BIRDING BANDARAWELA AND THE SURROUNDS

In the early mornings of every day I was staying at my grandfather/grandmother's place, I looked around for birds. I used to be able to spot the endemic Sri Lankan scimitar babbler very easily here, along with some other birds. Now these birds appear to be less common or more secretive in the area. Even so, I still managed to pick up this lifer early one morning, a forest wagtail.

Other birds that are fairly common/possible in the surrounding forest are great (cinereous) tits, greater coucals, scarlet minivets, spotted doves, rose-ringed parakeets, common mynas, feral pigeons, large-billed crows and black-rumped flamebacks. There is a flowering plant in the garden which purple-rumped sunbirds frequent. Finally, a pair of Sri Lankan junglefowl inhabits the forest and can usually be seen crossing the road. 

A greater coucal that was sitting in a plant next to the road

This species, the cinereous tit, was recently separated from the great tit Parus major

The female purple-rumped sunbirds in the garden are very tame, and even stayed in the garden while we were having our very noisy New Year festival!

On the first day I went on a quick walk in the tea plantations of the hills above and below the house. Previously this was a great place to see many chestnut-headed bee-eaters, but I only saw a single one. I did see red-vented bulbuls, large-billed crows, common mynas, rose-ringed parakeets, brown-headed barbets and scaly-breasted munias, as well as a single black-rumped flameback. We went on several trips to relatives, cousins and friends. At their houses I saw some of the above birds, along with white-throated kingfishers and white-vented drongos. One of my cousins lives right next to a paddyfield, where great coucals and large-billed crows have been seen in the past along with cattle egrets. All those above birds, except the coucal, were all seen this time along with my lifer white-browed fantail and an ashy prinia.

This white-browed fantail was sitting in a tree next to a path going through part of the paddyfield

And this ashy prinia was right behind the house

That is birding in Bandarawela, with a great deal missed out on.