Capturing birds during the non-migratory period 2009

FOGSL Bird Ringing team conducted a short bird ringing session at Bundala National Park from 25th to 28th June 2009 in collaboration of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. This session was conducted to capture birds at the non-migratory period.

Bird ringing at the non-migratory period is not exciting as at the migratory period where large number of birds and species captured. Although it is expected to have very low number of migrant birds in the area, there were fairly good number of birds which can be considered as stragglers and resident group of Kentish plovers. However, 12 bird species including four wader species were captured during the session. A common redshank which was first ringed during the ringing session in December 2008 was recaptured.

Prof. S.W. Kotagama, Mr. C.D. Kaluthota, Mr. R.A.R. Perera, Mr. Kasun Dayananda and Mr. Pradeep Suranga participated in this session. Five officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation also participated in the ringing session as trainees. FOGSL acknowledges all the participants for their difficult task in the field, Mr. W.A.A.D.U. Indrajith (Park Warden, Bundala NP) and his staff for their role to facilitate this session in the Bundala National Park.

Capturing birds at the end of migratory period 2008/09

FOGSL conducted another bird ringing session at Bundala National Park from 05th to 09th April 2009 in collaboration of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. As part of the National Bird Ringing Programme, this session was conducted to capture birds at the end of migratory season 2008/09.

Netting sessions for waders were done at the Bundala saltern. Very low numbers of birds and species were observed in and around the saltern during the period since many of the birds have already gone. Total of 92 birds were captured while Little Terns gave the highest account. A total of eight waterbird species including a five wader species were captured. Two Common redshanks which were ringed during the last ringing session in December 2008 were recaptured.
Striated heron, Indian Cormorant, Kentish Plover, Lesser Sandplover, Common Redshank, Little stint, Curlew Sandpiper and Little Tern were the captured species.

A training programme for the officers of the DWC on bird ringing and other related bird studies was conducted. A total of seven participants engaged in the programme during this session. During the training programme a series of lectures and practical components on bird ringing and other field studies were conducted. Participants from the DWC were Mr. Thissa Ariyawansa, Mr. H.A. Premasiri, Mr. H.K. Piyasena, Mr. Mishan Kariyawasam, Mr. M.R.U.D. Perera, Mr. R.J. Kumara and Mr. D.C. Mahanama. Participants from FOGSL for this ringing session were Prof. S.W. Kotagama, Mr. C.D. Kaluthota, Mr. R.A.R. Perera, Mr. Kasun Dayananda, Mr. Sameera Ariyarathna, Mr. Pradeep Suranga, and Mr. Dilshan De Silva.

FOGSL acknowledges all the participants for their difficult task in the field, Mr. W.A.A.D.U. Indrajith (Park Warden, Bundala NP) and his staff for their role to facilitate this session in the Bundala National Park.

Students of Sacred Hearts Convent enjoyed birds and environment

The Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka conducted a field workshop for the students of Nature Explorers Club of the Sacred Heart Convent, Galle. The workshop was held at Bundala National Park from 5th to 7th April 2009. Seminars and field activities were included in the workshop which was conducted by Prof. Sarath Kotagama. Mr. Indrajith, Park Warden of the Bundala National Park delivered a special lecture on the conservation of wildlife in the park.

The students were able to participate in another important event during the workshop. A bird ringing session of the National Bird Ringing Programme was held during the period at the park. It was conducted by the Field ornithology Group of Sri Lanka in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The young students learned about bird ringing and had the opportunity to handle birds under the supervision of FOGSL research team. It was a very rare and valuable experience for the students while enjoying outbound living.

Team from the Sacred Heart Convent Galle.

Ms. Christine Devota, Ms. G H A Thulari Nethmini, Ms. Chamodhi Gunathilake, Ms. W A Chathri Lalanga, Ms. Chathuri Jayalabi Edirisinghe, Ms. Chathuri Nisansala, Ms. Thilini Soysa, Ms. Geethma Gimhani, and Ms. Hemamala Dissanayake (Teacher in charge).

Photos by Uditha Wijesena

Field Study Techniques Workshop at Buttala - 2009

The annual field workshop on 'Field Study Techniques' organized by the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka was held at Buttala from 6th - 9th February 2009. A total of 15 members of FOGSL participated in the workshop. Study methods for bird counting, bird ringing and bird behaviour studies were covered in the programme. Data analysis processes relevant to above studies were also carried out. A total of 30 birds were captured by mist netting during the period. Most of the birds caught were Munias and Scaly-breasted Munias dominated the study. The Munias were measured and released. All the other birds captured were ringed by plastic color rings. The majority of this group was Red -vented Bulbuls as 11 were caught in the nets. The other birds that were ringed included Brown Shrike, Yellow-eyed Babbler, Common Kingfisher, Tickell’s Blue Flycatcher, Ashy Prinia and Plain Prinia.

Since the site at the former university premises has not been in use for more than one year now, many forest birds were observed at close range throughout the area. Calls of White-rumped Shama were heard within the premises but it was not observed. The migrant species observed included forest wagtails and Indian Pitta. The total number of birds observed was 80. Since the area was very dry and sunny the number of birds observed was limited.

On the return journey, the Sarvodaya centre at Thanamalwila was visited and around 40 birds were observed at this site. Center of the ‘eco V’ at Udawalawa was also visited and interpreters explained their activities in the area under the ‘Save the Pelicans' programme. Since it was late afternoon, no bird watching was done in this location.

List of birds recorded

Common name Scientific name

Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus
Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus
Indian Pond-heron Ardeola grayii
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Brahminy Kite Haliastur Indus
Crested Serpent-eagle Spilornis cheela
Shikra Accipiter badius
Changeable Hawk-eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus
Barred Buttonquail Turnix suscitator
Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
Rock Pigeon Columba livia
Spotted Dove Stigmatopelia chinensis
Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Orange-breasted Green-pigeon Treron bicinctus
Pompadour Green-pigeon Treron pompadora
Green Imperial-pigeon Ducula aenea
Sri Lanka Hanging-parrot Loriculus beryllinus
Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
Common Hawk-cuckoo Cuculus varius
Indian Cuckoo Cuculus micropterus
Drongo Cuckoo Surniculus lugubris
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
Blue-faced Malkoha Phaenicophaeus viridirostris
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
Asian Palm-swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
Little Swift Apus affinis
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
Blue-tailed Bee-eater Merops philippinus
Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica
Crimson-fronted Barbet Megalaima rubricapillus
Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala
Black-rumped Flameback Dinopium benghalense
Greater Flameback Chrysocolaptes lucidus
Indian Pitta Pitta brachyura
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia
Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus
Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei
Black-headed Cuckooshrike Coracina melanoptera
Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus
Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus flammeus
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus
Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus
White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens
White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola
Asian Paradise-flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi
Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii
Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis
Plain Prinia Prinia inornata
Black-crested Bulbul Pycnonotus melanicterus
Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
White-browed Bulbul Pycnonotus luteolus
Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius
Blyth's Reed-warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
Tawny-bellied Babbler Dumetia hyperythra
Dark-fronted Babbler Rhopocichla atriceps
Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus
Hill Myna Gracula religiosa
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
Oriental Magpie-robin Copsychus saularis
White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus
Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
Tickell's Blue-flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
Jerdon’s Leafbird Chloropsis jerdoni
Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile
Pale-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
Purple-rumped Sunbird Nectarinia zeylonica
Purple Sunbird Nectarinia asiatica
Long-billed Sunbird Nectarinia lotenia
White-throated Munia Lonchura malabarica
White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata

Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus

Indrika Pradeepa provided the bird list and photos.

Reported by Shamila Corea.

A Sand Martin and a White–cheeked Tern: Two vagrant species captured at Bundala National Park

During a bird ringing session carried out at the Bundala National park, a Sand Martin (Riparia riparia) and a White-cheeked Tern (Sterna repressa) were captured. Bird ringing session which was planned to capture birds at the middle of the migratory period was held at the Bundala National Park from 9th to 14th December 2008. This ringing session was conducted as a part of the National Bird Ringing Programme (NBRP) which is a collaboration programme of Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) and the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC).

Ringing session was conducted at the Bundala Salterns adjacent to the Bundala Lagoon that located within the National Park. During the netting operations in the morning of 12th December, a Sand Martin was captured on a net established to capture waders and terns. Large flock of Barn swallows was flying in the area from early morning but none was captured. It was not difficult to identify the species as a Sand Martin by its morphological characteristics. It’s prominent brown breast band, partial white collar that not going across the nape and sandy brown upperparts were helpful to distinguish it from the other similar species Pale Martin. Sand Martin is considered as a vagrant to Sri Lanka.

Large flock of around 5000 terns was roosting at the salterns during the period of ringing operations. This flock contained few species while the majority was Common Terns, crested terns and little terns. On the night of 13th December, we found a bird which was different from the other terns we captured so far, on a one of our mist nets. It was kept in a cardboard box until next day morning for the processing. Based on the morphological characters and the measurements, we decided it as a White-cheeked Tern. However, since it is considered as a vagrant and there was only one previous record from Sri Lanka we needed further confirmation on the identity. Fortunately, well-known ornithologist and Principle investigator of the NBRP, Prof. Sarath Kotagama and Mr. Rex De Silva who recorded the species from Sri Lanka (the first record), were at Bundala with the team of FOGSL members having a workshop on Waders. We arranged to examine the specimen by themselves to get further confirmation. After studying the bird and referring some books we had at the field, we all concluded that the species is the White-cheeked Tern. This is the second record of the species from Sri Lanka. FOGSL members who participated in the workshop on waders at Bundala also got the opportunity to observe the bird and photograph it.

Birds were ringed, photographed and released later. Both of these records are first specimen records of the species in Sri Lanka.

C.D. Kaluthota, Rahula Perera, Kasun Dayananda, Sameera Ariyarathna, Hasith De Silva and Dilshan De Silva of FOGSL and five officers from the DWC participated in the ringing session.

Reported by C.D. Kaluthota.

An update of the National Bird Ringing Programme - September 2008

As part of the National Bird Ringing Programme, FOGSL conducted another bird ringing session at Bundala National Park from 17th to 21st September 2008, with the collaboration of Department of Wildlife Conservation. This session was conducted to capture birds at the beginning of the migrant season 2008/09.

As in previous seasons, netting sessions for waders were conducted at the Bundala lagoon. Number of birds and species observed in and around the lagoon during the period were very high. A total of eight species of waders and a Whiskered tern were captured during the netting sessions. Total number of birds captured was 61. Highest number of recaptures under the NBRP was recorded during this session. Kentish plovers (3), Common Redshanks (2) and a curlew Sandpiper were recaptured during the session. A single Grey Plover was recaptured for the first time after commencement of the NBRP.

Following birds were captured during this session.

Common Redshank
Curlew Sandpiper
Kentish Plover
Lesser Sandplover
Grey Plover
Little Stint
Marsh Sandpiper
Broad-billed Sandpiper
Whiskered Tern

A short netting session to capture forest birds in the scrub forest around the lagoon was also conducted. A total of 12 birds belong to seven species were captured during this session. A White-browed Bulbul which was ringed in July 2007 was recaptured during the session.

Following forest birds were captured during this session.

Red-vented Bulbul
White-browed Bulbul
Oriental White-eye
Tawny-bellied Babbler
Common Tailorbird
Scaly-breasted Munia
Little Green Bee-eater

A special training session on ‘bird ringing and basic bird studies’ were also conducted for the officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation as a part of the National Bird Ringing Programme. A total of nine officers from DWC were trained during this session. Trainees from the DWC were R.S. Rathnayaka, M.D.P. Buddhika Roshan, P.A. Gunadasa, L.H.R. Kumara, K.A.D. Narada Kumarasiri, J.A.H. Melroy Jayakody, D.M.G.Y. Prabath, W.R.S. Dunuwila and L. Dulip Mendis.

Participants from FOGSL for this ringing session were C.D. Kaluthota, K. Dayananda, K.A.S. Sanjeewa, Pradeep Suranga, and Sameera Ariyarathna.

FOGSL show gratitude all the participants for their hard work in the field, and Mr. Sisira Kumara de Silva (Park Warden, Bundala NP) Uthpala Adaranga (Deputy Park Warden, Bundala NP), Chamara Munasinghe (Eco-tourism officer, Bundala NP) and the staff of the Bundala National Park for their contribution to facilitate this session.

An update of the National Bird Ringing Programme 2008

Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka (FOGSL) conducted another successful bird ringing session at Bundala National Park from 03rd to 07th June 2008 as part of the National Bird Ringing Programme, with the collaboration of Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC). This session was conducted to capture birds in the non-migrant season at the Bundala National Park.

Netting sessions for waders were done at the Bundala lagoon as in previous seasons. Very low number of birds and species were observed in and around the lagoon during the period. However, four species of waders, two other waterbird species and two wetland associate species were captured during the netting sessions. Total number of birds captured was 22, including two recaptures of Kentish Plovers. One of the Kentish Plovers recaptured was ringed in the last non-migrant period (July 2007). The other bird was ringed in the last migrant season (April 2008).

Following birds were captured during this session.

Common Redshank 6
Greater Thick-knee 1
Kentish Plover 5
Black-winged Stilt 1
Little Cormorant 1
Pied Kingfisher 4
Brahminy Kite 2
Black crowned Night heron 2

Netting operations were done to capture forest birds in the scrub forest around the Bundala lagoon. A total of 21 birds belong to nine species were captured. An Indian Robin which was ringed in July 2007, recaptured during the session. Highlight of this session was capture of the Barred button Quail.

Following forest birds were captured during this session.

Red-vented Bulbul 6
White-browed Bulbul 3
Yellow-billed Babbler 2
Common Iora 4
Barred Button Quail 1
Ashy Prinia 1
Indian Robin 1
Rufous-winged Bushlark 1
Little Green Bee-eater 2

As a part of the National Bird Ringing Programme, a training session on the bird ringing and other bird studies were conducted for the officers of the Department of Wildlife Conservation. A total of eleven officers from DWC were trained during this session. Participants from the DWC were B.S. Sumanarathne, S.A. Indunil Lasantha Jayasinghe, M. Karunarathna, D.M. Mudunkothge, P.D. Lalith Wijithananda, J.A. Piyasena, P.A. Thilakaratna and M. Wasantha Udaya Kumara from Yala National Park and G. Wijesinghe, Y.G. Naveen Rangana and P.G. Uthpala Adaranga from Bundala National Park.

Participants from FOGSL for this ringing session were Chinthaka Kaluthota, Susantha Sanjeewa, Pradeep Suranga, Chanaka Suranga and Dasun.

FOGSL acknowledge all the participants for their hard work in the field, and Mr. Sisira Kumara de Silva (Park Warden, Bundala NP) and his staff for their contribution to facilitate this session in the Bundala National Park.

Bird Ringing at Horton Plains

Horton Plains National Park is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Sri Lanka because of the misty mountains that surround it and its peculiar wildlife. It is also a popular location for bird watching especially to see highland species. More than 150 bird species are recorded from the Horton plains National Park.

Recently, the Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka conducted a training programme on Bird ringing and other bird study techniques to the staff of the Department of Wild Life Conservation on a request made by Mr. Y.G.B. Karunarathna, Park Warden of the Horton Plains National park. Twenty one officers from the Central region participated in this programme. The workshop was held from 29th to 31st May 2008.

The programme was conducted in a participatory manner and included series of lectures, discussions, field practicals and many other activities.

A total of 23 birds represented by seven species were captured during this period. This included four endemic species, namely Sri Lanka Bush Warbler, Sri Lanka White-eye, Sri Lanka Dull Blue Flycatcher and Sri Lanka Yellow –eared Bulbul. Other captured species were Common Tailorbird, Dark fronted Babbler and Eurasian Blackbird.

Chinthaka Kaluthota and Sandun Perera conducted the workshop while Kasun Dayananda, Sarath Sanjeewa and Dayani Rathnayaka assisted them throughout the period.

FOGSL wishes acknowledge Mr. Y.G.B. Karunarathna (Park Warden, Horton Plains NP) for organizing the workshop and providing all the necessary facilities for the participants. Mr. Pathirana and Mr. Dayarathna (Horton Plains NP) helped in many ways to conduct the workshop smoothly. FOGSL also wishes to extend its sincere gratitude to the supporting staff of the park for their active support during the period.

Participants: V.K.G. Nilaweera, B.V.R.I.G. Bandara, Indika De Silva, Sarath Chandrasiri, R.G.R.S. Ranathunga, D.M.S.K. Dissanayake, H.R.D.S. Senanayake, E. Gunadasa, P.G. Chandrapala, Chamath Lakshman, Manoj Vidyaratne, T.P. Dayaratna, W.S. Wijerathna, Chaminda Prasad, Laxman Ranaweera, G.M.T.I. Galapatha, I.G.S. Gunerathne, M.K. Kodithuwakku, C.M. Abeyrathna Banda, H.P. Jayathilak

Photos by Kasun Dayananda.