Tit, Nuthatch, Flowerpeckers, Sunbirds and White-eyes
Photographed in Horton Plains National Park.
Photographed in the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya.
Photographed in Horton Plains National Park.
Photographed in Horton Plains National Park.
Great Tit / Grey Tit
(මහ ටිකිරිත්තා)
Parus cinereus
This bunch of noisemakers who were fighting over food was observed at Haggala Gardens. They were so preoccupied with the fight, they came right next to me on the ground. Unfortunately, I took too long to adjust my camera to take a better picture.
The next image was taken in Nuwara Eliya right outside the house. This guy was so brave and came very close.
Images 3 to 7 are from Horton Planes.
Photographed in the outskirts of Bodhinagala Forest Reserve.
Photographed in the outskirts of Bodhinagala Forest Reserve.
Photographed in the outskirts of Nilgala forest.
Photographed in the outskirts of Bodhinagala Forest Reserve.
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch
(විල්ලුද නලල් යටිකුරිත්තා)
Sitta frontalis
Two of these guys showed up at the outskirts of the 'Bodinagala' forest reserve. They are highly specialised in diging-up little worms and caterpillars hiding under tree bark. The beak is a special instrument and looks as if it's fixed up-side-down.
Image 9 from the outskirts of Nilgala forest.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Photographed at Diyasaru Park.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Pale-billed Flowerpecker / Tickell’s Flowerpecker (ලාතුඩු පිලිලිච්චා)
Dicaeum erythrorhynchos
First seen inside a thick bush on the outskirts of Sinharaja rain forest, this tiny bird is a cutie. As he was inside the bush, I couldn’t take more pictures that show the whole bird.
Images 3 to 6 are from Diyasaru Park.
Still waiting to get lucky and capture image.
Still waiting to get lucky and capture image.
Thick-billed Flowerpecker
(මාතුඩු පිලිලිච්චා)
Pachyglossa agilis
Yet to capture image
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Rain Forest.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Forest Reserve.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Rain Forest.
Photographed in the outskirts of Sinharaja Rain Forest.
White-throated Flowerpecker / Legge’s Flowerpecker (ශ්රි ලංකා පිලිලිච්චා)
Pachyglossa vincens
Rare and endemic, these female White-throated Flowerpeckers were eating ripe fruits on a Jam tree on the outskirts of Sinharaja forest. There were two of them but both were females.
Photographed inside the Yala National Park.
Photographed in the outskirts of Nuwara Eliya.
Photographed in my home garden at Nawala.
Photographed inside the Yala National Park.
Purple-rumped Sunbird
(නිතඹ දම් සුටික්කා)
Leptocoma zeylonica
First came across these birds in Welimada (image 1) where a pair were feeding the babies inside a neatly built nest hanging off a tiny branch of a tree. The female did all the work while the male was on guard.
They pop up again in Polonnaruwa. (Image 2) Image 3 from Kuchchaveli. Images 4 to 7 are from Galle where a pair of them were buzzing around a tree in my friends garden.
Images 8 to 10 are from Yala. What beautiful colours for a small bird. Notice the purple rump on image 10. Image 11 is from my home garden in Nawala.
Photographed in the outskirts of Matara town.
Photographed in the outskirts of Kuchchaveli.
Photographed at Nawala in my home garden.
Photographed in the outskirts of Matara town.
Long-billed Sunbird / Loten’s Sunbird
(ලොටෙන්ගෙ සුටික්කා)
Cinnyris lotenius
This displaying male was putting on quite a show outside my hotel room in Kuchchaveli. Such beautiful colours.
The dull-looking female was seen at 'Anawilundawa' and inside Baddagana Wetland Park (Images 4 to 7). Images 8 and 9 are from my home garden in Nawala. Images 10 and 11 are from Diyasaru Park. Images 12 and 13 are of a pair from the outskirts of Matara.
Photographed inside the Yala National Park.
Photographed in the outskirts of Jaffna.
Photographed in the outskirts of Kuchchaveli.
Photographed inside the Yala National Park.
Purple Sunbird
(දම් සුටික්කා)
Cinnyris asiaticus
This beauty was first properly photographed at Yala. (Image 1) Look at the colours and velvety texture of this male. He was busy feeding and my presence scared him off. I could only manage 1 photograph.
Images 2 to 4 are from Jaffna where a juvenile was getting fed by its parents. The baby was making a lot of noise asking for more food and the parents didn't fail to deliver. I could only manage a few good pictures which were disappointing. Captured at dusk while on an off-road in Jaffna. Image 5 and 6 I believe are of a female Purple Sunbird captured at Kuchchaveli.
Still waiting to get lucky and capture image.
Still waiting to get lucky and capture image.
Oriental White-eye / Small White-eye
(පෙරදිගු සිතාසියා)
Zosterops palpebrosus
Yet to capture image
Photographed in the outskirts of Mandaramnuwara.
Photographed in the outskirts of Mandaramnuwara.
Photographed in the outskirts of Mandaramnuwara.
Photographed in the outskirts of Mandaramnuwara.
Sri Lanka White-eye / Ceylon Hill White-eye
(ශ්රි ලංකා සිතාසියා)
Zosterops ceylonensis
Endemic to Sri Lankan highlands this beauty was captured on my camera in low light at misty Mandaramnuwara in the foothills of Piduruthalagala. Based on the wide eye-ring and the greenish colour I'm confident this is a Sri Lankan White-eye and not an Oriental White-eye.