Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A Tricky Bird To Photograph..........

The bird you see in these photos is Brown-headed Barbet/Megalaima zeylanica/. Its diet consists of fruits and berries. This bird doesn't come down to the ground, blends perfectly on the foliage of a tree, and very vary. All these factors make it quite a task to take a decent photo of this bird.

PhotobucketAny way, a good many days ago, I noticed one of these repeatedly coming to perch on a dead Bael   tree in the garden next door. So I kept my eye on her a for a while, and I noticed that her actual destination was a Breadfruit tree next to the Bael. She will perch on the Bael tree for a while, then move on to and disappear in to the foliage of the Breadfruit tree, fly off after a while, come back to the Bael tree, the ritual went on and on. There was only one explanation. She had a nest in the Breadfruit tree. So I stared waiting at a point where I could have a good view of her to take some photos at some points of her visits. Imagine my surprise when I realize that It was actually two birds doing this thing! It's either that both male and female birds of this species feed their young, or two female birds have nested in the same tree. I didn't find enough data online to confirm either of the two hypothesis.

After many days of keeping watch at my vantage point, making god knows how many attempts to photograph them, I manage these shots, though not very satisfactory yet.  I'll keep trying!



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A post for World Bird Wednesday and Wild Wing Wednesday
Posted by at
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Location: Kurunegala, Sri Lanka

24 comments:

  1. Lancs and Lakes Outback Adventure Wildlife SafarisApril 13, 2011 at 12:16 AM

    I'd be happy with those pics Amila - particularly like the last one peering at you from behind the branch.

    Cheers

    Davo

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  2. mickApril 13, 2011 at 12:24 AM

    Great photos. The bird's coloring makes it blend into the background so well.

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  3. UnknownApril 13, 2011 at 12:42 AM

    Fanatastic colours!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  4. holdingmomentsApril 13, 2011 at 12:52 AM

    Lovely captures, and an unusual looking bird. Such a big beak.

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  5. theconstantwalkerApril 13, 2011 at 1:50 AM

    A lovely bird Amila. Beautiful colours and what a big beak. Great images.

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  6. jooApril 13, 2011 at 2:15 AM

    It's amazing bird, difficult to spot indeed! I love it!

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  7. PatApril 13, 2011 at 2:29 AM

    Wow, Amila, I think you did an amazing job photographing that bird. She's so well-camouflaged.

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  8. TexWisGirlApril 13, 2011 at 2:54 AM

    Interesting bird! So short and stout with such a heavy beak! Almost like a kingfisher except they eat fish, of course.

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  9. SondraApril 13, 2011 at 3:03 AM

    WELL you got some amazing shots!! What a cool looking bird that beak is SERIOUS!!

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  10. SpringmanApril 13, 2011 at 4:06 AM

    Wonderful post Amila! What an exciting study. You have come away with so many great shots. It will be interesting to see how this plays out. A great story coupled with a rare and exotic looking bird. It doesn't get much better. Bravo!

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  11. eileeninmdApril 13, 2011 at 5:10 AM

    What a cute bird, awesome sighting and photos. It is hard to tell with the photos how big is it?

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  12. Stuart PriceApril 13, 2011 at 7:34 AM

    You did OK with this bird, lots of my shots look exactly the same..........

    The last one is the best I think.

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  13. TammyApril 13, 2011 at 7:49 AM

    What an interesting looking fellow. Love that last shot. Glad you linked up :)

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  14. Bill S.April 13, 2011 at 9:37 AM

    No wonder it is hard to see - it looks like the leafs on the tree.

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  15. NatureFootstepApril 13, 2011 at 12:27 PM

    a strange bird indeed. It looks like it is dressed in leaves. I would like to see this one. :)

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  16. Jan n JerApril 13, 2011 at 6:14 PM

    What an interesting bird...I think you got some good shots, considering the challange. I agree that the last one is the best.

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  17. CarlettaApril 13, 2011 at 11:17 PM

    Hi Amila,
    I think you've done an excellent job capturing her!
    Those lovely green feathers certainly do help hide her among the foliage.
    It will be interesting to see the outcome and I hope too we'll see the babies.

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  18. Mike B.April 14, 2011 at 10:49 AM

    Beautiful bird! I'd love to have those flying around here.

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  19. AnonymousApril 14, 2011 at 6:55 PM

    What a great-looking bird.. very well camouflaged too.

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  20. BarbApril 15, 2011 at 12:22 AM

    A bird the same color as leaves is just wonderful! I hope you'll get a photo of the fledglings after they hatch.

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  21. Amila KanchanaApril 15, 2011 at 7:16 AM

    Hi everybody,I'm so happy to see that you all like this bird,for it's one of my favorite too!


    Eleen,The bird would roughly be the size of Common Mynah.

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  22. KalaApril 15, 2011 at 12:32 PM

    Splendid captures of this very interesting bird!

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  23. NicoleApril 17, 2011 at 3:34 PM

    I can imagine that they are hard to get. Hard to find to, I think :D

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  24. Amila KanchanaApril 18, 2011 at 2:46 PM

    Hi Kala and Nicole, So nice to hear from you!:)

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Hello, It is great to have your feedback! If you ask any question,I will try my best to answer,pleas subscribe to comments thread so that you wil know when I have answered.

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