Samut Saring Ceylon - Kandalama for Kids 2: Of nests and birds.

Wed 21 May 2008 - Kandalama for Kids 2: Of nests and birds.

On our last day at Kandalama Tank area, we started out early in the morning to meet with Mr. Piyasena, bird guide and Kandalama's resident naturalist for the day. Mr. Piyasena is a 79-year old avid bird watcher who used to be a farmer. I consider him a very competent expert in this hobby having more than 50 years of bird study up his sleeve. He came with around 5 binoculars dangling from his neck, a bird list and a ranger's hat. We brought 2 cameras, notepads and pens, hats, and our only pair of binoculars so the extra ones were a quick welcome. The air was still deliciously cool and crisp yet a sleepy humid breeze set in by mid morning. We hurried up to avoid the bearing hot sun.

Before our trip to this place, I had printed out copies of the nature scavenger hunt list on page 20 of Jeannie Fulbright's book Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. These they kept in their notepads. Oh, we actually had some good finds! In fact, we also found other creatures and plants not on the list. So here are the treasures we uncovered..

1. We found 4 kinds of nests.

This is a nest of a Red-vented Bulbul. The bird decided to build it's nest in a back of a wrought iron bench on the lobby. The staff decided to put a sign so that the guests will not disturb it. We were allowed to take a photo only after the mother went off to look for food. Below is a close up of the nest. You can see the red-flecked eggs inside.

Another nest we have found is of a Pale-billed Flower Pecker. When we found this nest, 2 chicks jumped out and hid. We were as startled as they were and enormously guilty for intruding. We hate to think that they might not return. Mr. Piyasena assured us however that they will be back once the coast is clear.

Here is a bird's nest clinging to some branches which looks like just some clump of old dry twigs and branches. We did not see the resident, the thorns and bushes were too thick for us to get near to it. Thanks for the new zoom lens!

We all agreed that the best find of the day is a big swift tail's colony. Of the 4 swift tail's colony on the area, this one is the biggest and most established. We found it under the ground floor. Since the building stands on rocky side of a mountain, part of the ground floor is supported by sturdy concrete posts. This nest clung secure on the ceiling of one of the posts.

2. Birds on the area. We saw 24 bird species! Most are so elusive we were not quick to capture on lens. But we have the bird list and identified them all.

A Black Hooded Oriole was one of the early birds to sing a welcome when we hit the bush.

This is not a clear photo of a Blue-faced Malkoha but it is there alright. If you can see the tail with white markings, then you can definitely see it. Part of the body was concealed behind the tree.

The White Rumped Shama - Mr Piyasena said we were "lucky" today. This bird is rarely seen in this vicinity. It took me awhile before i was able to take a shot... hmmm, still not good but this would do.

Here is an Indian Robin, a close relative of the Magpie Robin which is quite common in Colombo.

Same bird from a clearer angle.

Well, it wasn't easy spying and attempting to catch these magnificent creatures on camera.
So I hope this chart would do. Do you see the checks on the birds we spotted this morning? It was a delightful experience. We were so famished after, yet breakfast had to wait...actually, brunch.