Lonely Bay-backed Shrike in Udawalawe

This little bird is the trigger which got me in to birding. Way back in 2012, while on safari in ‘Udawalawe’ National Park, I came across this one. A lone Bay-backed Shrike who has flown all the way down south from India.

As a species, its still in the ‘Recent and Pending Additions to the Official List’. It has been observed in far south before back in the 1980’s. Thus, it was an extremely rare sight to see one that far south. Its been known that this species can be seen in Mannar rarely. But the fact it has come all the way to the south makes it even more rare and unique.