Samut Saring Ceylon

Mon 2 Jun 2008

Birdwatching as nature study (and a freebie!)

When it comes to birding, Sri Lanka offers a fascinating array of species for the avid birdwatcher. Colombo, despite being crowded and a bustling city, is a favorite home and often visited by migrants (birds and birders alike - ha!). Well, you have the pesky crow for one but they are all over anyway ruthlessly pecking on garbage bags dumped on the street corner. Not a lovely sight, mind you. What we are talking about here are the ones that arouse interest and satiate your appetite for nature study like the Common Mynah which usually come in pairs, the "Seven Sisters" - low flying Yellow-Billed Babbler which come in a group of sevens with their lovely melodic songs, the Magpie Robin, the White Throated Kingfisher (they were our friendly neighbors two years ago), Pale-billed Flowerpecker (the smallest bird in the island), the Rose-ringed Parakeet (that flocked near our veranda last year), Blue-Tailed Bee-eaters, Asian Koel, Red-vented Bulbul and the Greater Coucal. No kidding, these we spotted all from our west and east facing verandas. This is nature study and we didn't have to step a foot outside the door! The birds were either flitting on the mango tree fighting it out with the scurrying chipmunks over ripe mangoes, above the rooftops of low-leveled houses (we are in the 2nd floor), perched on TV antennae, satellite dishes, or poles jutting out from houses, etc.

Many times we were lured by their calls and songs in a middle of a book or a math lesson. And so often, we would put our books and chores down, and grab our binoculars, even our cams (but seldom we were able to capture them as they fly away due to the commotion we were making!), then we would put notes on our field guides, identify and date it. At times, we search the internet to for more information.

Outside the house, we would just take a tuk-tuk, a tri-wheeler, to the city's small lakes and we find the endangered Spot-Billed Pelican, herons, terns, an occasional cormorant or darters. Right here in the city!

Hmmm, have I mentioned it already that we have wild foraging monkeys, too?

We are studying through Jeannie Fulbright's Exploring Creation with Zoology 1: Flying Creatures of the Fifth Day. It is a marvelous book. The cheapest I have found so far is from Rainbow Resource.com. My two children have just started making their own Life List of Birds they have spotted. I am making one too - for me =) This is the third book written by Ms. Fulbright that we are studying. We have finished Astronomy and Botany, both are excellent!

To take this hobby a little further, I just visited this site as I also would like to find out about birdwatching in the Philippines, my home. Check out the gallery and you will be amazed. They have a downloadable free ebooks 10 Reasons for Birdwatching AND Birding for Beginners on the right sidebar. We are looking forward to joining their activities soon.

Families who would want to start on this hobby as a way to enjoy nature study should drop by The Homeschool FREEBIE of the Day and download the ebook offered. Make sure that you click that link right away because it will be just there for a day.

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Wed 21 May 2008

Kandalama for Kids 3: Of plants and other critters.

Posted in creation, critters and crops

These are Toque Macaques which are endemic to Sri Lanka. They forage in the nearby jungle but has become friendly to guests (and have sadly become beggars). We are not supposed to give them food and my children know that. Too many guests are not aware of this especially the locals or they just intentionally ignore the signs. We took a photo of this mother and infant anticipating a big chunk of bread from one couple.

A warm welcome from furry friends. Toque Macaque - Macaca Sinica Sinica

Here is a YouTube video on the Toque Macaques of Sri Lanka.

Resident antelope.

and a Spotted Deer (Axis Axis). A common sight in the national parks.

Lichen as biomonitors of our environment. Click here to read a study on this. Fuzzy here checking out the lichen on a rock at Kandalama. He says that a bigger healthier lichen represents a healthier and cleaner air. Thanks, Fuzzy! Savor then the fresh air while we are here.

Now this cactus is not from here. Actually the same kind is now considered a pest
and has grown and spread uncontrollably in many national parks. The rangers are
working double time culling out the plant where it has grown the thickest.

Wild aubergines or brinjals... sa atin pa "talong". Solanum melongena

This is commonly known in the Philippines as Katakataka - or maybe you have a more
accurate name for it. It is known to have medicinal value. This plant can grow new plants of its leaves and is also known as an air plant. It is extraordinary.