Common Kingfisher - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

 

Common Kingfisher photographed at Thalangama this morning. The bird was far away and I had to crop the image a fair bit. It was pretty quiet from a birding perspective but Cinnamon bitterns have made an appearance.

Brown-headed Barbet - Colombo, Sri Lanka

 

The barbets are regular visitors to our garden, specially when there is fruit on the trees. I photographed this guy from about 10 feet away. I was on a balcony and was glad that I had a clear line of sight to it and sufficient space between the bird and the background to get a nice blur.

Brown Fishing Owl - Kuamana, Sri Lanka

 

The Brown Fishing Owl is one of the larger species of owl found in Sri Lanka. We found this owl perched on a branch by the side of the road in the Kumana national park. We had clear views of the Owl for about ten minutes before it flew off. I have seen this owl on a number of occasions but they have been perched on branches higher up in trees. This sighting was different as it was at eye level.

Black Eagle - Galaha, Sri Lanka

The Black Eagle (Ictinaetus malaiensis) is seen regularly around the Galaha area near Kandy, Sri Lanka. I've been trying to photograph it while perched for about 20 years but have had no luck so far. This weekend was no exception. We saw the birds at quite a close range but unfortunately they didn't perch on any of the trees in the area. This photograph was taken when the birds swooped down on one of it's many circuits of the area.

 

Yellow-fronted Barbet - Kandy, Sri Lanka

I photographed this Yellow-fronted Barbet (Megalaima flavifrons) outside the dining room window in Kandy. I'd seen it feeding on the tree a few times and decided to wait for it one afternoon. Luck was in my favour as the bird perched on an exposed branch within my line of sight and gave me the opportunity to take the shot. This photograph was used as the cover photograph of the second edition of Gehan de Silva Wijeyratne's book "A photographic guide to the birds of Sri Lanka".

Brown-headed Barbet - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Brown-headed Barbet (Megalaima zeylanica) is a common resident that frequents our garden almost daily.  I wanted to try and get a shot of it at eye level which was easier said than done. To take this shot, I setup a hide on the roof near a fruiting tree and waited for what seemed like a life time. Although the birds were feeding, it was difficult to get a clear shot because of the branches and leaves that kept getting in the way. Pretty happy with the end result.

Pied Kingfisher - Thalawathugoda, Sri Lanka

I had been trying to get a decent photograph of the Pied Kingfisher for some time but hadn't had much luck. I'd seen several of them on the east coast as well as around Thalangama but they were never close enough to photograph or they were on an unnatural perch.  My luck changed when I visited the biodiversity park in Thalawathugoda as I was able to sit in a hide and watch a Pied Kingfisher feeding for some time. 

Red-vented Bulbul - Colombo, Sri Lanka

Red-vented Bulbuls (Pycnonotus cafer) are quite common in Colombo and they are often seen feeding on fruit trees in people's gardens. I was setting up a hide to photograph a Brown-headed Barbet when one of them perched on a branch close to me. It was feeding on some fruit which I thought was a bit too big for it to swallow whole. The bird didn't seem too bothered and it made for a slightly different shot.

Lesser Whistling Duck - Thalawathugoda, Sri Lanka

I'd been trying to get some decent photographs of the Lesser Whistling Duck for a while but hadn't been able to get close enough to get a decent photograph. I was at the biodiversity park in Thalawathugoda over the weekend and came across a family of ducks on one of the waterways. I lay on the ground behind some trees and waited for them to swim past.  It didn't take them too long top swim past me and let me take a number of shots. 

Purple Coot - Thalawathugoda, Sri Lanka

I took the kids out to the Diyasaru biodiversity park this morning. It was later than usual when we got there and the light wasn't great for photography. We came across this Purple Coot (Porphyrio poliocephalus) feeding along one of the waterways by the foot path. It didn't seem to be bothered by us and I fired off a few frames. 

Indian Roller - Udappu, Sri Lanka

This Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis) was photographed on a day trip to Udappu, a two and a half hour drive north of Colombo. Indian Rollers are relatively common in the drier parts of the country and can often be seen perched on wires and fence posts along the road.

Brown-breasted Flycatcher - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Brown-breasted Flycatcher is another migrant that visits our garden in Colombo. It was perched on a dead branch quite close to the ground and I was able to shoot it eye level. Due to the fact that I was quite close to it, the out of focus background turned out pretty well. 

Black-rumped Flameback - Colombo, Sri Lanka

I was fortunate to be able to photograph this Black-rumped Flameback at home, in Colombo. The bird was working its way up a tree in the garden and I photographed it from an upstair window. Although Colombo is a bustling city,  it is relatively green and there are a number of birds frequenting gardens throughout the city and its suburbs.

Shikra - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

This female Shikra was photographed in Anuradhapura over the weekend. It swooped down from the canopy to pick up a lizard from the ground. It then perched on a branch close to ground level to consume its prey. I was able to fire off a couple of frames before it flew off.

Indian Pita - Pelawatte, Sri Lanka

An Indian Pita has been making its home in my in-laws garden during the last few migrant seasons. I finally got around to trying to photograph it last year. The bird is quite skittish and I had to setup a hide in the verandah to take this shot. I took the photograph while lying on the ground in order to get an eye level shot. The low angle created a nice blurry background as well.

Black-hooded Oriole - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Black-hooded Oriole (Oriolus xanthornus) is another frequent visitor to our garden in Colombo. I shot this photograph a few years ago when this individual payed us a visit one afternoon. I was able to shoot from an upstair window as it perched on a branch slightly below eye level. The foliage in the background was a few meters away and that allowed me to isolate the subject at f5.6.

Yellow-eared Bulbul - Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka

I photographed this Yellow-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus penicillatus) during an early morning walk in the Nuwara Eliya Park. Although the park is in the middle of town and the main bus stand is in close proximity, the park is known for it's birdlife. This bird was cooperative,  as it perched on a branch close to where I was standing and stayed there for a couple of minutes.

White-throated Kingfisher - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The White-throated Kingfisher is a frequent visitor to our garden in Colombo. It is probably the most common Kingfisher found on the island. This one was particularly cooperative as it sat on an exposed branch and let me photograph it from the balcony. The background was also a suitable distance away from the subject. 

Greater Coucal - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Greater Coucal is a regular visitor to our garden in the middle of Colombo. As the bird is somewhat used to being around people, given it lives in a city, it's not the hardest species to photograph.

Black-rumped Flameback - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Black-rumped Flamebacks (Dinopium benghalense) are relatively common in Colombo and its suburbs. I've been able to photograph them at home on numerous occasions. Although I photographed this bird from below, I thought the head position made the composition a bit more interesting.