now, I am signing off and hope to Blog again later in the day, perhaps in Dubai. Charlie

PS (The first success of the trip...... making may Vodafone "dongle" work well enough to post this  Blog entry).

Wren or Buzzard? I had to make a choice.

 

A silly question but thats the choice I found myself having to make this morning.  I had my camera set up and pre-focused on the log and I was quite sure a Buzzard would eventually fly in.  I had been waiting for an age, already  one of the darker Buzzards had been to check out the Rabbit carcass,  was content knowing that I had already been successful this  session.  Suddenly the resident Wren was in front of me and posing nicely as you can see.

Should I divert the camera on to the Wren?  I made the choice and literally in the three seconds that it had taken me to point the lens towards the smaller bird.... there was the Buzzard!   Unbelievable!  I had been waiting for well over an hour and had I any idea that it was about to land, I would have ignored the Wren and concentrated on the bigger bird for certain.  However, it may have been worth it because I am very pleased with the picture.  A little bit later the same  Wren came back again and this time found a prey item.  I have no idea what it was, it's  either a  caterpillar or larva of some kind that it dealt with by shaking and thrashing until all the innards spilled out and looked very like a worm. 

But now,  let me tell you about the Buzzard.  I have got in to a routine this last few days.  It involves baiting with frozen day old chicks which I strategically place on to the  fence posts planted in front of the hide.  The idea is s to capture the Buzzards (and Jays) in flight as they come in for the " freebies"  to  which they seem very partial.  They fly in, settle on the post, pick up the chick and depart, all in the time it has taken to write this sentence. It's virtually impossible to have the camera pointed elsewhere and hope to photograph  the action because you literally don't have time to focus before it's gone again.  The camera needs to be pre-focused and trained on the right spot in anticipation. When I arrived I had also placed a nice fat, thawed out rabbit carcass on the log just 15 paces from the hide. I had then retreated back inside and began to wait. I amused myself by watching the Nuthatches and Tits who were coming in a constant stream to the peanuts that I had placed around the drinking and bathing pool (which incidentally hasn't  been used as such yet)!  

After what seemed like about an hour, (you really need to have some patience), suddenly there on the rabbit carcass and very close, was a Buzzard.  It was one of the darker ones, I wasn't sure if it was the same individual that I had seen yesterday, probably.  Knowing that at this stage of events any sudden movement from me would be detected, I froze in the hope that it would start feeding and then I could start to photograph.  The Buzzard was wary, very wary but eventually it picked up the rabbit and dropped it on the grass in front of the log.  I expected it to feed then but instead,  it flew to one of the posts and posed beautifully for me but all the time staring intently in my direction.

It could probably hear the camera's shutter.  Unfortunately at that moment the post collapsed under the birds weight and it flew off to safety.  It had't fed though and I expected it to be back very soon but it seems  the falling post must have frightened it and it unfortunately didn't return until much later when it flew back  in to grab the chick which I missed as I photographed the wren!

Before I left and in the early afternoon, a Sparrowhawk flew in to the wood nearby and to my right and very close.  I waited in the hope that it would  try to hunt but it didn't.  This species is one that I am expecting sooner or later at the hide, sooner I hope.  I also had a fleeting visit from a white rumped bird, could only be a Bullfinch which would be magnificent if I was correct.

 

 

Buzzard success again.

I needed to be very patient today, I thought I had discovered enough about their behaviour  yesterday but I was caught out when one arrived from totally the opposite direction. More about my day later...... check back.

 

Buzzards in flight at last

As anyone who regularly follows my blog will know, I have been trying for the last 3 weeks to photograph the Buzzards coming in to feed in front of my hide. It's been frustrating at times but I honestly knew that if I was patient and put the time in, I would be successful.  I have been working  almost full time to get success and today it happened.  And, what an exciting moment it was, well 3 exciting moments because thats how many day old chicks the bird came in to take, giving me three chances to get a photo.  I baited the fence post as normal, retreated back to the hide and focused the camera which I had  fitted wih a remote shutter release.  (This was important because I needed to watch for the Buzzards arival from a distance  through the peep hole in the hide). I  really learned about the Buzzards behaviour today and I will find it easier in the next few days now that I know what they are doing. I watched it fly-by in front of me, at that  point I thought it was coming in to feed, but it turned in the air and  then disappeared in to the woods behind me and to the right.  Then what happened next was really exciting because It appeared again above the field.  I wondered what was about to happen, then It  circled slowly, gaining height before turning from it's highest point  and then it  flew down towards the post  from 75 yards in a glide that took just seconds but seemed a lifetime.  It passed above the gate like a bomber on a raid, getting lower and lower and nearer and nearer as my heart pounded.  I was poised with the remote shutter release even though the camera was next to me,  I fired it off as the bird made a purposeful bee-line for the bait.  As it was about to alight, it's flight was stalled by massive wings and it extended its legs to land lightly on the log.  As usual the bird remained just for a second or two as it picked up the prey and then departed back in to the wood.  I have tried really hard to describe what happened and also tried to let you know what it was like to witness  something very magical....... a real wildlife spectacle.  These Buzzards are magestic creatures and because of their intelligence and suspicious nature, you will never get close to them without a bit of effort, apart, that is, from a moving vehicle which they seem to accept, ( as long as it keeps moving).   I count my encounters with these Devon Buzzards amongst my best wildlife moments and today was one of the best.

 

This is a composite image of the birds, a combination of 4 images together.

 

Working hard to photograph the Buzzards

I haven't been posting on a daily basis this last week or so because to be honest I haven't been very successful recently and hadn't really got a lot to say. Take today for example, at the pit and Buzzard hide I came very close to getting the photos that I am after.  That's  of the Buzzards coming in to feed "in-flight" which is what I have been trying so very patiently to achieve this last 3 weeks or so. This morning on arrival,  the rabbit carcass was all but a piece of fur with a head on it, reminiscent of a glove puppet.  On the ground beneath there was literally a back bone with leg bones attached all picked  entirely clean of flesh.  Obviously the Buzzards had feasted quite well since I placed it there on Sunday afternoon.  I placed day old chicks on the posts and a dead wood mouse which had come from a mouse trap from Dick's attic.  I had the camera pointing at the log and when a Buzzard came in to grab the mouse I just wasn't on the ball and missed the action totally.  It was the light bird "Blondie".   I replaced the mouse with a day old chick and sat back to wait  I was  expecting it to be a considerable wait as is often the case so I went to make a drink in the caravan and in the time it took to boil the kettle the chick had gone again..... It wasn't going well again.  Still full of anticipation, I replaced the chick and stood waiting this time, all the time peering through a port hole in the hide and with the camera set up and trained in the right direction.  After a short while the Buzzard flew in from the right..... I panicked and knocked the camera off its aim in my hurry to press the shutter...... I missed it again.  Then when I replaced the bait again, this time a Jay came in instead and took the chick as you can see below.  All in all an encouraging session with lots of action with not too much reward but nevertheless a thrilling couple of hours.

This time next week I will be in Sri Lanka.  I am going for 10 days to photograph the birds.  My main target birds are  Kingfishers.  There are 90 or so species in the world and I want to photograph as many as I can and add them to my photographic galleries.  I have lots to photograph yet as I have so far only photographed 5 different species.  I am very interested in the Sri Lankan sub species of our Common Kingfisher - Alcedo athis taprobana.  I hope to see and photograph 3 or 4 of the 6 other species but will be content with just 3.   It will be good to see the sub-species of our Common Kingfisher which I am very familiar with.  I have been told that  Alcedo athis taprobana is more confiding than our own Kingfisher Alcedo athis and therefore more easily photographed.  It is described as smaller with a more blue back than our own greeny/blue bird.  So far I have managed to photograph:  in the USA the Banded Kingfisher and in Australia the Sacred Kingfisher, Forest Kingfisher and the Blue Winged Kookaburra. In a very short over-night  stay in Sri Lanka some 20 years ago I "ticked-off" the White throated Kingfisher and I am told that they are extremely common and easily photographed in the area of Sri Lanka that I am visiting.  I am meeting up with a professional guide for one day. In conversations by email he tells me that he has perfected a method of calling in theStork-billed Kingfisher which he is going to share with me. This is all very exciting.

 

Blackcaps return to the garden.

Friday is a day that I am "car-less" and restricted to the house unless I put in a lot of effort to get out the hide so I have had the opportunity to watch the garden a bit more than normal. Yesterday I had "loaded" the conifer bushes in front of the kitchen window with apple pieces because I realised that it was in this week last year that  the first Blackcap of the season had arrived in the garden.  The German popluation of breeding birds has taken to over-wintering here in the UK and particularly in Devon.  In previous years I have noticed how apple is so loved by this species and when I have seen them in the garden previously  it's almost always been when they have been feeding on apple pieces. Obviously, I have been keeping a very close eye out and I couldnt believe it when I looked from  the bedroom window at around midday and there it was....... a female Blackcap, feeding just as I expected on the apple. 

Heres one from a previous year as a taster............... feeding on apple of course, hopefully more to come, even today hopefully.