Sri Lanka Birds

Visit Yala, Don't invade

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:11:00 +0000

The Migrant Watch

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:52:00 +0000

The Big Year

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 05:09:00 +0000

A must watch film for birders. It is about three birders who are competing each other to record most number of birds in a calender year.

The Big Year Trailer

Visit the official web site of the film here.

The film is based on the book named "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession" by Mark Obmascik.

Brahminy kites, tortoises and Bearded vultures

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 04:38:00 +0000

Have you ever seen a Brahminy Kite feeding on a tortoise? And it drops the tortoise from the sky on a rock to break the shell, as a Bearded Vulture plays with a huge bone?

I never seen or heard such incident, or any report on such behaviour by Brahminy kites. Anyway, I came across an account that describes how Brahminy kites feed on tortoises. It was from an old book written by Sir Edward Robert Sullivan, published in 1854 by Richard Bentley in London. “The Bungalow and Tent or A visit to Ceylon” is an account on his travels in Sri Lanka. Edward Sullivan was not considered as an ornithologist, but a great traveller. Most of his publications were on his travels, especially to American continents.

“There were a great quantity of tortoises or land turtle in the bed, and on the banks of the river where we camped, and the coolies brought them to us in numbers: one species is good to eat, and our respected old friend made some very tolerable soup from them. There were also a great many Brahminy or red kite, a Swamy bird that is worshipped and never destroyed by the natives. This kite is a great enemy of the tortoise; they cannot break the shell of the latter with their beaks, but they carry them up in their claws to a great height, and then dash them on some stone or rock. …..”

It is not certain that he observed this behaviour by himself, or penned it based on an account he heard from someone else. Or did he adopt behaviour of much familiar bird Bearded vulture? Or did he make a mistake when he saw a bird accidentally drop something on the wings, and later fed on a dead tortoise? There was no reference to such feeding behaviour of this bird by any of the later naturalists such as Captain Vincent Legge, who extensively observed avifauna of the island. At least I couldn’t find such account.

It is hard to believe that ancient Sri Lankans worshipped this bird as he described. Hindu devotees in India consider the Brahminy Kite as a sacred bird. They identify it as “Garuda”, the vehicle of God Vishnu. Sullivan admits that majority of natives in Sri Lanka were Buddhists at the period. He describes the Brahminy Kite as a great destroyer of serpents. However, he says that natives believe the bird does not feed on Cobra, as it is a sacred animal that helped Lord Buddha in many occasions.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is a common bird species found in the Indian subcontitent, and also found in South-East Asia and Australia. Its distinctive coloration, White head and Chestnut brown body resulted its name, as it resembles the robes of Brahmins. Brahminy Kite is commonly found around large water bodies, mainly due to its feeding habits. It is considered as a scavenging bird and mostly depends on dead fish and some invertebrates. It is also capable of catching live animals including fish and small mammals.

Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) who feed on bone marrow, break open large carcass bones by lifting them into the air and dropping them into rocks. This video shows how this bird breaks the hard bones.

Download the book “The Bungalow and Tent” here.

Why we should protect Old, Large, Living Trees?

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 05:02:00 +0000

A group of researchers from University of British Columbia (UBC) emphasizes the importance of protecting old trees to save the homes of more than 1,000 different bird and mammal species. Most animals are unable to carve out their own tree holes and therefore rely on holes already formed. The study found that most animals nest in tree holes formed by damage and decay, a process that can take several centuries.

In forests, tree holes are created either quickly by woodpeckers or more slowly as trees age and begin to decay. Birds like owls, songbirds and parrots, and mammals like flying squirrels and opossums, make homes in the holes of trees because they offer safe environments for sleeping, reproduction and raising young. Insects, snakes and amphibians will also make use of tree cavities.

Kathy Martin, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC and her research team found that on most continents - South America, Europe, Asia and Australia - more than 75 % of the holes used by birds and mammals were created by damage and decay.

"When wildlife depends on decay-formed cavities, they are relying on large living trees. Most trees have to be more than 100 years old before decay cavities begin to form and often several centuries old before large cavities or many cavities develop in one tree."

"Most forest policies help protect younger trees but promote the harvest of older, larger, living trees - the very trees needed by cavity-nesting animals," says Martin.

“The value of these large living trees needs to be recognized and we need to ensure that a supply of these trees is retained especially in tropical forest systems where decay-formed tree holes last for many years and support a lot of wildlife”.

Read the full story at “Science Daily”

Access the research article here

What are you really?

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Sat, 13 Aug 2011 15:29:00 +0000

“Are you a bird watcher, an ornithologist, an ornithophile, an aviphile, a bird lover, bird fancier, bird bander, birder, bird spotter, lister, ticker, twitcher- or what?” asks Roger Tory Peterson.

Famous American bird artist and photographer Roger Tory Peterson’s article “What are you really?” first published in “Bird watchers digest” in March/April 1984, later included in the book “All things reconsidered" edited by Bill Thompson III, is a very interesting article for all who are curious about birds.

“As for myself, I am primarily a bird artist and a photographer, a visual person obsessed by birds. I watch them, and they undoubtedly watch me, their eyes are better than mine.” It is the way he identified himself. Let’s see how he describes others.

“I favour the term Bird watcher for general use because it is inclusive. It describes almost everyone who looks at birds or studies them - at nearly every level, from the watcher at the window who simply feeds birds all the way to elitists……”

Ornithologist

There are many arguments among bird watchers, on “who are real ornithologists and who are not”. Some people like to call themselves as ornithologists. These days we hear many people identify themselves as various types of "–logists", which indicate some sort of professional value. Here are the Peterson’s thoughts.

“It is risky to call yourself an artist if you merely dabble with water colors or oils as a weekend hobby. It is equally presumptuous to call yourself an ornithologist just because you identify birds, take notes, or make lists. Ornithology implies a high level of expertise of a scientific nature. Most professional ornithologists these days have degrees, either a doctorate or at least a master’s. A very few non-professionals who devote their time year after year to some specialised problem of avian research might be included in this rarefied category.”

On birder and bird watcher

“The term birding did not surface in the ornithological literature until 1896, when Florence Merriam, one of the founding mothers of the Audubon movement, wrote a book entitled ‘A birding on a Bronco’….”

“Curiously, the term birding slipped from our vocabulary after Florence Merriam used it in the title of her book. Did she coin it? To my knowledge, the meaning of the word birder as we use it today never surfaced in any standard dictionary until Webster published its ‘New Collegiate dictionary’ in 1977. On page 112 we find: “BIRDER (1) a catcher or hunter of birds, esp. for the market. (2) one that birds.” Referring to the verb BIRD, I find “to observe or identify wild birds in their natural environment.” So far, so good. Then turning to BIRD WATCHER, I read: “birder”. They are interchangeable.”

However, Peterson likes to distinguish bird watchers and birders. He describes bird watchers, as anyone who feeds birds. Many people have bird feeders in their backyards, although they don’t know how to identify birds. Hunting birds is still a widespread game (Sport) in many parts of the world. He writes “they certainly watch birds (through the gunsight rather than the binocular), but their focus is on relatively few species.”

“More recently, Robert Arbib, editor of ‘American birds’ arrived at a far more conservative estimate of the number of birders. His rationale was that one is really not a birder unless he or she occasionally goes out looking for birds beyond the confines of the backyard. The birder owns a binocular, field guide, and scope. Arbib discounts “compassionate” birders, go-alongs who are out there only because they want to be with their spouses or children. ….”

On lister or ticker

“Birders make lists of the birds they see; if they don’t, they should. Thus the conscientious birder might also be called a “lister” or a “ticker”. …

There are all kinds of lists. Dearest to the hearts of most birders is the life list, which includes those birds ticked off anywhere in the world during one’s lifetime. ……”

Peterson describes endless variations of lists from country lists to backyard lists. Here is an interesting story on one of his lists.

“When I was a young man, one of my lists was birds heard on the sound tracks of movies. I had a very special list for the Wren tit, a common bird around studios of Hollywood - a bird with an unmistakable voice. The range of this species is almost entirely within the state of California, but my researches in the movie theaters over the years extended its range to Wyoming, lake champlain and even Austria.”

“A ‘ticker is a shade different from a lister. I have known tickers who merely follow other birders around and scarcely look at the bird when they are spotted but wait for theor leader to call them off. I remember particularly a friend who often followed our group, building up his list without the benefit of a binocular.”

Twitcher

“When I first heard the term twitcher, I assumed it meant the same as ticker, but not so. This was invented by the bird watching fraternity in Britain. ….. I asked my friend John Parslow, about the origin of the word. He replied that as a matter of fact, he was one of the very first twitchers. About twenty years ago he and a friend, who tore about the roads of England on their bikes running up lists, learned of a rare warbler that had been reported on the coast. They dropped everything, jumped on their bikes, and paddled like mad for couple of hours, stopping only to have lunch by the roadside. … Another young chap who joined them commented, “You are a couple of twitchers.” And that, according to Parslow, is how the word entered the birders’ lexicon.

Other birders may dispute this origin, but by definition a twitcher is a birder who races around the country frantically collecting rare birds for his list. To quote Bill Oddie again, ‘what distinguishes the real twitcher is his degree of emotional involvement. … If this kind of birder gets to hear of a bird that has been sighted that would be a tick for him he is so wracked with nervous anticipation (that he night see it) or trepidation (that he might miss it) that he literally twitches with the excitement of it all.’

I might comment that twitchers seldom discover their own rarities; they zero in on reports that have reached them through the grapevine.”

Here is an interesting old report on twitching a bird from UK.

I copied the short biography given in the back cover of the book “All things reconsidered” here.

“Roger Tory Peterson, one of the world’s greatest naturalists, was born on August 28, 1908, In Jamestown, New York. He became passionate about birds as a young boy, went to art school, and at the age of twenty six, published his first book, A field guide to the birds. His visual system of grouping similar species together and using arrows to designate important field marks allowed quick identification of live birds, a departure from the practice of killing birds to study them. That book became the cornerstone of the best-selling Peterson field guide series, which includes more than hundred titles. During his lifetime, Peterson received, every major award for ornithology, natural science, and conservation as well as numerous honorary degrees, medals, and citations, including the presidential Medal of Freedom. Peterson died in his studio on July 28, 1996, while working on revising his field guides.”

In honour of Peterson, The Roger Tory Peterson Institute of Natural history (RTPI) was established in his hometown. Today it serves as an excellent study center for nature studies and environment awareness programmes, while holding large portion of Peterson’s work, both paintings and photographs.

Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre: Promoting Conservation through Education and Restoration

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:30:00 +0000

Affectionately known as "KK", bustling Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah and the hub of tourism in Malaysian Borneo. Visitors from around the world use KK as the center point for visiting variety of attractions Sabah has to offer including biologically rich islands, and national parks. Situated just two kilometers from the main city, the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre (KKWC) covers 24 hectares of mangrove forest that once existed extensively along the coastal region of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The center is used primarily as a model wetland for the purpose of conservation, education, recreation and research. KKWC is managed by a local NGO, “Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society” (SWCS), which advocates environmental conservation and awareness on wetland ecosystems found in Sabah as well as in the other parts of Malaysia.

I got the opportunity to visit KKWC as a participant to the recently held Asian Wetland Symposium. The 45-minute or 1.5 km early morning stroll on the boardwalk was a very pleasant experience where you can enjoy fresh air and tranquility, while spotting multitude of interesting birds including the collared kingfisher, which is not recorded from Sri Lanka. The Centre is an important refuge and feeding ground for many species of resident birds, as well as several migratory bird species. The total of bird species observed at KKWC so far is around 83 species from 31 families. The highest abundance of bird groups recorded are residents such as egrets, herons, storks and bitterns, which are usually easy to be spotted as they fly over the mangroves or while feeding in the exposed mud flats.

The mangroves serve as a green lung for the city and its location is strategic for environmental education, urban recreation and eco tourism. Further, as a natural flood retention area, KKWC plays a major role for the city of Kota Kinabalu, preventing possible downstream flooding, removing toxicants and recycling nutrients. It is also a nursery ground for many ocean fish species. A water quality monitoring program presently being conducted and the information collected allows scientists of “Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society” (SWCS) to strategize with the appropriate mitigation measures to combat water pollution. Because of its close proximity to the city, the wetland is subjected to development pressure. Other processes affecting the quality of water at KKWC include domestic wastewater and seawater intrusion.

Previously known as Likas Mangroves, the area was first designated a bird sanctuary by the Sabah state government in September 1996 in order to foster a better understanding and awareness on the value of wetlands. Under the directive of the then Chief Minister of Sabah, “Likas Wetlands Sanctuary Managing Committee” (LWSMC), an innovative and unique public-private-NGO- community partnership, was established during the same year. The principle purpose of LWSMC was to oversee and coordinate development, planning and management of the Bird Sanctuary. This committee was made up of 16 component members including government agencies, private organizations, community groups and local NGOs, each separately constituted and registered.

With the formation of Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society in August 22, 2005, LWSMC was officially dissolved to make way for SWCS to manage KKCS. This society is governed by a Management Committee and a Board of Trustees as regulated in its constitution. With KKWC as the successful model SWCS plan to embark on restoration of degraded mangrove sites throughout Sabah in collaboration with forward thinking private sector organizations such as HSBC. Further SWCS together with State run Sabah Biodiversity center are currently working towards obtaining Ramsar designation of KKWC as a wetland of International importance.

In Sri Lanka we have few mangrove areas promoting education and restoration activities such as the Kadol Kelle at Negambo lagoon run by NARA and the Mangrove Resource Center run by the Small Fishers’ Federation at Pambala. Recently Forest Department too has taken an interest and has established a center at Pubudugama in the vicinity of Puttalam estuary. Only by joining hands with public and private entities we can take these initiatives forward in a more positive manner.

Visit SWCS web site here

Report and photos: Nishanthi Perera

[Nishanthi is currently doing her PhD at University of Colombo on “Policies on marine and coastal protected areas in Sri Lanka”. She presented a paper titled “Policy decisions and their consequences: The Bundala wetland case study, Sri Lanka” at the Asian Wetland Symposium 2011.]

International Conference on Mixed Species Bird Flocks and Forest Conservation

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Tue, 31 May 2011 05:42:00 +0000

The phenomenon of Mixed Species Bird Flocks (MSBF), in forest systems has been well documented and studied in various parts of the world. These studies have resulted in unraveling the adaptive benefits of MSBF and understanding their composition, dynamics and foraging ecology. MSBF are visible, audible and therefore have potential to be key indicator for forest quality. Yet there are many more areas to explore, especially their role in forest ecosystem and community ecology, and how they should be incorporated into conservation and management plans. As the year 2011 is declared by the United Nations as “the year of forests”, it is most appropriate to bring together scientists throughout the world to one platform in order to plan the future of this exciting field.

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) organizes the international conference on “Mixed species bird flocks and forest conservation” from 5^th to 10^th August 2011. Conference will be held in Ratnapura, Sri Lanka.

The objectives of this important conference are:

To document the present knowledge on MSBF
To establish a MSBF study group
To develop a programme and strategy for the future
To highlight the importance and significance of MSBF in forest conservation and the 2020 Biodiversity targets.

For more information click here.

A Journey to the Land of many lakes

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Sun, 01 May 2011 13:48:00 +0000

The first weekend of April was a time when the country was griped in cricket fever with the Sri Lankan team qualifying to play the grand final on the 2nd. Yet few of us opted to go “wild” during that weekend and spent two halcyon days roaming in the Wilpattu National Park, which can be literally called as the land of many lakes or villus. The main topographical feature of this park is the presence of large number of flat basin like depressions that are filled with rain water.

Wilpattu is one of the oldest and the largest “modern day” protected area in the country. Its origin can be traced back to 1905, a time when big game animals were being indiscriminately hunted by the “sportsman” of that era. As a mitigation measure, two Game Sanctuaries (Yala in 1900 and Wilpattu five years later) where shooting of wildlife was strictly prohibited were established under the provisions of the Forest Ordinance No.10 of 1885. Steps were also taken to demarcate and reserve “surrounds” to each of these two sanctuaries as “Resident Sportsmen Reserves”.In these areas shooting game animals were permitted under a license during the open season, which lasted for about four months. Government Agents of the area were in charge of protecting these reserves. With the passing of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in 1937, the Wilpattu Game Reserve became a National Park in 1938.

Presently the park spans for 131, 693 ha spreading in to Puttalam, and Anuradhapura Districts and also include a coastal stretch extending for nearly 50 km. As stated in the administrative report of the 1967-68, admittedly Wilpattu does not show up its animals as easily as Yala National Park, but it has its compensations. Its proximity to Colombo, the varied landscape so full of the right jungle atmosphere, its chain of picturesque villus and its abundant bird life are sufficient to draw more and more visitors. Surveys undertaken in early 1950s revealed that the number of bears and leopard were much higher at Wilpattu than Yala National Park. Leopards were the pride of the park, not so much numerically, but because so often met with by day. In this respect the leopards of Wilpattu were unique, as nowhere else in the world were there such excellent opportunities of viewing leopards, not even in Africa. Presently the situation has revered somewhat, with Yala now becoming the hotspot for leopard viewing while at Wilpattu the number of daytime observations has become less. Although we observed many leopard tracks during our many rounds in the park we didn’t spot the king of our jungle, which was a huge disappointment. Later when I talked to a friend, he told me that they observed five leopards including two cubs during the previous week, indicating that you need luck as well as patience to see them.

Our disappointment was compensated somewhat with a sudden encounter with a five member elephant family at a waterhole near to Talawila bungalow, our home for the weekend. They simply vanished into the gloomy jungle as our vehicle approached. Large resident herds of elephants are rare in the park, but smaller herds have been recorded in the borders of rivers and abandoned tank areas. On both days we also came upon a lonely old bull elephant feeding in the same villu at dusk and dawn.

We managed to observe around 83 species of birds that included several migrants such as the Eurasian Golden Plover. The endemic Sri Lanka Jungle fowl was plentiful while White-rumped Shamas were observed in several occasions. The Shama is a highly territorial bird and the voice of this species is rich and melodious with wide-ranging songs and notes. They are known to imitate the calls of other birds. Our guide’s sharp eyes managed to spot a nesting Indian nightjar which was well camouflaged amongst the sandy vegetation. The jeeps engine disturbed the nightjar exposing two vulnerable eggs to the hot sun. There was no specific nest, but the eggs were just laid on the sandy terrain. As soon as we left, the bird returned to its eggs. The multi-coloured Chestnut Bee-eaters were found basking on the hot sand while species such as Eurasian thick knee, and water associated birds such as Pond herons, Egrets, Little Cormorants and Lesser whistling ducks were very common. Raptors including Brahminy kite, Crested Serpent eagle, Changeable-hawk eagle and White-bellied sea eagle were also encountered in the Park.

The park and its surroundings are also associated with much legend and history. The remnants of the early history of the country, starting from King Vijaya who landed in the Kudrimalai point, and the palace that is believed to be of Kuveni the jungle princess is still in existence. Pomparippu is an archaeological site where sealed urns containing human remains that are dated to pre-Vijayan times have been found. Wilpattu is also a place where new legends are made. For example, an unfortunate incident of an unlawful killing of a sambur by a visiting Nepalese king Mahendra , lead to the total ban in game hunting in early 1960s.

Wilpattu was out of bounds for tourist for more than two decades due to civil war and several unfortunate incidents including the killing of park officials occurred as a result. The park was officially opened to public in late 2009. Few years back, the major threats to the survival of the Park were poaching and droughts that lasted for months and killed many animals. Yet presently haphazard development initiatives have bypassed the previous threats. Two roads are being developed dissecting the protected area and restricting the home ranges of the wildlife, while the incidences of road kills is now mounting up. Even a helipad has been built, but not to rescue the injured wildlife. Sand mining is recorded from the rivers, which in turn will affect the mangrove development and fishery of the Puttalam estuary in the near future. Further land grabbing by affluent people is also being reported. Concerned Environmental activists have filed a case against these illegal activities and are waiting in anticipation for a justifiable court ruling.

In conclusion, it could be said that the Wilpattu National Park should be protected not only because of its multitude of ecosystems that renders services to the survival of humans and animals, or not because of its rich biological and archeological heritage which will provide us with revenue in the form of tourism, but also because our great grand- children need to see the leopard and the elephant which were born to roam free!

Many thanks to Ayanthi , and other team members Madu, Cheryl, Carl, Thushara and our Guide Bandula.

Report and Photos: Nishanthi Perera

Caterpillars outsmart birds

noreply@blogger.com (Chinthaka) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:36:00 +0000

Yes, they are smart enough to beat birds. Caterpillars that masquerade as twigs to avoid becoming a bird's dinner are actually using clever behavioural strategies to outwit their predators, a new study reveals.

Dr. John Skelhorn, a lecturer in animal behaviour at the University of Exeter, said: "The caterpillars are not just blindly mimicking inedible objects in the environment and hoping for the best, they are actually using complex habitat-selection strategies which exploit predators' hunting behaviour. According to the study, twig mimicking ‘Early Thorn moth’ caterpillars (Selenia dentaria) choose their location to maximise their chances of fooling their predators into thinking they are twigs.

Using domestic chicks (gallus gallus domesticus) as predators of the caterpillars, research showed that caterpillars are more likely to fool birds when twigs are common. In order to exploit birds' behaviour, caterpillars position themselves in locations where twigs are in abundance during the day -- even if they're not good locations for feeding. At night, when the predators cannot hunt by sight, the caterpillars go to rich feeding grounds -- regardless of twig abundance.

Study reveals that chicks are less likely to search for masquerading prey when the object they mimic, in this case twigs, is in abundance.

"The caterpillars make the most of this by selecting habitats where twigs are common during the day, but then abandon them at night, when there are no visually-hunting predators around, in order to go in search of the best feeding grounds."

When the caterpillars were given two options; one with few twigs but plenty of food, and another with more twigs but no food, Caterpillars showed a strong preference for the branch with lots of twigs, offering the best protection from their predators, during the daylight. At night, they opted for the food-rich branch.

Links

Caterpillars aren’t so bird brained after all

John Skelhorn, Hannah M. Rowland, Jon Delf, Michael P. Speed, Graeme D. Ruxton. Density-dependent predation influences the evolution and behavior of masquerading prey. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014629108

FOGSL’s Field visit to the Delft Island

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Sat, 12 Mar 2011 06:01:00 +0000

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) organized a field tour to Jaffna Peninsula and surrounding islands from 16-20th February 2011, with the participation of 29 of its members. Scheduled for the day three of this trip was a birding tour to Delft Island, locally known as Neduntheevu. It is the largest island (45 km2) in the Palk Strait, located about 40 km off Jaffna peninsula. The only other land mass beyond this is the Kachchativu, which is a barren island positioned at the border of the maritime boundary of Sri Lanka. Delft was named after a city in Holland during the Dutch colonial rule of the country. Unspoilt and untouched by modernity, mainly due to civil unrest during the last 30 odd years, Delft island offers a wide experience to the traveler in the form of birds, wild ponies, old forts, Baobab trees and beautiful beaches.

We boarded the ferry from Kurikadduwan jetty in Punkudutiv island around 8.30 in the morning and reached Delft after more than one hour of sea journey. Several of us opted to sit on the roof of the ferry as the sea was calm as a lake and watched sea gulls and Brahminy kites freely roaming above us. Striated heron was the first bird to be spotted on the nearby shore of the island. It was interesting to watch the antiques of this bird as it got ready to pounce on its prey. These birds are known to place baits such as feathers or leaves on the water surface and pick fish that come to investigate

After having a quick breakfast of ‘sinisambal’ and bread, we found two ‘land masters’ with the assistance of the Navy officials. These small tractors are the main transportation method in Delft and there is single CTB bus operating on scheduled time periods. Thankfully the land is flat, but you have to endure a bumpy ride in the rough terrain under a very hot sun with only Palmyra palms and few dry shrubs for shade. A lonely Indian roller was encountered in an old Dutch church yard near to the navy camp. The beauty of this bird can be only seen during its flight when striking shades of blue mixed with brown can be witnessed. Next bird to be spotted was a Red collared dove, which is related to more commonly seen spotted dove.

The splendor of the dashing wild ponies mesmerized all of us for quite a while. These animals are not native to Sri Lanka, but are a legacy left behind by the colonial rulers including the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British, who bred the animals for transport and work. Some of the animals are branded indicating that their “wild status” is no longer valid. The literature says that during droughts these ponies have a hard time finding enough water to survive and that due to increase in the number of domesticated cattle, there is a competition for food . The remoteness and inaccessibility of the island has provided protection to the wild ponies to live and breed freely up to now, yet in future with the influx of more people, conservation measures will be needed to ensure their survival. Our next stop was a large water hole where an aggregation of waders including Black winged stilts and ducks such as Garganey and Northern Pintail were observed. In the background several wild ponies were quenching their thirst while a young colt was happily playing about.

The giant Baobab tree is another land mark not to be missed. We spent more than fifteen minutes under the shade of the tree, which was a welcoming relief from the very hot sun. Like the Mannar Baobab, this tree was most probably introduced by the Arabian traders. For lunch we purchased biscuits and soft drinks from the small village boutique located near the Kytes tourist court house. Around 5,000 people inhabit the island and they live in small compounds separated from each other by walls built up of dead coral. One has to walk through the small Government Hospitals corridor to have a look at the ruins of the Dutch Fort. Beyond this fort is a cemetery where you will find tomb stones belonging to all religions. During the colonial rule, carrier pigeons were used as the medium of communication between the islands and there still evidence for this in the form of stone cote.

During the few hours we spend at the Delft island, we observed 64 bird species. A multitude of butterfly species are also found in the island and several of us got busy photographing them. Spending five hours was grossly inadequate to fully appreciate the wonders of this delightful small island and its friendly people. Yet due to time constrains, we had to leave it behind with the hope of visiting again, someday soon.

The Department of Wildlife Conservation has identified part of the Delft to be declared as a National Park under the Flora and Fauna Protection Ordinance, mainly to protect to wild ponies. This came as a recommendation under the project titled Integrated Strategic Environment Assessment for the Northern Province. Although good in intention, the technical and financial feasibility of this action is doubtful and a more appropriate action would be to declare the whole island as an Environmental Sensitive Area under the National Environment Act and thereafter develop guidelines to promote sustainable development initiatives within the island. It is also highly relevant to carry out a species and habitat assessment of the island before any such regulations are established.

Bird List

Lesser Whistling-duck

Eurasian Wigeon

Garganey

Little Grebe

Asian Openbill

Black-headed Ibis

Eurasian Spoonbill

Striated Heron

Indian Pond-heron

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Great Egret

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Spot-billed Pelican

Little Cormorant

Indian Cormorant

Black Kite

Brahminy Kite

White-bellied Sea-eagle

Shikra

White-breasted Waterhen

Black-winged Stilt

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled Lapwing

Common Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Black-tailed Godwit

Common Redshank

Marsh Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Wood Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Little Stint

Curlew Sandpiper

Brown-headed Gull

Gull-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Whiskered Tern

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-dove

Spotted Dove

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Asian Koel

Greater Coucal

Asian Palm-swift

Indian Roller

White-throated Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Little Green Bee-eater

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Ashy Woodswallow

Black Drongo

House Crow

Jungle Crow

Barn Swallow

Oriental Skylark

Red-vented Bulbul

Common Myna

Pale-billed Flowerpecker

Purple Sunbird

House Sparrow

Paddyfield Pipit

Report and Photographs: Nishanthi Perera

An Encounter with the Little Penguins at the Phillip Islands Nature Parks

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 15:57:00 +0000

Located 90 minutes drive from the city of Melbourne, the not-for-profit ‘Phillip Island Nature Parks’ is the renowned home of Australia’s most popular natural wildlife attraction, the iconic Penguin Parade, where during every sunset hundreds to over a thousand wild Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor) emerge from the sea and march across the beach to their sand dune burrows. It is the best place in the world to experience this completely natural phenomenon and I have been fortunate enough to witness it twice during my visits to Australia.

The Little Penguin is the smallest of 17 species of penguins recorded; growing to only 35 cm or 13 inches and the adult weighs just over one kilogram. In comparison the Emperor Penguin, this is the largest penguin in the world, stands over 110 cm and can weigh 30 kg. The Little Penguin is the only Penguin to breed in Australia. Its dark feathers are not black like other penguins. They are a deep rich blue. Their colour camouflages them from above and below the surface of the ocean. Only males undertake burrow construction. Courtship follows, with the male seeking to impress the female with the prepared burrow. The female chooses the burrow she likes best and that male will be her mate for the year. Nest building begins around April with the first chicks emerging in June. The adults attend to the chicks until they fledge which usually begins in August. It is not uncommon for adults to raise two sets of chicks so there are chicks in the colony until January. Following nesting the adults go out to sea to feed prior to the moulting season, which occurs between December and February. Moulting is followed by another feeding period prior to commencing breeding again. Summerlands Peninsula on the south-western coast of Phillip Island is home to over 28,000 breeding Little Penguins making it one of the largest colonies of that species in the world.

The Phillip Island Nature Parks is part of the UNESCO Mornington Peninsula and Western Port Biosphere Reserve and encompasses wildlife sanctuaries, wetlands, woodlands and breathtaking coastlines which are protected and managed by quality environmental and research programs. Other than being a home to a significant population of Little Penguins it also hosts Hooded Plovers, Short-tailed Shearwaters, and other migratory bird species and mammals such as koalas, possums, wallabies, Australian Fur Seals and bats. The Parks also protects a range of plant communities which includes over 330 native species. Sections of the Nature Parks also fall within or are adjacent to wetlands protected under the intergovernmental Ramsar Convention as wetlands of international importance.

Created by the State Government in 1996, the Phillip Island Nature Parks is the only ‘Nature Park’ in Victoria. The term means that all conservation areas (1, 805 ha or 25% of the island) are managed under the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978 and is managed by a Board of Management that is appointed by the Minister responsible for the Crown Land (Reserves) Act 1978. The Nature Parks’ vision is to be a world leader in environmental, economic and socially sustainable nature based and ecotourism experiences. The Nature Parks does not receive ongoing funding from the state or federal government and is self-funded by revenue generated from four main attractions (Penguin Parade, Koala Conservation Centre, Churchill Island Heritage Farm and Nobbies Centre) the Parks was visited by around 1 million people in 2009/10. These visitors came from both around Australia (48%) and internationally (52%). According to an independent economic impact study, the Nature Parks contributes AUD $107 million dollars per annum in direct expenditure to the Victorian economy and AUD $56 million per annum in indirect expenditure. Since the formation of the Nature Parks, funds raised through its commercial operations has been used to protect Phillip Island’s wildlife and their habitat. Conservation projects the Nature Parks undertakes include re-vegetation, habitat restoration, eradication of feral animals and wildlife rehabilitation. In 2009/10, over 60,000 trees were planted on Phillip Island through Nature Parks’ programs. It has an exciting volunteer program which is open to the public, in which the volunteers can assist the Nature Parks with conservation, environment and education projects. Further the Penguin Foundation provides dedicated source of funding for penguin research, rehabilitation, and protection and rescue projects to ensure the ongoing survival of the Little Penguin colony on Phillip Island. By Adopting a Penguin, becoming a Foundation member or making a donation, people have the opportunity to follow the life of a Little Penguin and to play an important role in the conservation of these unique creatures.

Acknowledgment: Ms Sue Davies, Communications Executive of the Phillip Island Nature Parks for providing inputs and photographs of penguins, as photography is prohibited outside the visitor center at the Penguin Parade. More information can be obtained from http://www.penguins.org.au/.

Reported by Nishanthi Perera

Wader Study Field Workshop, Bundala 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 08:21:00 +0000

The annual wetland and wader field workshop of FOGSL was held at Bundala National Park and its surroundings between 17th and 20th of December 2010. The workshop was conducted by Professor Sarath Kotagama with the participation of 18 members.

The Bundala National Park covers an area of 3,698 hectares and is located in the South-eastern Arid Zone of Sri Lanka. The park consists of thorny scrub jungle and three lagoons; Malala, Embilikala and Bundala, which form a wetland complex providing habitats for around 200 species of birds, including 50 % of Sri Lanka’s migrants. The wetlands are situated in the southern-most end point of the central Asian migratory bird flyway. This led to the declaration of Bundala as Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1990. Further, these wetlands are also identified as an Important Bird area as well as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere site, indicating its importance for maintaining globally significant biological diversity!

The FOGSL group left the Colombo University about thee in the afternoon and reached the Heritage Centre, Bundala around nine at night. We set up our camp and had a quick introductory session to discuss the schedule for the next three days. Our nights sleep was disturbed during the wee hours of the morning as some of us got drenched from the heavy rains that pounded on the leaky roof!! After tying a tarpaulin over the mosquito nets we went back to sleep to be awaken by the calls of Indian Peafowls around 5 am!

After a quick cup of tea we went out to do an early morning birding walk around the camp. A rainbow could be seen in the still cloudy sky indicating that the sun will quickly follow. Our first stop was at a small lake and in there we encountered birds such as Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed Tern and Eurasian Thick-knee. The scrub forest was filled with Pied Cuckoos, Plaintive Cuckoos, Blue tailed Bee-eaters and many species of Prinias.

After breakfast it was time for lectures about wetlands, identification of waders and how to conduct a wader survey. These lectures were very interesting and we found out why Bundala had lost its migratory flocks of Flamingos which numbered up to nearly 3,000 individuals in the 1990s. The development of many irrigation schemes in the upland areas had caused the brackish water of the lagoons to turn into freshwater. Since Flamingos feed in only brackish water Bundala wetlands is now deprived of the magnificent sight of thousands of Flamingos wading through the lagoons in search of prey.

After lunch, we rested for about two hours, which made up for the sleep we lost during the previous night. With a nice cup of tea to refresh us, we made our way to the Weligatta Junction with the intension of counting waders. A large gathering of Black-talied Godwits and Openbills as well as multitude of other waders was enjoying their supper at this corner of the Embilikala lagoon. But a sudden downpour had us back in the bus for about half an hour and then very carefully we made our way back to the wader gathering to get a closer look. On the way back to camp we were treated by a sighting of a majestic Elephant which had a satellite collar attached to its neck. During the night, we took our bird count of the day and discussed many threats faced by the Bundala wetlands including the rapid spread of invasive plant species such as Opuntia (Cactus) and Prosopis juliflora (Mesquite or Kalapu Andara in Sinhala), which in turn have reduced the open feeding areas of the waders.

We awoke to quite a chilly morning on the 19th, but after a hot cup of coffee, the group took the same birding route as the previous morning. Few of us managed to wade through the muddy waters to find new birding spots. This proved to be rewarding as we reached a small lake which was full of waders such as Greenshanks, Redshanks, Black winged Stilts and many Plovers.

The most exciting part of that day was the visit to the Bundala saltern. It turned out to be a wader paradise and we were able to observe Grey, Little- Ringed, Pacific Golden and Lesser Sand Plovers and also Marsh, Common and Curlew Sandpipers and Turnstones as well nine Eurasian Curlews. A group of Pratincoles were also recorded from the banks. The use of a spotting –scope is highly vital for identifying these “little brown jobs”.

After lunch we listen to a lecture on wetland conservation and afterwards we were off to Debora Wewa located few kilometres away from our camp. This was a beautiful location as there was a stretch of paddyfields on one side of the path and the wewa on the other. A few of us were very fortunate to spot a Cinnamon Bittern which flew into a paddy field and quickly hid itself among the paddy. The Tank was home to waterfowl such as the Purple Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Lesser Whistling Duck, Pelicans and Egrets. We were also treated to a very beautiful sunset and we watched in awe as the sun bid good bye for the day.

The next morning the members divided into two groups and went in opposite directions behind the camp in order to spot some new birds. Our group took an adventurous route which nearly agitated a herd of buffaloes, which were wallowing peacefully in a small pool enjoying the early morning sun on their backs. Thankfully they did not attack us although they remained in a defence posture until we disappeared from their sight. At a small water hole we watched the antics of a Pied Kingfisher who was successful in catching several fish. But at one point a Gull-billed Tern tried to steal the fish from it, and this resulted in both birds loosing the tasty meal. We were extremely lucky to observe 26 Great Thick-knees at a close range and a Yellow-wattled Lapwing as well as a large gathering of Barn swallows. The colourful Common Kingfishers were also a common sight in this area.

After a good breakfast of kiribath we packed up our belongings in order to return to Colombo and left behind Prof. Kotagama and Indika who stayed back for another wetland workshop organized for a group of university students. On our way we made a quick stop at the new port being built in Hambantota. It was disturbing to learn that the Karagan Lewaya had been converted into the construction site limiting the wader habitats as well as the nesting sites of marine turtles! One wonders if this can be called “sustainable development” as the lives of many species are being sacrificed to satisfy the development of one species; humans!!. This left us with a thought to ponder about on our way back to Colombo after what had been a very interesting trip. Our hope and wish is that the concerned authorities will take relevant measures to mitigate the threats that could harm the survival of the internationally important Bundala wetlands!

Participants: Mr. R.K. Jayarajah, Mr. Asitha Samarawickrama, Miss. Uraji Karunaratne, Mr. Saman Abesinha, Mr. B.J. Subasinhe, Miss. Kalya Subasinhe, Mr. Sivakumar Selvaraj, Ms. Sujatha Mayadunnage, Mr. Galinga Herath, Mr. M.M. Casseer, Mrs. Sriyani Perera, Ms. Nishanthi Perera, Mrs. Shamila Perera, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Mr. Praveea, Ms. Namalee Kotagama, Mr. Odatha Kotagama, Mr. Indrika Pradeepa, Prof. S.W. Kotagama

Reported by Asitha Samarawickrama and Nishanthi Perera

Photos: Nishanthi Perera

(Group photo by Indrika Pradeepa)

Birds List (Bundala and Debora Wewa)

Sri Lanka Junglefowl

Indian Peafowl

Garganey

Little Grebe

Painted Stork

Asian Openbill

Black-headed Ibis

Eurasian Spoonbill

Cinnamon Bittern

Black Bittern

Black-crowned Night-heron

Indian Pond-heron

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Great Egret

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Spot-billed Pelican

Little Cormorant

Indian Cormorant

Oriental Darter

Brahminy Kite

White-bellied Sea-eagle

Crested Serpent-eagle

Shikra

White-breasted Waterhen

Purple Swamphen

Common Moorhen

Eurasian Thick-knee

Great Thick-knee

Black-winged Stilt

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled Lapwing

Pacific Golden Plover

Grey Plover

Common Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Black-tailed Godwit

Eurasian Curlew

Common Redshank

Marsh Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Wood Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Little Stint

Curlew Sandpiper

Small Pratincole

Gull-billed Tern

Common Tern

Little Tern

Whiskered Tern

Rock Pigeon

Spotted Dove

Emerald Dove

Orange-breasted Green-pigeon

Pompadour Green-pigeon

Green Imperial-pigeon
Rose-ringed Parakeet

Pied Cuckoo

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

Asian Koel

Blue-faced Malkoha

Greater Coucal

Collared Scops-owl

Jerdon's Nightjar

Asian Palm-swift

Little Swift

Crested Treeswift

Indian Roller

White-throated Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Little Green Bee-eater

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

Brown-headed Barbet

Brown-capped Woodpecker

Greater Flameback

Indian Pitta

Ashy Woodswallow

Common Iora

Common Woodshrike

Black-headed Cuckooshrike

Brown Shrike

Black-hooded Oriole

Asian Paradise-flycatcher

House Crow

Jungle Crow

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

Jerdon's Bushlark

Oriental Skylark

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark

Zitting Cisticola

Grey-breasted Prinia

Jungle Prinia

Ashy Prinia

Plain Prinia

Red-vented Bulbul

White-browed Bulbul

Common Tailorbird

Clamorous Reed-warbler

Sri Lanka Brown-capped Babbler

Yellow-billed Babbler

Common Myna

Oriental Magpie-robin

Indian Robin

Purple-rumped Sunbird

Purple Sunbird

Long-billed Sunbird

House Sparrow

White-rumped Munia

Scaly-breasted Munia

Tricoloured Munia

Yellow Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Paddyfield Pipit

Birding in Mannar and its surroundings

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 18:17:00 +0000

FOGSL in collaboration with Naval base in Vankalai organized a briding excursion to Mannar from 4-7^th November 2010 with the participation of 23 members. It was a “first in life” trip to few, while others were “going down the memory lane” to re-discover the birding hotsopts in the area. Mannar was out of bounds for most of the past 30 years due to the civil unrest and thankfully it is now being re-awakened with the conclusion of the war in 2009.

We left the Colombo University around 2.15 in the afternoon and reached St Anne’s Central Collage, Vankalai at sharp midnight; our base camp for the next three days. The guys opted to camp in a big hall upstairs while the ladies plus one child were left to settle themselves in two class rooms down below. Wake up call at 5.30 a.m was hard to stomach, yet we managed to be in the bus by 6.30 as all of us were eager to explore the surroundings.

Vankalai Sanctuary was our first stop. Very recently declared as Sri Lanka’s fourth Ramsar wetland of International Importance, Vankalai has also been identified as an Important Bird Area. Covering 4,839 ha, the sanctuary consists of numerous coastal and marine wetlands, and patches of arid zone dry thorn scurb, arid zone pasture and sand dunes. Mangroves, salt marshes, lagoons and sea-grass beds and maritime grasslands are the prominent wetlands. Due to the integrated nature of shallow wetland and terrestrial coastal habitats, this sanctuary is very productive, supporting high species diversity. Civil unrest has kept human activity out of this area and presently there are only few permanent settlements. Local people engage in small-scale livestock grazing, subsistence and commercial fishing.

We did most of our birding along the abandoned rail tracks that joined the main land to Talaimannar and crossed the Ilayadi Bridge near the Alfa 1 Naval camp. Around 74 species of birds including migratory waders were observed on that day. The most notable records were the Spot-billed duck, Eurasian Oystercatcher, and Sanderling. Even though we looked forward to seeing a large gathering of the graceful Greater Flamingos, our wish was not fulfilled during this trip; instead we had to be content with the colourful and common Painted storks!

It seems that the wild donkey or the assess are very abundant in Mannar, and even in the middle of the town itself you will find them in search of food. If uncheked and conservation measures are not taken, this population too will dissapear soon. Other mammals such as hare, jackal, wildboar and mongoose were also observed running through the thorny buhes of the Sanctuary. We also visited the Talaimannar pier, the tip of Mannar island where around four decades ago people used take ferries to India. On the way to the jetty large number of Indian Rollers were observed. The group also wanted to have a look at the Baobab tree, which has the widest recored tree trunk within Sri Lanka. Located near to the Mannar town, this tree’s orgin is the African continent and it had been introduced to our island by Arabian traders in 1476.

On the day two, the morning hours were again spent brding at the Vankalai Sanctuary. After breakfast we headed towards Vidattaltivu lagoon accompanied by two Navy officials, who were a great help in getting through numerous check points. We were greeted by three Crab plovers at the Vidattaltivu lagoon and this bird was a ‘lifer’ to most of us. Other than several and Little Green Bea-eaters who danced in and out amongst the bushes, the lagoons were devoid of birdlife. We headed towards Iluppaikkadavai Navy base, which is siutated sourrounded by a healty mangrove and salt marsh vegetation as well as the open ocean, for our lunch. Thereafter we took a lengthy walk along the banks of the lagoon. A Wimbrel, Grey Plovers, Pacific Golden Plovers, Terek Sandpipers, Ruddy Turnstones, White-winged Terns were observed on the banks of the lagoons near to the base. A Rosy Starling and a Blyth's Pipit were also recorded by few of the birders close to the Iluppaikkadavai.

Although it was planned to return to Colombo through Wilpattu National Park and also to do some birding at Silavaturai, the idea had to be abandoned due to floods in that area. Instead we visited the Giant Tank Sanctuary where aquatic birds such as Common kingfisher, Pied kingfisher, Cotton Pygmy-goose, Little Grebes, Little Cormorants, Indian Cormorants and large number of Lesser whistling ducks were present.

The bird list for the trip passed 120 species with the addition of Wooly-necked stork and the Crested Serpent-eagle observed while travelling from Anuradhapura to Puttalam. Large number of butterflies was also recorded during this excursion. Both Vankalai and Giant Tank area can be considered as “photographer’s paradise” for capturing these vibrant beauties on film!

It also needed to be noted that with deep felt regret we observed the bridges, houses and other infrasturcture that was destroyed during the war and the human suffereing that went with it. All of us, including the Naval officers we spoke with hoped and prayed for long lasting peace where all races in our country can live as Sri Lankans under one flag!

We reached Colombo around 7 p.m on Sunday with lots of shared memories of the rich natural and cultural heritage of Mannar and its surroundings!

Participants: Mr. Ranjith Silva, Miss. Uraji Karunaratne, Mr. R.K. Jayarajah, Mr. Sivakumar Selvaraja, Mrs. Chitra Devi Ranasinghe, Mr. Adrian Gadriel, Mr. Osanda Senapathiratne, Mr. A. Nishantha Kulathunga, Mr. M.M. Casseer, Mrs. Sriyani Perera, Ms. Ziniya Nisam, Ms. Nandachitra Hewaga, Mr. G.Herath, Mr. Paba Bandara , Mr. Nilantha Megasooriya, Ms. Nishanthi Perera, Mr. Prasanna kobeesuuaram (Vauniya), Mr. Kuhapreetham, Mr. Kusum Fernando, Mrs. Shamila Perera, Mr. Chaminda Jayaratne, Mr. Kasun Dayananda, Mr. Indrika Pradeepa

Reported by Nishanthi Perera

Photos by Nishanthi Perera and Chaminda Jayaratne
More Photos

Birds List of Mannar

(Wankalai Sanctuary, Vidattaltivu Lagoon & Gaint’s Tank)

Grey Francolin

Indian Peafowl

Lesser Whistling-duck

Cotton Pygmy-goose

Spot-billed Duck

Garganey

Little Grebe

Painted Stork

Asian Openbill

Black-headed Ibis

Eurasian Spoonbill

Yellow Bittern

Black Bittern

Black-crowned Night-heron

Indian Pond-heron

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Great Egret

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Spot-billed Pelican

Little Cormorant

Indian Cormorant

Oriental Darter

Black Kite

Brahminy Kite

White-bellied Sea-eagle

White-breasted Waterhen

Purple Swamphen

Barred Buttonquail

Great Thick-knee

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Crab Plover

Black-winged Stilt

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled Lapwing

Pacific Golden Plover

Grey Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Pintail Snipe

Black-tailed Godwit

Whimbrel

Eurasian Curlew

Common Redshank

Common Greenshank

Wood Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Sanderling

Little Stint

Curlew Sandpiper

Red-necked Phalarope

Indian Courser

Brown-headed Gull

Gull-billed Tern

Caspian Tern

Great Crested Tern

Little Tern

Whiskered Tern

White-winged Tern

Rock Pigeon

Eurasian Collared-dove

Spotted Dove

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Pied Cuckoo

Chestnut-winged Cuckoo

Asian Koel

Greater Coucal

Asian Palm-swift

Alpine Swift

Crested Treeswift

Indian Roller

White-throated Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Little Green Bee-eater

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Eurasian Hoopoe

Brown-headed Barbet

Black-rumped Flameback

Indian Pitta

Ashy Woodswallow

Common Iora

Brown Shrike

Long-tailed Shrike

Black-hooded Oriole

Black Drongo

White-bellied Drongo

Asian Paradise-flycatcher

House Crow

Jungle Crow

Barn Swallow

Jerdon's Bushlark

Oriental Skylark

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark

Zitting Cisticola

Jungle Prinia

Plain Prinia

Red-vented Bulbul

White-browed Bulbul

Common Tailorbird

Yellow-billed Babbler

Common Myna

Rosy Starling

Oriental Magpie-robin

Indian Robin

Pale-billed Flowerpecker

Purple-rumped Sunbird

Long-billed Sunbird

House Sparrow

Scaly-breasted Munia

Tricoloured Munia

Paddyfield Pipit

Blyth's Pipit

FOGSL Field Trip to Peak Wilderness

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 04:58:00 +0000

On a warm, sunny day, on 22nd October, peaceful and calm Eratne lay before us, twelve members comprising veterans and novices of FOGSL who were to enjoy two days in Peak Wilderness. Adawikanda was our last stop before the long climb to our abode; Seetha Gangula nawathanpola began by foot.

Peak Wilderness nestles in the centre of the Western ridge of the Central Highlands, north-east of Ratnapura. The wilderness also stretches towards the borders between Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces. With the abundance of treasures and mysteries, Peak Wilderness has been classified as the most constantly wet part of Asia, West of Borneo.

Our slow and tedious walk lasted for about 4 1/2 hours. In spite of the fatigue, we were in awe of the surroundings. We had lunch near a site where a dam was built, to make use of waters of a cascading waterfall to generate electricity to the villagers as well as the national grid. Cool winds and water, replenished us for awhile. Back on the route, we increased our pace, knowing we had to reach our destination before nightfall.

The valley spread before us, as we climbed higher. Through trees and shrubs we could get a peek at the vast expanse of greenery beyond. After walking, stumbling and panting along the distance, we spotted the Ambalama with relief. The waters of Seethagangula beckoned us quietly. Tents were put up, by the able men while Mahatun Mama, a faithful guide and friend of members of FOG for the past 5 years, along with his aides, Bandara and another, got the hearth going for the preparation of tea and dinner.

The only females in the herd, Komila and I hurried to the river to take a wash before it grew too dark. While we attempted to hide behind a rock for privacy, we later heard that a troupe of monkeys had apparently been watching us from a tree!

Morning dawned on the 23rd, after a terribly cold night. The few Buddhists in the group were hoping to climb Shri Pada. After much thought, I decided to join the 7 members to climb the rock. We began the long journey around 6.00 a.m. Four members stayed back to go birding in the surroundings adjacent to the Ambalama.

Legs aching, panting madly, slipping and struggling we trekked for about 1 1/2 hours before stopping over for a breakfast of ‘Kadala’ and coconut at a dilapidated ambalama, which during the season, would have been thriving with free meals and hot cups of tea for pilgrims.

The long trek began again with us being determined to spot a few birds to add to the list! It was treat, therefore, to see a Legg’s flower pecker having its own breakfast, feeding on some small fruit. A pair of Nuthatches was making a racket on a tree, presumably pecking away at some insects they had scented and spotted. We saw yellow eared bulbuls, hill mynahs and red vented bulbuls chirping away, on that glorious morning. The air was fresh and pure, and the sun shone bright and hot on us.

“Start climbing early, try to make it to the summit before 1.00 p.m. If you can’t and even if the summit is just there to reach, you need to climb down looking at it, by 1.30 p.m and reach the ambalama by 6.00 p.m.” were the instructions we got from Dr. Newton Jayawardane and Chaminda Jayaratne. We knew we had to keep to the deadlines and we were chasing time! There were traces of Elephant dung as we passed ‘batakelle’. A few blood thirsty leeches were making an effort to get on us, and some succeeded in making us bleed a fraction.

We reached the summit around 12.45 p.m. and the experience was awesome! Below, the montane forest cover spread. Vast, pure untouched and spellbinding, the canopy was an umbrella amidst the clouds. We could see the Blue waters of Castlereigh and Mousakelle Reservoirs, and of course the winding path we took was also visible, making us aware of the long trek back on the same route. It was hot and sunny up there. The winds fanned us. After prayers, and a steaming cup of tea given to us by the security officers at the summit, we began our descend. It was disheartening to see volumes of polythene carelessly strewn down the slopes of the summit. Pollution, a burning matter of concern where ever we happened to go, was not strange even to Peak Wilderness. We collected as much garbage as we could, and burnt them all at Galwangediye Kade Ambalama.

Descending was tedious as climbing was. After lunch at Ahala Kanuwa Ambalama, we began a steady descend making sure to pass Batakelle, before 3.30 p.m. We had to avoid elephants incase we ran into them! A prayer to see the Dollar bird was not answered. However, there were species of yellow eared, and black capped bull bulls which greeted us on the way down. Mahatun Mama, bare footed, chirpy and agile, guided us through out this tedious and exhilarating journey.

We reached our Ambalama by 6.05 p.m., much to our delight and probably to the relief of the others who would have been waiting for us. After the check list was done, and dinner taken, we retired to our respective tents, to get whatever sleep we could before returning to base, Adawikanda the next morning. Back at Adawikanda the following afternoon, everyone waited to have a dip in the river. Bandara welcomed us to his humble home, to give us a delicious meal for lunch. We relished the waldel kos ata curry, a novelty and a rare meal for city dwellers.

A few of us had to bid farewell to the group at Avissawella because we were Kandy bound. Back at home; to reminisce and re-live moments, it was a journey worth, making the effort of going! An important learning outcome was, to stay fit and healthy. Life becomes easier when one is in good health!

Bird List

Sri Lanka Jungle fowl
Great Tit
Sri Lanka yellow fronted barbet
Black Crested Bulbull
SriLanka grey hornbill
Red Vented Bulbul
White throated Kingfisher
SriLanka Yellow eared bulbul
Blue tailed bee-eater
Black bulbul
Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot
Yellow browed bulbul
Indian Swiftlet
Sri Lanka White eye
Spotted Dove
Oriental White eye
Emerald Dove
Greenish Warbler
Green Imperial Pigeon
Large billed leaf warbler
Crested Serpent Eagle
SriLanka Brown capped Babbler
Shikra
SriLanka Schimiter Babbler
Brown Shrike
Dark Fronted Babbler
Sri Lanka Blue Magpie
Sri Lanka Orange Billed Babbler
Black Hooded Oriole
Yellow Billed Babbler
Scarlet Minivet
Thick Billed Flower Pecker
Bar winged Flycatcher shrike
Sri lanka Legge’s Flower Pecker
White bellied Drongo
Pale Billed Flower pecker
Crested Drongo
Purple rumped sunbird
Black Naped Monarch
Grey Wagtail
Asian Paradise Flycatcher
White Rumped Munia
Common Iora
Sri Lanka Spot winged Thrush
Asian Brown Flycatcher
Brown breasted flycatcher
Sri Lanka Dull Blue Flycatcher
Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher
Grey Headed Canary Flycatcher
Sri Lanka Myna
Hill Myna
Velvet Fronted Nuthatch

List of Participants:

Mr. Chaminda Jayaratne, Dr. Newton Jaywardena, Ms. Sulakmi Weragama, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Ms. Komila Stanislaus, Mr. Ruwan, Mr. Ranjith Fernando, Mr. Chana, Mr. Nashad Hafi, Mr. Faris, Mr. Amudhesh

Bird list and Report: Sulekshmi Weragama
Photos: Sulekshmi Weragama, Rohan Kaththiriarachchi and Chaminda Jayaratne

To see more Photos

How we watched birds during the non-migratory period 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:38:00 +0000

Enthusiastic bird watchers of ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ community, do not abandon the habit of birding even during the non-migratory period. Since, Sri Lanka facilitate a rich diversity of avifauna, hobby of birding never becomes boring. ‘Sri Lanka Birds’, the community centered database on birds, shows how our bird watchers recorded their observations during the period. Following results are based on the data downloaded on 18th October 2010 for the period from April to September this year.

A total of 59 people who are keen on birds joined with ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ community. FOGSL warmly welcomes our new members and invites them to enjoy the world of birding while contributing to the conservation process of Sri Lankan birds.

Observations (from 1st April to 30th September)
Number of visits (347)
Total Number of Observations (7357)
Number of Species (221)
Number of Endemic Species (21)
Number of Proposed endemic Species (7)
Number of migrant species (32)

Records of Black-necked Stork, Blue-eared Kingfisher and Spot-billed duck are noteworthy observations done during the period. A total of 32 migratory species were recorded, mainly during April and September, which are the endpoints of the season.

Number of nesting observations recorded during the said period was 87. Altogether 44 species were recorded as nesting during the six month interval.

Mostly recorded species (No: of observations)
House Crow (271)
Red-vented Bulbul (253)
Common Myna (248)
White-throated Kingfisher (247)
Spotted Dove (227)

Top five users (No: of observations)
Newton Jayawardane (3843)
Nadika Hapuarachchi (1054)
Amila Sumanapala (791)
Rahula Perera (537)
Chandanie Wanigatunge (496)

Number of locations visited during the period was 107. It covers wide variety of habitats and geographic regions of the island. Most importantly, many visits were from the North and Eastern provinces, which were previously inaccessible to birdwatchers. Thanks to member Newton Jayawardane’s untiring effort to monitor birds in his hometown, the highest number of observations was recorded at Ragama (2744).

Every birdwatcher in the tropical areas is anticipating the migratory season. So it is already started. Time to go out and record birds as much as possible. And while enjoying the world of birds, you can contribute to the conservation of Sri Lankan birds by submitting your data, to the ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ database.

To see current statistics on the number of field visits, number of observations and bird species, as well as the number of users registered in the system, visit the login page of ‘Sri Lanka Birds’.

State of the World’s Waterbirds: trouble in Asia, recovering in ‘the West’

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 04:33:00 +0000

The rate of decline of waterbird populations has slightly declined over the last three decades. However, 47% of the waterbird populations are still declining and only 16% are increasing. The status of waterbirds improves mainly in North America and Europe, while it is the worse in Asia. Especially long distance migrants appear to be vulnerable.

These are the key findings of the State of the World’s Waterbirds 2010 launched by Wetlands International on 21^st October at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in Nagoya, Japan. This publication analyses the changes in the status of waterbird populations between 1976 and 2005 using the data collected for the four editions of Waterbird Population Estimates published by the organisation since 1994.

Dependent on economical activity and conservation measures the status of waterbird populations is improving in regions where strong conservation legislation is implemented, such as North America and Europe. However, the rate of decline of waterbird populations is increasing in all other regions without such instruments. The situation is especially alarming in Asia where 62% of waterbird populations are decreasing or even extinct. The combination of a rapid economical growth and weak conservation efforts appears to be lethal. Waterbird populations are exposed to a wide range of threats such as the loss and degradation of marshes and lakes, water regulation, agricultural intensification, hunting and climate change.

Download the Book here (5.9MB).

The early birdwatchers: A talk by Tim Birkhead

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 05:32:00 +0000

Birds, a perennial human fascination, entertained medieval homes long before science took them for serious study. "Wisdom of Birds" author Tim Birkhead tours some intriguing birdwatcher lore (dug up in old field journals) -- and talks about the role it plays in ornithology today.

FOGSL Annual Workshop on the Bird Flocks of Sinharaja

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 10:07:00 +0000

Mixed species feeding flocks of birds are one of the major highlights of the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area (SNHWA) as they provide sound to otherwise silent forest and also because most of the birds that one desires to see are found in them. So far 59 bird species (out of 144 found in SNHWA), including 19 endemics have been recorded to form flocks. The two most frequent species observed in these flocks are the Orange-billed Babbler and the Greater-crested Drongo.

Each year FOGSL organizes a field workshop for its members at SNHWA with the objective of providing an opportunity to understand the function and structure of mixed species feeding flocks. This year’s workshop was held from 10-12th September 2010.

We left the University of Colombo on the 9th around seven at night and reached Kudawa at 11.15pm. Thankfully Martin was waiting with his pickup for the luggage, and few of us also managed to get a lift to his lodge where we were stationed for the next three days. Wake up call on the 10th was at 5.30 am and by then the colourful Sri Lanka Magpies were already making noises from nearby trees. We took an early morning short walk to stretch our legs and after a good breakfast entered the protective zone of the forest for serious bird watching. Thirty three bird species were recorded during that day and several bird flock formations were also observed. Species such as Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka White-faced Starling, Black-naped Monarch, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Malabar Trogon together with the Orange-billed Babbler and the Great Crested Drongo were some of the common species observed in association with these flocks. The highlight of the day was observing a Besra that was perched on a tree stalk. After dinner Martin gave a talk on the history of Sinharaja. He was born in a nearby village and in 1958 moved to his present home, which borders the forest and since then has been involved in activities going within the forest. He spoke about the Government’s selective logging initiatives in the early 1970s and thereafter how the forest became a strictly protected in the late 1980s. Further he mentioned about his observations on the receding water levels of the surrounding streams during the past few decades.

Next day we had a very close encounter with two Sri Lanka Magpies, who came and perched on the wooden beams of the dining hall of the lodge. During our morning walk, the adventurous and young at heart decided to climb Mulawella while the rest opted to go in search for day roosting sites of owls. The scenery form the top of Mulawella was worth the strenuous climb, while on the journey various amphibians, lizards, butterflies and fish were observed. We encountered a large bird flock on the way down. Back on the road, we had an interesting observation where a Spot-winged thrush was attacking a Sri Lanka Magpie. The owl searches were very lucky and had close sighting of the Serendib Scops-Owl and the Chestnut-backed Owlet, both endemic to Sri Lanka. Later, we listen to an interesting lecturer given by Prof. Kotagama on Bird Flocks of Sinharaja as well as the milestone happening towards conserving the forest.

At the very start of day three, a Grey Hornbill was observed near to the lodge and during our walk to the research station several bird flocks were encountered, and tagging behind one flock were two giant squirrels. On our way back, we had a rare opportunity of seeing an Oak Leaf butterfly that repeatedly closed and opened its wings to show us its splendor. After the lunch we returned to Colombo with lots of good memories of birds and other animals as well as shared laughter!

Sinharaja is Sri Lanka’s last large viable area of the virgin primary tropical rainforest which used to cover most of the island in the long gone past. 64% of its trees are endemic and many of them are rare. The reserve is also home to 23% of Sri Lanka’s endemic animals, including 85% of the country’s endemic birds and over 50% of its endemic mammals, reptiles and butterflies.

Participants
Mr. Dinu Ranasinha, Mr. Tharindu Gunaratne, Mr. Asitha Samarawickrama, Ms. Sulakmi Weragama, Ms. Lakshini Bambaradeniya, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Ms. Komila Stanislaus, Mr. Shivarumar Selvaraj, Ms. Devika Gunawardena, Mr. Nilantha Megasuriya, Mr. P.D.R.C. Karunanayake, Mr. Sethiya N. Perera, Mr. Helaranga P. Perera, Mr. K.K.D.L. Ruvinka, Mr. G.D. Illeperuma, Mr. S.K.K. Suraweera, Mr. Ranathunga Chathuranga, Ms. Amaley Munasinghe, Ms. Nishanthi Perera, Mr. D.S. Perera, Mr. Saman Abesingha, Ms. Sindy de Silva, Mr. Amila Salgado, Mr. Kusum Fernando, Mr. Indrika Pradeepa, Mr. Ravindra , Prof. S.W. Kotagama

Bird list: Indrika Pradeepa
Photos and Report: Nishanthi Perera

Birds List
Sri Lanka Spurfowl (h)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Crested Serpent-eagle
Besra
White-breasted Waterhen
Emerald Dove
Green Imperial-pigeon
Sri Lanka Hanging-parrot
Sri Lanka Emerald-collared Parakeet
Sri Lanka Red-faced Malkoha
Greater Coucal
Sri Lanka Green-billed Coucal (h)
Sri Lanka Serendib Scops-owl
Sri Lanka Chestnut-backed Owlet
Frogmouth (h)
Indian Swiftlet
Malabar Trogon
White-throated Kingfisher
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill
Brown-headed Barbet
Sri Lanka Yellow-fronted Barbet
Lesser Yellownape
Black-rumped Flameback
Greater Flameback
Scarlet Minivet
White-bellied Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Black-naped Monarch
Sri Lanka Magpie
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
Yellow-browed Bulbul
Sri Lanka Scimitar-babbler
Dark-fronted Babbler
Sri Lanka Orange-billed Babbler
Sri Lanka Ashy-headed Laughingthrush
Sri Lanka White-eye
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Sri Lanka Myna
Sri Lanka White-faced Starling
Sri Lanka Spot-winged Thrush
Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush
Golden-fronted Leafbird
Sri Lanka White-throated Flowerpecker
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Purple-rumped Sunbird
White-rumped Munia

Birding in the North Central Province

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 06:52:00 +0000

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka’s (FOGSL) field trip to Mihintale and Ritigala took place from the 21-24th of August 2010 with the participation of 13 FOGSL members headed by Professor Sarath Kotagama. Our base was the guest house of the Rajarata University which was in very close proximity to the Mihintale archaeological site. On arrival at the guesthouse we were greeted by three Sri Lanka Grey Hornbills and by following them we managed to see two Golden-fronted Leafbirds and a pair of Indian Brown Mongoose.

After lunch and a little rest we set off on a birding walk through the gardens of the university and was amazed by the variety of birds that called the university their “home”. We were very lucky to see a whole family of Malabar Pied Hornbills consisting of a father, mother and a daughter!! Some of us were also able to witness a Crested Serpent-eagle being hawked by a Shikra. Other birds seen included Orange-breasted and Pompadour Green-pigeons, Yellow-eyed and Tawny-bellied Babblers and also Ashy, Plain and Jungle Prinias. Huge rain clouds were the only thing that stopped us from more birding and we had to retreat to the guesthouse to avoid getting wet. After dinner we could not resist going out to search for a Jerdon’s Nightjar which was heard very close to the guesthouse. Our efforts were rewarded when we spotted it on a branch of a tree a few meters away from the path.

Next morning we set off for birding near the archaeological site and were joined by a few keen students from the Rajarata University. Here first to greet us was our national bird, the Sri Lanka Jungle fowl, while the sharp eyes of Indrika spotted a Changeable Hawk-eagle which we observed with the scope for quite a while. The time between breakfast and lunch was spent listening to lectures by Professor Kotagama which was very interesting for all of us as we learnt many things we didn’t know about birds. After lunch it was decided to go birding near the lake just outside the university. The highlight of this expedition was a Brown Fish-owl, while quite a number of aquatic birds including Cormorants, White-breasted Waterhen, Purple Swamphen and a pair of Woolly-necked Storks were also observed.

The next morning we were up early as we had planned a day birding trip to Kebithigollewa and Padaviya. The university students also joined us for this expedition. Our guide for this leg of the journey was a FOGSL member from Kebithigollewa named Harsha. We were taken to two birding hotspots on the way to Padawiya wewa. The first was a lake where we were able to observe some spoonbills, Gull-billed Terns and a Wood Sandpiper. The second path also led to a lake but it was completely dry as it was the dry season. We were able to view a pair of Pied Cuckoos and also a Black Drongo. Lunch was at Padawiya wewa where most of the members had a refreshing bath in the wewa. On the way back an unexpected stop was made at a lake at the edge of the road which proved to be a very good birding area. By the end of this stop we were all quite tired and couldn’t wait to go back to the guesthouse for some hot tea and a shower.

Next morning we headed to Ritigala. On the way we stopped at two lakes of which the second lake was very good for birding. The sharp eyes of Professor Kotagama spotted Lesser Sand Plovers, Wood Sandpipers and also a lone Little Ringed Plover. After we reached Ritigala we were given a briefing about the archaeological site by one of the lecturers from the Rajarata University. We walked up to the designated point while viewing the ruins. It was a shame to see many groups of people acting in a manner which was not suitable within an area which is legally protected for safeguarding its rich heritage for future generations. It was around 12 noon when we said our final goodbyes to our friends from the Rajarata University. It was a trip where we made new friends and managed to observe 118 bird species!

Participants
Mr. Ranjith Silva, Miss. Uraji Karunaratne, Mr. Asitha Samarawickrama, Miss. W.A. Harsha Abewickrama, Ms. Sindy de Silva, Mrs. Tharidra de Silva, Kids Rahul and Shahal, Mr. Amila Salgado, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Ms. Shamila Perera , Mr. Indrika Pradeepa, Prof. S.W. Kotagama

Reported by Asitha Samarawikram

Bird List by Indrika Pradeepa

Photos by Amila Salgado (read his report here)

See more photos here.

Bird List

Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Indian Peafowl
Lesser Whistling-duck
Cotton Pygmy-goose
Painted Stork
Asian Openbill
Woolly-necked Stork
Black-headed Ibis
Black-crowned Night-heron
Indian Pond-heron
Cattle Egret
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Spot-billed Pelican
Little Cormorant
Indian Cormorant
Great Cormorant
Oriental Darter
Oriental Honey-buzzard
Brahminy Kite
White-bellied Sea-eagle
Crested Serpent-eagle
Shikra
Black Eagle
Changeable Hawk-eagle
White-breasted Waterhen
Purple Swamphen
Black-winged Stilt
Red-wattled Lapwing
Lesser Sand Plover
Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Wood Sandpiper
Common Sandpiper
Gull-billed Tern
Whiskered Tern
Spotted Dove
Emerald Dove
Orange-breasted Green-pigeon
Pompadour Green-pigeon
Green Imperial-pigeon
Alexandrine Parakeet
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Pied Cuckoo
Asian Koel
Blue-faced Malkoha
Greater Coucal
Brown Fish-owl
Jerdon's Nightjar
Indian Nightjar
Asian Palm-swift
Little Swift
Crested Treeswift
Indian Roller
Stork-billed Kingfisher
White-throated Kingfisher
Common Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Little Green Bee-eater
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill
Malabar Pied Hornbill
Brown-headed Barbet
Crimson-fronted Barbet
Coppersmith Barbet
Black-rumped Flameback
Greater Flameback
Ashy Woodswallow
Common Iora
Common Woodshrike
Large Cuckooshrike
Black-headed Cuckooshrike
Small Minivet
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike
Black-hooded Oriole
Black Drongo
White-bellied Drongo
Asian Paradise-flycatcher
House Crow
Jungle Crow
Barn Swallow
Red-rumped Swallow
Jerdon's Bushlark
Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark
Zitting Cisticola
Grey-breasted Prinia
Jungle Prinia
Ashy Prinia
Plain Prinia
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
White-browed Bulbul
Yellow-browed Bulbul
Common Tailorbird
Brown-capped Babbler
Tawny-bellied Babbler
Dark-fronted Babbler
Yellow-eyed Babbler
Yellow-billed Babbler
Oriental White-eye
Common Myna
Oriental Magpie-robin
White-rumped Shama
Indian Robin
Tickell's Blue-flycatcher
Jerdon's Leafbird
Golden-fronted Leafbird
Thick-billed Flowerpecker
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Purple-rumped Sunbird
Purple Sunbird
Long-billed Sunbird
House Sparrow
Baya Weaver
White-rumped Munia
Scaly-breasted Munia
Paddyfield Pipit

Do migrating birds spread Bird Flu?

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 05:20:00 +0000

It’s the bird migratory season again. With the start of the season, another threat comes. The Bird Flu.

In 2005 an outbreak of the H5N1 'bird flu' virus in South East Asia led to widespread fear with predictions that the intercontinental migration of wild birds could lead to global pandemic. Such fears were never realised, and now research published in the Journal of Applied Ecology reveals why the global spread of bird flu by direct migration of wildfowl is unlikely.

The highly pathogenic H5N1 virus is primarily a disease of poultry, often resulting in mass mortality. However, the virus can also infect other species, including wild birds and humans. Some wild ducks, geese and swans can carry the virus asymptomatically, (without showing any symptoms) meaning that they have the potential to spread the virus as they migrate.

"The actual risk of H5N1 spread through migratory birds depended on whether infected individuals were capable of migratory movements while shedding virus, and the distance over which such individuals could travel. Our research has answered these questions using analysis of infection and migratory routes and timings for many bird species" says Dr Nicolas Gaidet.

His team analysed 228 birds from 19 species using satellite telemetry from 2006 to 2009 over the bird flu affected areas of Asia, Europe and Africa. The results indicated that migrating wildfowl are capable of dispersing the virus over extensive distances as much as 2900km before symptoms become apparent.

However, while this is theoretically possible the team found that direct virus dispersal by migrating birds would require asymptomatic infection to coincide precisely with the migration season. The results revealed a very small 'window' of between 5 to 15 days when dispersal of the virus over 500 km could occur.

It is crucial to the spread of disease over such a distance that an infected bird must not be showing the symptoms of infection. If the symptoms are evident then it is highly likely that the individual may not migrate, or at least they will be unable to cover the distance as well as a healthy bird.

Read the research paper here

Bar-Tailed Godwit Sets Record for Long-Distance Flight

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 23:02:00 +0000

How is it possible to fly 11,000 kilometers without a single break? The record holder for long distance flight outdoes all human-made aircraft. Every year the Bar-tailed godwit undertakes an eight-day journey of 11,000 km between Alaska and New Zealand twice. The bird flies non-stop, without once breaking the journey to rest or eat.

Professor of Ecology Anders Hedenström from Lund University has pondered over how this species of bird can fly so far without stopping. The distance is twice as far as previously known non-stop distances for migratory birds.

Professor Hedenström emphasises that the bar-tailed godwit is far superior to all aircraft constructed by humans when it comes to the art of flying for a long time without a break. The best man-made flying machine with a record closer to that of Bar-tailed Godwit is QiniteQ's Zephyr, an unmanned solar-powered craft which remained in the air for 82 hours, (around 3.5 days), compared with the Bar-tailed Godwit's eight-day flight.

But what is it that makes the bar-tailed godwit able to fly 11 000 kilometres without a single break? How can these birds manage without sleep or food for eight whole days? One explanation is that they consume unusually little energy compared with other species of bird. Anders Hedenström has calculated that the bar-tailed godwit consumes 0.41 per cent of its body weight each hour during its long flight. "This figure is extremely low compared with other migratory birds," he says.

There are still pieces of the jigsaw missing that could explain the bar-tailed godwit's record non-stop flight. Could the bird's success be due to a particularly good ability to navigate with the help of an inner compass that makes use of the earth's magnetic field, for example? Anders Hedenström notes that there are a number of exciting questions surrounding the bar-tailed godwit's ability not to get lost up in the air.

Read the full story here.

Read the journal article “Extreme Endurance Migration: What Is the Limit to Non-Stop Flight?”
Photo: Lars Hedenström (www.sciencedaily.com)

Red List Indices to measure the sustainability of species use and impacts of invasive alien species

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:43:00 +0000

After habitat loss and degradation, the leading threats to biodiversity are over-exploitation and invasive alien species. For birds, newly synthesised data using the standard classification schemes for utilisation and threat types for the IUCN Red List allow novel analyses on the importance of these threats and permit the calculation of Red List Indices (RLIs) to show trends in the status of birds driven by these factors.

Evidence of utilisation by humans was found for a total of 4,561 bird species, representing 45.7% of the world’s 9,990 extant and extinct bird species. Among these, two purposes of use dominate:

· 3,649 species (37.0% of extant species, 87.4% of utilised species) were recorded as being used as pets, and

· 1,398 species (14.2% of extant species; 33.5% of utilised species) were recorded as being hunted for food.

Less significant uses include sport hunting, wearing apparel or ornamentation and traditional medicine , with small numbers of species being recorded as used for handicrafts, fuel (from oil or fat, principally from seabirds) and household goods (e.g. down for mattresses), etc. Many species are used in more than one way; for example, 68.9% of species that are hunted for food are also kept as pets.

Much of this use drives trade at an international scale, involving at least 3,337 species, mostly for the pet trade. RLIs show that although successful control and management of use and trade have led to some species improving in status, this has been outweighed by the number of species deteriorating in status owing to unsustainable exploitation. Overall, the RLI showing trends in extinction risk driven by issues related to use shows a negative slope: human use of birds is currently unsustainable. Similarly, and of relevance to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the RLI for internationally traded bird species showing trends in extinction risk driven by issues related to international trade is also declining: international trade remains a threat to the world’s birds.

Invasive species impact at least one third of the world’s threatened bird species (398 species, 32.6%), with mammals being the most important (impacting 81.1%), particularly through predation by carnivores and rodents. The RLI illustrating impacts of invasive species shows that they are driving deterioration in the status of the world’s birds. RLIs for the impacts of use and invasive species will be important indicators to help track progress towards the target of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010.

This article is written by Stuart H.M Butchrtfull and published by the Bird Conservation International.

Penguin males with steady pitch make better parents

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 10:38:00 +0000

Antarctic penguins come on land for just a few short months each summer to breed and raise their chicks. Raising a family in the coldest place on earth is no small feat. Adelie penguins pull it off by tag-team parenting, the researchers explained. Males and females take turns incubating the eggs and guarding the chicks while their mate forages for food.

Males arrive first to claim a territory and build a nest. When the females arrive, the males serenade prospective mates by throwing their heads back, pointing their beaks to the sky, and emitting a series of hoarse trills and squawks. Males with more consistent pitch were snatched up more quickly. These males were also heavier and more successful at raising chicks, the researchers found. The fat surrounding the male's voice box changes what his call sounds like and body fat appears to stabilize their calls. By listening to male courtship calls, a female can tell how fat a male is and what kind of father he'll be. Fatter males make better fathers because they have the energy reserves to endure long fasts, so are less likely to leave the nest and desert their chicks.

After choosing a mate the female lays two eggs and returns to sea, leaving the male alone to tend the egg until she returns to take the next shift. For the first two weeks penguin dads do the bulk of babysitting duty without breaking to eat. According to the research findings by relying on stored fat reserves, father penguins can lose more than 20% of their body weight over the course of the summer breeding season and as a result their calls changed too. Therefore a skinny male is unlikely to be able to pretend he's a big fat male.

The reference for this article is: Emma J. Marks, Allen G. Rodrigo, Dianne H. Brunton. Ecstatic display calls of the Adélie penguin honestly predict male condition and breeding success. Behaviour, 2010; 147 (2): 165

FOG-Kids Workshop on Survival Skills

noreply@blogger.com (Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 08:47:00 +0000

A workshop on Survival Skills for kids members of the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka was held at the Mirigama scout camp from 19th-20th of June 2010. Eleven FOG kids were accompanied by five parents along with five FOGSL staff members. This was the first trip where kids spent a night out as all other fog-kids trips were one-day trips.

The participants were told to gather at the Fort Railway Station at six ‘o’clock on the 19th morning to catch the train to Mirigama. The participants were picked up from the Mirigama station and taken to the scout camp.

Upon arriving at the camp everyone refreshed themselves with a drink of ‘thambili’. After refreshments, a brief introduction to the workshop was given and the children were divided into two groups. Each of these groups appointed a member to lead the group. After this the participants were taught how to clean the camp grounds with the use of jungle material and how to set up tents. Each group were to set up one tent each. As there were no carpets to prevent sand getting inside the tents, a smart boy collected dead Jak leaves and put them together with sticks in order to make a makeshift carpet.

By now the tired children were quite hungry and everyone tucked into rice packets bought along the way. After everyone had filled their stomachs with lunch the eager kids were briefed about the survival skills. The children were taught the importance of staying together to avoid getting lost, how to tie different types of knots, first aid and how to light a fire using a magnifying glass, using stones and using wood.

After lighting a fire, the participants had the opportunity to fry a fish over the fire. A fish which had been purchased from the town was wrapped in Jak leaves and put over the fire. While the fish was being cooked, the members learnt how to find direction with the use of a needle. A bowl was filled with water and when the needle was put into it the side with the eye of the needle turned towards the north. Most of us had never known how to find directions using just a needle and a bowl of water.

One of the most important aspects of survival is having enough water to drink. A bowl of water was filled, covered with foil and a stone placed over it. This bowl was then buried in the soil. After a few hours water droplets begin to form on the foil and this water can be used to drink.

Participants were then taught how to clean and eat raw sweet potatoes by cleaning them with a penknife.

At dinner time the one of the groups were given the task of making noodles and the other group were to make sandwiches. The parents were not allowed to help the children and all the work was done by the children themselves. It was very nice to see these young kids working as a team in order to get the job done. The prepared dinner was taken to the campfire and everyone enjoyed the dinner cooked by the children.

The next morning everyone was up early to go on an early morning walk. Common birds such as the Myna and Red-vented Bulbul were observed. The children were also taught how to find a footpath if ever they got lost in the jungle. After arriving back at camp, breakfast which had been made by the parents was eaten and the kids had a break and played card games with each other.

Soon after lunch it was time to leave and all the participating FOG kids were given a gift each.

This workshop was a great experience for the kids and the parents as well and no doubt it everyone who participated benefited from this workshop.

Reported by: Asitha Samarawickrema

Participants
Kids: Kalindu Premarathne, Minandi Wilathgamuwa, Jayath Manura, Thusith Venura, Senuja Weerasinghe, Thilina Weerasinghe, Savindu Weerasinghe, Thenusha Jayathilake, Maneesha Jayathilake, Vinuja Weerasooriya, Namesha Perera
Parents: Mrs. D.H.N. Wijeratne, Mrs. Karini Kathriarachchi, Mrs. R.D. Ranawaka Arachchi, Mrs. Chandima Weerasinghe, Mrs. Sunethra Jayathilake
fogsl Staff: Mr. Upul Wickremasinghe, Mr. Susantha De Silva, Mr. Chaminda Rathnayake, Mrs. Shamila Corea, Ms. Shyama Weerakulasuriya