A VISIT TO THALANGAMA TANK

SORRY ABOUT THE DELAY IN POSTS, BUT I WAS BUSY. HERE IS A POST ON THIS YEAR'S SRI LANKA TRIP- WHEN WE VISITED THALANGAMA TANK, ONE OF MY FAVOURITE PLACES IN COLOMBO

It was about in the late morning when we got to the tank. At the paddyfield in front we saw a few egrets and ibises, but nothing much. Then we drove over to the back of the tank and me and dad walked to the front.

In the tank were millions of lesser whistling ducks, a few egrets, purple swamphens and red-wattled lapwings. Out of these birds, I enjoyed the brilliantly-coloured purple swamphens most as they fed on the grasses all around them. In the trees were scaly-breasted munias and black-hooded orioles. Just then, a big shape leapt across the road. I knew it was a purple-faced leaf monkey and hastily started taking photos of it.

Purple swamphen and the head of a lesser whistling duck

Purple-faced leaf monkey

As we continued walking we observed much of the same until we got to the water lilies. Then we managed to see some pheasant-tailed jacanas and an Indian pond heron.

Can you spot the jacanas? They are both in non-breeding plumage.

Compared to our earlier visit last year, this showed up less birds, so it would be better to visit in the early morning.