World Migratory Bird Day - 11-12 May 2013

"Networking for Migratory Birds"

 
For more information visit www.worldmigratorybirdday.org

Siyoth- latest issue

Latest issue of the “Siyoth- the journal of Field Ornithology Group of Sri Lanka” is out. It contains many articles related to Sri Lankan birds, trip reports, photo essays and observations. This 64 page magazine with plentiful color photographs of Sri Lankan birds is a must-read for Sri Lankan nature lovers.

Here are some of the articles published in the latest issue.

·         Return of the Comb duck to Sri Lanka
·         First sight record of the European Roller from Sri Lanka
·         Second sight record of Yellow-rumped Flycatcher from Sri Lanka
·         A possible mass-migration of sea birds, sharks and whales during the summer monsoon
·         Birds on the brink of extinction: Global and the sri Lankan scenarios
·         Rehabilitation and reintroduction of injured birds to the wild
·         A descriptive ethogram for the behaviour of black robin
·         Differential ‘crack’ calls in Sri Lanka Magpie

Contact FOGSL office to order your copy.

Birds of Paradise

Birds of Paradise is one of the most fascinating groups of passerine birds in the world. Birds in this group are especially famous for their elaborate, most extravagant plumage patterns. Altogether there are 39 species, living in New Guinea and associated Islands, and also in Australia. Naturalists had been fascinated by these birds for centuries. However, scientists knew very little about them until recently.

To fill the vacuum of knowledge, Cornell Lab of Ornithology lead a long term research project, with National Geographic Society and many other organisations. The results of the project are now accessible at a new website. This web site contains breathtaking videos and photos of all 39 species. 

Birds of Wilpattu National Park

Download the checklist.

The Migrant Watch

The Big Year

A must watch film for birders. It is about three birders who are competing each other to record most number of birds in a calender year.

The Big Year Trailer

Visit the official web site of the film here.

The film is based on the book named "The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature and Fowl Obsession" by Mark Obmascik.

Brahminy kites, tortoises and Bearded vultures

Have you ever seen a Brahminy Kite feeding on a tortoise? And it drops the tortoise from the sky on a rock to break the shell, as a Bearded Vulture plays with a huge bone?

I never seen or heard such incident, or any report on such behaviour by Brahminy kites. Anyway, I came across an account that describes how Brahminy kites feed on tortoises. It was from an old book written by Sir Edward Robert Sullivan, published in 1854 by Richard Bentley in London. “The Bungalow and Tent or A visit to Ceylon” is an account on his travels in Sri Lanka. Edward Sullivan was not considered as an ornithologist, but a great traveller. Most of his publications were on his travels, especially to American continents.

“There were a great quantity of tortoises or land turtle in the bed, and on the banks of the river where we camped, and the coolies brought them to us in numbers: one species is good to eat, and our respected old friend made some very tolerable soup from them. There were also a great many Brahminy or red kite, a Swamy bird that is worshipped and never destroyed by the natives. This kite is a great enemy of the tortoise; they cannot break the shell of the latter with their beaks, but they carry them up in their claws to a great height, and then dash them on some stone or rock. …..”

It is not certain that he observed this behaviour by himself, or penned it based on an account he heard from someone else. Or did he adopt behaviour of much familiar bird Bearded vulture? Or did he make a mistake when he saw a bird accidentally drop something on the wings, and later fed on a dead tortoise? There was no reference to such feeding behaviour of this bird by any of the later naturalists such as Captain Vincent Legge, who extensively observed avifauna of the island. At least I couldn’t find such account.

It is hard to believe that ancient Sri Lankans worshipped this bird as he described. Hindu devotees in India consider the Brahminy Kite as a sacred bird. They identify it as “Garuda”, the vehicle of God Vishnu. Sullivan admits that majority of natives in Sri Lanka were Buddhists at the period. He describes the Brahminy Kite as a great destroyer of serpents. However, he says that natives believe the bird does not feed on Cobra, as it is a sacred animal that helped Lord Buddha in many occasions.

Brahminy Kite (Haliastur indus) is a common bird species found in the Indian subcontitent, and also found in South-East Asia and Australia. Its distinctive coloration, White head and Chestnut brown body resulted its name, as it resembles the robes of Brahmins. Brahminy Kite is commonly found around large water bodies, mainly due to its feeding habits. It is considered as a scavenging bird and mostly depends on dead fish and some invertebrates. It is also capable of catching live animals including fish and small mammals.

Bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) who feed on bone marrow, break open large carcass bones by lifting them into the air and dropping them into rocks. This video shows how this bird breaks the hard bones.

Download the book “The Bungalow and Tent” here.

Why we should protect Old, Large, Living Trees?

A group of researchers from University of British Columbia (UBC) emphasizes the importance of protecting old trees to save the homes of more than 1,000 different bird and mammal species. Most animals are unable to carve out their own tree holes and therefore rely on holes already formed. The study found that most animals nest in tree holes formed by damage and decay, a process that can take several centuries.

In forests, tree holes are created either quickly by woodpeckers or more slowly as trees age and begin to decay. Birds like owls, songbirds and parrots, and mammals like flying squirrels and opossums, make homes in the holes of trees because they offer safe environments for sleeping, reproduction and raising young. Insects, snakes and amphibians will also make use of tree cavities.

Kathy Martin, a professor in the Faculty of Forestry at UBC and her research team found that on most continents - South America, Europe, Asia and Australia - more than 75 % of the holes used by birds and mammals were created by damage and decay.

"When wildlife depends on decay-formed cavities, they are relying on large living trees. Most trees have to be more than 100 years old before decay cavities begin to form and often several centuries old before large cavities or many cavities develop in one tree."

"Most forest policies help protect younger trees but promote the harvest of older, larger, living trees - the very trees needed by cavity-nesting animals," says Martin.

“The value of these large living trees needs to be recognized and we need to ensure that a supply of these trees is retained especially in tropical forest systems where decay-formed tree holes last for many years and support a lot of wildlife”.

Read the full story at “Science Daily”

Access the research article here

Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre: Promoting Conservation through Education and Restoration

Affectionately known as "KK", bustling Kota Kinabalu is the capital of Sabah and the hub of tourism in Malaysian Borneo.  Visitors from around the world use KK as the center point for visiting variety of attractions Sabah has to offer including biologically rich islands, and national parks. Situated just two kilometers from  the  main city, the Kota Kinabalu Wetland Centre (KKWC) covers 24 hectares of mangrove forest that once existed extensively along the coastal region of Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The center is used primarily as a model wetland for the purpose of conservation, education, recreation and research. KKWC is managed by a local NGO, “Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society” (SWCS), which advocates environmental conservation and awareness on wetland ecosystems found in Sabah as well as in the other parts of Malaysia.

I got the opportunity to visit KKWC as a participant to the recently held Asian Wetland Symposium. The 45-minute or 1.5 km early morning stroll on the boardwalk was a very pleasant experience where you can enjoy fresh air and tranquility, while spotting multitude of interesting birds including the collared kingfisher, which is not recorded from Sri Lanka. The Centre is an important refuge and feeding ground for many species of resident birds, as well as several migratory bird species. The total of bird species observed at KKWC so far is around 83 species from 31 families.  The highest abundance of bird groups recorded are residents such as egrets, herons, storks and bitterns, which are usually easy to be spotted as they fly over the mangroves or while feeding in the exposed mud flats.

The mangroves serve as a green lung for the city and its location is strategic for environmental education, urban recreation and eco tourism. Further, as a natural flood retention area, KKWC plays a major role for the city of Kota Kinabalu, preventing possible downstream flooding, removing toxicants and recycling nutrients. It is also a nursery ground for many ocean fish species. A water quality monitoring program presently being conducted and the information collected allows scientists of “Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society” (SWCS) to strategize with the appropriate mitigation measures to combat water pollution. Because of its close proximity to the city, the wetland is subjected to development pressure. Other processes affecting the quality of water at KKWC include domestic wastewater and seawater intrusion.

Previously known as Likas Mangroves, the area was first designated a bird sanctuary by the Sabah state government in September 1996 in order to foster a better understanding and awareness on the value of wetlands. Under the directive of the then Chief Minister of Sabah, “Likas Wetlands Sanctuary Managing Committee” (LWSMC), an innovative and unique public-private-NGO- community partnership, was established during the same year. The principle purpose of LWSMC was to oversee and coordinate development, planning and management of the Bird Sanctuary. This committee was made up of 16 component members including government agencies, private organizations, community groups and local NGOs, each separately constituted and registered.

With the formation of Sabah Wetlands Conservation Society in August 22, 2005, LWSMC was officially dissolved to make way for SWCS to manage KKCS.  This society is governed by a Management Committee and a Board of Trustees as regulated in its constitution. With KKWC as the successful model SWCS plan to embark on restoration of degraded mangrove sites throughout Sabah in collaboration with forward thinking private sector organizations such as HSBC. Further SWCS together with State run Sabah Biodiversity center are currently working towards obtaining Ramsar designation of KKWC as a wetland of International importance.

In Sri Lanka we have few mangrove areas promoting education and restoration activities such as the Kadol Kelle at Negambo lagoon run by NARA and the Mangrove Resource Center run by the Small Fishers’ Federation at Pambala.  Recently Forest Department too has taken an interest and has established a center at Pubudugama in the vicinity of Puttalam estuary.  Only by joining hands with public and private entities we can take these initiatives forward in a more positive manner.

Visit SWCS web site here

Report and photos: Nishanthi Perera

[Nishanthi is currently doing her PhD at University of Colombo on “Policies on marine and coastal protected areas in Sri Lanka”. She presented a paper titled “Policy decisions and their consequences: The Bundala wetland case study, Sri Lanka” at the Asian Wetland Symposium 2011.]

A Journey to the Land of many lakes

The first weekend of April was a time when the country was griped in cricket fever with the Sri Lankan team qualifying to play the grand final on the 2nd. Yet few of us opted to go “wild” during that weekend and spent two halcyon days roaming in the Wilpattu National Park, which can be literally called as the land of many lakes or villus. The main topographical feature of this park is the presence of large number of flat basin like depressions that are filled with rain water.

Wilpattu is one of the oldest and the largest “modern day” protected area in the country. Its origin can be traced back to 1905, a time when big game animals were being indiscriminately hunted by the “sportsman” of that era. As a mitigation measure, two Game Sanctuaries (Yala in 1900 and Wilpattu five years later) where shooting of wildlife was strictly prohibited were established under the provisions of the Forest Ordinance No.10 of 1885. Steps were also taken to demarcate and reserve “surrounds” to each of these two sanctuaries as “Resident Sportsmen Reserves”.In these areas shooting game animals were permitted under a license during the open season, which lasted for about four months. Government Agents of the area were in charge of protecting these reserves. With the passing of the Fauna and Flora Protection Ordinance in 1937, the Wilpattu Game Reserve became a National Park in 1938.

Presently the park spans for 131, 693 ha spreading in to Puttalam, and Anuradhapura Districts and also include a coastal stretch extending for nearly 50 km. As stated in the administrative report of the 1967-68, admittedly Wilpattu does not show up its animals as easily as Yala National Park, but it has its compensations. Its proximity to Colombo, the varied landscape so full of the right jungle atmosphere, its chain of picturesque villus and its abundant bird life are sufficient to draw more and more visitors. Surveys undertaken in early 1950s revealed that the number of bears and leopard were much higher at Wilpattu than Yala National Park. Leopards were the pride of the park, not so much numerically, but because so often met with by day. In this respect the leopards of Wilpattu were unique, as nowhere else in the world were there such excellent opportunities of viewing leopards, not even in Africa. Presently the situation has revered somewhat, with Yala now becoming the hotspot for leopard viewing while at Wilpattu the number of daytime observations has become less. Although we observed many leopard tracks during our many rounds in the park we didn’t spot the king of our jungle, which was a huge disappointment. Later when I talked to a friend, he told me that they observed five leopards including two cubs during the previous week, indicating that you need luck as well as patience to see them.

Our disappointment was compensated somewhat with a sudden encounter with a five member elephant family at a waterhole near to Talawila bungalow, our home for the weekend. They simply vanished into the gloomy jungle as our vehicle approached. Large resident herds of elephants are rare in the park, but smaller herds have been recorded in the borders of rivers and abandoned tank areas. On both days we also came upon a lonely old bull elephant feeding in the same villu at dusk and dawn.

We managed to observe around 83 species of birds that included several migrants such as the Eurasian Golden Plover. The endemic Sri Lanka Jungle fowl was plentiful while White-rumped Shamas were observed in several occasions. The Shama is a highly territorial bird and the voice of this species is rich and melodious with wide-ranging songs and notes. They are known to imitate the calls of other birds. Our guide’s sharp eyes managed to spot a nesting Indian nightjar which was well camouflaged amongst the sandy vegetation. The jeeps engine disturbed the nightjar exposing two vulnerable eggs to the hot sun. There was no specific nest, but the eggs were just laid on the sandy terrain. As soon as we left, the bird returned to its eggs. The multi-coloured Chestnut Bee-eaters were found basking on the hot sand while species such as Eurasian thick knee, and water associated birds such as Pond herons, Egrets, Little Cormorants and Lesser whistling ducks were very common. Raptors including Brahminy kite, Crested Serpent eagle, Changeable-hawk eagle and White-bellied sea eagle were also encountered in the Park.

The park and its surroundings are also associated with much legend and history. The remnants of the early history of the country, starting from King Vijaya who landed in the Kudrimalai point, and the palace that is believed to be of Kuveni the jungle princess is still in existence. Pomparippu is an archaeological site where sealed urns containing human remains that are dated to pre-Vijayan times have been found. Wilpattu is also a place where new legends are made. For example, an unfortunate incident of an unlawful killing of a sambur by a visiting Nepalese king Mahendra , lead to the total ban in game hunting in early 1960s.

Wilpattu was out of bounds for tourist for more than two decades due to civil war and several unfortunate incidents including the killing of park officials occurred as a result. The park was officially opened to public in late 2009. Few years back, the major threats to the survival of the Park were poaching and droughts that lasted for months and killed many animals. Yet presently haphazard development initiatives have bypassed the previous threats. Two roads are being developed dissecting the protected area and restricting the home ranges of the wildlife, while the incidences of road kills is now mounting up. Even a helipad has been built, but not to rescue the injured wildlife. Sand mining is recorded from the rivers, which in turn will affect the mangrove development and fishery of the Puttalam estuary in the near future. Further land grabbing by affluent people is also being reported. Concerned Environmental activists have filed a case against these illegal activities and are waiting in anticipation for a justifiable court ruling.

In conclusion, it could be said that the Wilpattu National Park should be protected not only because of its multitude of ecosystems that renders services to the survival of humans and animals, or not because of its rich biological and archeological heritage which will provide us with revenue in the form of tourism, but also because our great grand- children need to see the leopard and the elephant which were born to roam free!

Many thanks to Ayanthi , and other team members Madu, Cheryl, Carl, Thushara and our Guide Bandula.

Report and Photos: Nishanthi Perera

Caterpillars outsmart birds

Yes, they are smart enough to beat birds. Caterpillars that masquerade as twigs to avoid becoming a bird's dinner are actually using clever behavioural strategies to outwit their predators, a new study reveals.

Dr. John Skelhorn, a lecturer in animal behaviour at the University of Exeter, said: "The caterpillars are not just blindly mimicking inedible objects in the environment and hoping for the best, they are actually using complex habitat-selection strategies which exploit predators' hunting behaviour. According to the study, twig mimicking ‘Early Thorn moth’ caterpillars (Selenia dentaria) choose their location to maximise their chances of fooling their predators into thinking they are twigs.

Using domestic chicks (gallus gallus domesticus) as predators of the caterpillars, research showed that caterpillars are more likely to fool birds when twigs are common. In order to exploit birds' behaviour, caterpillars position themselves in locations where twigs are in abundance during the day -- even if they're not good locations for feeding. At night, when the predators cannot hunt by sight, the caterpillars go to rich feeding grounds -- regardless of twig abundance.

Study reveals that chicks are less likely to search for masquerading prey when the object they mimic, in this case twigs, is in abundance.

"The caterpillars make the most of this by selecting habitats where twigs are common during the day, but then abandon them at night, when there are no visually-hunting predators around, in order to go in search of the best feeding grounds."

When the caterpillars were given two options; one with few twigs but plenty of food, and another with more twigs but no food, Caterpillars showed a strong preference for the branch with lots of twigs, offering the best protection from their predators, during the daylight. At night, they opted for the food-rich branch.

Links

Caterpillars aren’t so bird brained after all

John Skelhorn, Hannah M. Rowland, Jon Delf, Michael P. Speed, Graeme D. Ruxton. Density-dependent predation influences the evolution and behavior of masquerading prey. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2011; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1014629108

Wader Study Field Workshop, Bundala 2010

The annual wetland and wader field workshop of FOGSL was held at Bundala National Park and its surroundings between 17th and 20th of December 2010. The workshop was conducted by Professor Sarath Kotagama with the participation of 18 members.

The Bundala National Park covers an area of 3,698 hectares and is located in the South-eastern Arid Zone of Sri Lanka. The park consists of thorny scrub jungle and three lagoons; Malala, Embilikala and Bundala, which form a wetland complex providing habitats for around 200 species of birds, including 50 % of Sri Lanka’s migrants. The wetlands are situated in the southern-most end point of the central Asian migratory bird flyway. This led to the declaration of Bundala as Sri Lanka’s first Ramsar wetland of international importance in 1990. Further, these wetlands are also identified as an Important Bird area as well as a UNESCO Man and Biosphere site, indicating its importance for maintaining globally significant biological diversity!

The FOGSL group left the Colombo University about thee in the afternoon and reached the Heritage Centre, Bundala around nine at night. We set up our camp and had a quick introductory session to discuss the schedule for the next three days. Our nights sleep was disturbed during the wee hours of the morning as some of us got drenched from the heavy rains that pounded on the leaky roof!! After tying a tarpaulin over the mosquito nets we went back to sleep to be awaken by the calls of Indian Peafowls around 5 am!

After a quick cup of tea we went out to do an early morning birding walk around the camp. A rainbow could be seen in the still cloudy sky indicating that the sun will quickly follow. Our first stop was at a small lake and in there we encountered birds such as Black-winged Stilt, Gull-billed Tern and Eurasian Thick-knee. The scrub forest was filled with Pied Cuckoos, Plaintive Cuckoos, Blue tailed Bee-eaters and many species of Prinias.

After breakfast it was time for lectures about wetlands, identification of waders and how to conduct a wader survey. These lectures were very interesting and we found out why Bundala had lost its migratory flocks of Flamingos which numbered up to nearly 3,000 individuals in the 1990s. The development of many irrigation schemes in the upland areas had caused the brackish water of the lagoons to turn into freshwater. Since Flamingos feed in only brackish water Bundala wetlands is now deprived of the magnificent sight of thousands of Flamingos wading through the lagoons in search of prey.

After lunch, we rested for about two hours, which made up for the sleep we lost during the previous night. With a nice cup of tea to refresh us, we made our way to the Weligatta Junction with the intension of counting waders. A large gathering of Black-talied Godwits and Openbills as well as multitude of other waders was enjoying their supper at this corner of the Embilikala lagoon. But a sudden downpour had us back in the bus for about half an hour and then very carefully we made our way back to the wader gathering to get a closer look. On the way back to camp we were treated by a sighting of a majestic Elephant which had a satellite collar attached to its neck. During the night, we took our bird count of the day and discussed many threats faced by the Bundala wetlands including the rapid spread of invasive plant species such as Opuntia (Cactus) and Prosopis juliflora (Mesquite or Kalapu Andara in Sinhala), which in turn have reduced the open feeding areas of the waders.

We awoke to quite a chilly morning on the 19th, but after a hot cup of coffee, the group took the same birding route as the previous morning. Few of us managed to wade through the muddy waters to find new birding spots. This proved to be rewarding as we reached a small lake which was full of waders such as Greenshanks, Redshanks, Black winged Stilts and many Plovers.

The most exciting part of that day was the visit to the Bundala saltern. It turned out to be a wader paradise and we were able to observe Grey, Little- Ringed, Pacific Golden and Lesser Sand Plovers and also Marsh, Common and Curlew Sandpipers and Turnstones as well nine Eurasian Curlews. A group of Pratincoles were also recorded from the banks. The use of a spotting –scope is highly vital for identifying these “little brown jobs”.

After lunch we listen to a lecture on wetland conservation and afterwards we were off to Debora Wewa located few kilometres away from our camp. This was a beautiful location as there was a stretch of paddyfields on one side of the path and the wewa on the other. A few of us were very fortunate to spot a Cinnamon Bittern which flew into a paddy field and quickly hid itself among the paddy. The Tank was home to waterfowl such as the Purple Swamphen, Common Moorhen, Lesser Whistling Duck, Pelicans and Egrets. We were also treated to a very beautiful sunset and we watched in awe as the sun bid good bye for the day.

The next morning the members divided into two groups and went in opposite directions behind the camp in order to spot some new birds. Our group took an adventurous route which nearly agitated a herd of buffaloes, which were wallowing peacefully in a small pool enjoying the early morning sun on their backs. Thankfully they did not attack us although they remained in a defence posture until we disappeared from their sight. At a small water hole we watched the antics of a Pied Kingfisher who was successful in catching several fish. But at one point a Gull-billed Tern tried to steal the fish from it, and this resulted in both birds loosing the tasty meal. We were extremely lucky to observe 26 Great Thick-knees at a close range and a Yellow-wattled Lapwing as well as a large gathering of Barn swallows. The colourful Common Kingfishers were also a common sight in this area.

After a good breakfast of kiribath we packed up our belongings in order to return to Colombo and left behind Prof. Kotagama and Indika who stayed back for another wetland workshop organized for a group of university students. On our way we made a quick stop at the new port being built in Hambantota. It was disturbing to learn that the Karagan Lewaya had been converted into the construction site limiting the wader habitats as well as the nesting sites of marine turtles! One wonders if this can be called “sustainable development” as the lives of many species are being sacrificed to satisfy the development of one species; humans!!. This left us with a thought to ponder about on our way back to Colombo after what had been a very interesting trip. Our hope and wish is that the concerned authorities will take relevant measures to mitigate the threats that could harm the survival of the internationally important Bundala wetlands!

Participants: Mr. R.K. Jayarajah, Mr. Asitha Samarawickrama, Miss. Uraji Karunaratne, Mr. Saman Abesinha, Mr. B.J. Subasinhe, Miss. Kalya Subasinhe, Mr. Sivakumar Selvaraj, Ms. Sujatha Mayadunnage, Mr. Galinga Herath, Mr. M.M. Casseer, Mrs. Sriyani Perera, Ms. Nishanthi Perera, Mrs. Shamila Perera, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Mr. Praveea, Ms. Namalee Kotagama, Mr. Odatha Kotagama, Mr. Indrika Pradeepa, Prof. S.W. Kotagama

Reported by Asitha Samarawickrama and Nishanthi Perera

Photos: Nishanthi Perera

(Group photo by Indrika Pradeepa)

Birds List (Bundala and Debora Wewa)

Sri Lanka Junglefowl

Indian Peafowl

Garganey

Little Grebe

Painted Stork

Asian Openbill

Black-headed Ibis

Eurasian Spoonbill

Cinnamon Bittern

Black Bittern

Black-crowned Night-heron

Indian Pond-heron

Cattle Egret

Grey Heron

Purple Heron

Great Egret

Intermediate Egret

Little Egret

Spot-billed Pelican

Little Cormorant

Indian Cormorant

Oriental Darter

Brahminy Kite

White-bellied Sea-eagle

Crested Serpent-eagle

Shikra

White-breasted Waterhen

Purple Swamphen

Common Moorhen

Eurasian Thick-knee

Great Thick-knee

Black-winged Stilt

Yellow-wattled Lapwing

Red-wattled Lapwing

Pacific Golden Plover

Grey Plover

Common Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Pheasant-tailed Jacana

Black-tailed Godwit

Eurasian Curlew

Common Redshank

Marsh Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Wood Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Little Stint

Curlew Sandpiper

Small Pratincole

Gull-billed Tern

Common Tern

Little Tern

Whiskered Tern

Rock Pigeon

Spotted Dove

Emerald Dove

Orange-breasted Green-pigeon

Pompadour Green-pigeon

Green Imperial-pigeon
Rose-ringed Parakeet

Pied Cuckoo

Grey-bellied Cuckoo

Asian Koel

Blue-faced Malkoha

Greater Coucal

Collared Scops-owl

Jerdon's Nightjar

Asian Palm-swift

Little Swift

Crested Treeswift

Indian Roller

White-throated Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Little Green Bee-eater

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

Chestnut-headed Bee-eater

Brown-headed Barbet

Brown-capped Woodpecker

Greater Flameback

Indian Pitta

Ashy Woodswallow

Common Iora

Common Woodshrike

Black-headed Cuckooshrike

Brown Shrike

Black-hooded Oriole

Asian Paradise-flycatcher

House Crow

Jungle Crow

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow

Jerdon's Bushlark

Oriental Skylark

Ashy-crowned Sparrow-lark

Zitting Cisticola

Grey-breasted Prinia

Jungle Prinia

Ashy Prinia

Plain Prinia

Red-vented Bulbul

White-browed Bulbul

Common Tailorbird

Clamorous Reed-warbler

Sri Lanka Brown-capped Babbler

Yellow-billed Babbler

Common Myna

Oriental Magpie-robin

Indian Robin

Purple-rumped Sunbird

Purple Sunbird

Long-billed Sunbird

House Sparrow

White-rumped Munia

Scaly-breasted Munia

Tricoloured Munia

Yellow Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Paddyfield Pipit

How we watched birds during the non-migratory period 2010

Enthusiastic bird watchers of ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ community, do not abandon the habit of birding even during the non-migratory period. Since, Sri Lanka facilitate a rich diversity of avifauna, hobby of birding never becomes boring. ‘Sri Lanka Birds’, the community centered database on birds, shows how our bird watchers recorded their observations during the period. Following results are based on the data downloaded on 18th October 2010 for the period from April to September this year.

A total of 59 people who are keen on birds joined with ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ community. FOGSL warmly welcomes our new members and invites them to enjoy the world of birding while contributing to the conservation process of Sri Lankan birds.

Observations (from 1st April to 30th September)
Number of visits (347)
Total Number of Observations (7357)
Number of Species (221)
Number of Endemic Species (21)
Number of Proposed endemic Species (7)
Number of migrant species (32)

Records of Black-necked Stork, Blue-eared Kingfisher and Spot-billed duck are noteworthy observations done during the period. A total of 32 migratory species were recorded, mainly during April and September, which are the endpoints of the season.

Number of nesting observations recorded during the said period was 87. Altogether 44 species were recorded as nesting during the six month interval.


Mostly recorded species (No: of observations)
House Crow (271)
Red-vented Bulbul (253)
Common Myna (248)
White-throated Kingfisher (247)
Spotted Dove (227)

Top five users (No: of observations)
Newton Jayawardane (3843)
Nadika Hapuarachchi (1054)
Amila Sumanapala (791)
Rahula Perera (537)
Chandanie Wanigatunge (496)

Number of locations visited during the period was 107. It covers wide variety of habitats and geographic regions of the island. Most importantly, many visits were from the North and Eastern provinces, which were previously inaccessible to birdwatchers. Thanks to member Newton Jayawardane’s untiring effort to monitor birds in his hometown, the highest number of observations was recorded at Ragama (2744).

Every birdwatcher in the tropical areas is anticipating the migratory season. So it is already started. Time to go out and record birds as much as possible. And while enjoying the world of birds, you can contribute to the conservation of Sri Lankan birds by submitting your data, to the ‘Sri Lanka Birds’ database.

To see current statistics on the number of field visits, number of observations and bird species, as well as the number of users registered in the system, visit the login page of ‘Sri Lanka Birds’.

State of the World’s Waterbirds: trouble in Asia, recovering in ‘the West’

The rate of decline of waterbird populations has slightly declined over the last three decades. However, 47% of the waterbird populations are still declining and only 16% are increasing. The status of waterbirds improves mainly in North America and Europe, while it is the worse in Asia. Especially long distance migrants appear to be vulnerable.

These are the key findings of the State of the World’s Waterbirds 2010 launched by Wetlands International on 21^st October at the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity in Nagoya, Japan. This publication analyses the changes in the status of waterbird populations between 1976 and 2005 using the data collected for the four editions of Waterbird Population Estimates published by the organisation since 1994.

Dependent on economical activity and conservation measures the status of waterbird populations is improving in regions where strong conservation legislation is implemented, such as North America and Europe. However, the rate of decline of waterbird populations is increasing in all other regions without such instruments. The situation is especially alarming in Asia where 62% of waterbird populations are decreasing or even extinct. The combination of a rapid economical growth and weak conservation efforts appears to be lethal. Waterbird populations are exposed to a wide range of threats such as the loss and degradation of marshes and lakes, water regulation, agricultural intensification, hunting and climate change.

Download the Book here (5.9MB).

The early birdwatchers: A talk by Tim Birkhead

Birds, a perennial human fascination, entertained medieval homes long before science took them for serious study. "Wisdom of Birds" author Tim Birkhead tours some intriguing birdwatcher lore (dug up in old field journals) -- and talks about the role it plays in ornithology today.

FOGSL Annual Workshop on the Bird Flocks of Sinharaja

Mixed species feeding flocks of birds are one of the major highlights of the Sinharaja National Heritage Wilderness Area (SNHWA) as they provide sound to otherwise silent forest and also because most of the birds that one desires to see are found in them. So far 59 bird species (out of 144 found in SNHWA), including 19 endemics have been recorded to form flocks. The two most frequent species observed in these flocks are the Orange-billed Babbler and the Greater-crested Drongo.

Each year FOGSL organizes a field workshop for its members at SNHWA with the objective of providing an opportunity to understand the function and structure of mixed species feeding flocks. This year’s workshop was held from 10-12th September 2010.

We left the University of Colombo on the 9th around seven at night and reached Kudawa at 11.15pm. Thankfully Martin was waiting with his pickup for the luggage, and few of us also managed to get a lift to his lodge where we were stationed for the next three days. Wake up call on the 10th was at 5.30 am and by then the colourful Sri Lanka Magpies were already making noises from nearby trees. We took an early morning short walk to stretch our legs and after a good breakfast entered the protective zone of the forest for serious bird watching. Thirty three bird species were recorded during that day and several bird flock formations were also observed. Species such as Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Sri Lanka White-faced Starling, Black-naped Monarch, Indian Scimitar Babbler, Malabar Trogon together with the Orange-billed Babbler and the Great Crested Drongo were some of the common species observed in association with these flocks. The highlight of the day was observing a Besra that was perched on a tree stalk. After dinner Martin gave a talk on the history of Sinharaja. He was born in a nearby village and in 1958 moved to his present home, which borders the forest and since then has been involved in activities going within the forest. He spoke about the Government’s selective logging initiatives in the early 1970s and thereafter how the forest became a strictly protected in the late 1980s. Further he mentioned about his observations on the receding water levels of the surrounding streams during the past few decades.

Next day we had a very close encounter with two Sri Lanka Magpies, who came and perched on the wooden beams of the dining hall of the lodge. During our morning walk, the adventurous and young at heart decided to climb Mulawella while the rest opted to go in search for day roosting sites of owls. The scenery form the top of Mulawella was worth the strenuous climb, while on the journey various amphibians, lizards, butterflies and fish were observed. We encountered a large bird flock on the way down. Back on the road, we had an interesting observation where a Spot-winged thrush was attacking a Sri Lanka Magpie. The owl searches were very lucky and had close sighting of the Serendib Scops-Owl and the Chestnut-backed Owlet, both endemic to Sri Lanka. Later, we listen to an interesting lecturer given by Prof. Kotagama on Bird Flocks of Sinharaja as well as the milestone happening towards conserving the forest.

At the very start of day three, a Grey Hornbill was observed near to the lodge and during our walk to the research station several bird flocks were encountered, and tagging behind one flock were two giant squirrels. On our way back, we had a rare opportunity of seeing an Oak Leaf butterfly that repeatedly closed and opened its wings to show us its splendor. After the lunch we returned to Colombo with lots of good memories of birds and other animals as well as shared laughter!


Sinharaja is Sri Lanka’s last large viable area of the virgin primary tropical rainforest which used to cover most of the island in the long gone past. 64% of its trees are endemic and many of them are rare. The reserve is also home to 23% of Sri Lanka’s endemic animals, including 85% of the country’s endemic birds and over 50% of its endemic mammals, reptiles and butterflies.


Participants
Mr. Dinu Ranasinha, Mr. Tharindu Gunaratne, Mr. Asitha Samarawickrama, Ms. Sulakmi Weragama, Ms. Lakshini Bambaradeniya, Mr. Rohan Kaththiriarachchi, Ms. Komila Stanislaus, Mr. Shivarumar Selvaraj, Ms. Devika Gunawardena, Mr. Nilantha Megasuriya, Mr. P.D.R.C. Karunanayake, Mr. Sethiya N. Perera, Mr. Helaranga P. Perera, Mr. K.K.D.L. Ruvinka, Mr. G.D. Illeperuma, Mr. S.K.K. Suraweera, Mr. Ranathunga Chathuranga, Ms. Amaley Munasinghe, Ms. Nishanthi Perera, Mr. D.S. Perera, Mr. Saman Abesingha, Ms. Sindy de Silva, Mr. Amila Salgado, Mr. Kusum Fernando, Mr. Indrika Pradeepa, Mr. Ravindra , Prof. S.W. Kotagama

Bird list: Indrika Pradeepa
Photos and Report: Nishanthi Perera

Birds List
Sri Lanka Spurfowl (h)
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Crested Serpent-eagle
Besra
White-breasted Waterhen
Emerald Dove
Green Imperial-pigeon
Sri Lanka Hanging-parrot
Sri Lanka Emerald-collared Parakeet
Sri Lanka Red-faced Malkoha
Greater Coucal
Sri Lanka Green-billed Coucal (h)
Sri Lanka Serendib Scops-owl
Sri Lanka Chestnut-backed Owlet
Frogmouth (h)
Indian Swiftlet
Malabar Trogon
White-throated Kingfisher
Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill
Brown-headed Barbet
Sri Lanka Yellow-fronted Barbet
Lesser Yellownape
Black-rumped Flameback
Greater Flameback
Scarlet Minivet
White-bellied Drongo
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo
Black-naped Monarch
Sri Lanka Magpie
Black-crested Bulbul
Red-vented Bulbul
Yellow-browed Bulbul
Sri Lanka Scimitar-babbler
Dark-fronted Babbler
Sri Lanka Orange-billed Babbler
Sri Lanka Ashy-headed Laughingthrush
Sri Lanka White-eye
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
Sri Lanka Myna
Sri Lanka White-faced Starling
Sri Lanka Spot-winged Thrush
Sri Lanka Scaly Thrush
Golden-fronted Leafbird
Sri Lanka White-throated Flowerpecker
Pale-billed Flowerpecker
Purple-rumped Sunbird
White-rumped Munia