red vented bulbul

Unawatuna in Sri Lanka is a far cry from Bothwell in Scotland. And the bird life is no exception. My mum spends a lot of time sitting on the porch here in the mornings and early evenings. I used to feel guilty that she had nothing to do and was always trying to get her to read magazines (which she can’t really do) or do jigsaws (if Himashi is around she enjoys this) or  write letters/ cards to friends (which again she can’t really do – she can sign something if I write it). I’ve let the guilt go now because actually there is a world to watch from the porch. The monkeys are always around somewhere. The birds as well provide a wealth of entertainment, action, colour and noise. I have no clue why people refer to the peace and quiet of the countryside. It’s anything but quiet. The visitors make a racket.

In Bothwell there were not so many varieties of birds. I remember magpies where we used to live. Counted them according to the old saying, “1 for sorrow, 2 for joy, 3 for a girl and 4 for a boy.” Was most upset when I only saw one.  Also blackbirds, sparrows, seagulls and pigeons occasionally and robins in the winter.  Here though you are raised to a totally different level of ‘birdlife’. 

The most common birds in my garden are the red vented bulbuls. I have a whole family of them – in fact probably generations of them. They nest in the kitchen in my fish mobile. So far they have produced 4 sets of chicks there. You know they are about to produce eggs when while washing the dishes you come face to face with one of them sitting on the bars of the kitchen window with bits of twig in its mouth. It looks at you most indignantly - you are blocking the route from window to nest. After a while they finish the renovation of the nest. Then the eggs will appear and the mother will spend lots of time sitting on them. You feel you are disturbing her. Then all hell breaks loose when the eggs hatch and there are squeaks from the nest and various bulbuls come flying in and out of the window all day feeding the open mouths.

There was a bit of a drama during my mum’s early stay here. The eggs had just hatched and the mother bird flew straight into the fan (very rarely do they go anywhere apart from the kitchen which does not have a fan) which killed her. This left me (and Chaminda of course) with the situation of small chicks needing to be fed. Chaminda ended up standing on the kitchen sink trying to dribble bits of papaya into the mouths of the chicks with varying degrees of success. Luckily for us, the father (I imagine) and one of the teenagers (again the imagination is being used here) took it upon themselves to take over the feeding of the chicks. So after a slow start the chicks were fine and are now flying around the garden.

Then we have the babblers which are a source of great amusement for my mum. They invade the garden and then disappear as quickly as they arrive. First a couple like scouts will be seen checking the place out then the rest of the flock will appear shreaking and bouncing up and down. They bound over the grass in large hops, chase each other through the bushes, leap on top of each other with great abandon, and generally look like a bunch of youngsters having the greatest of times. The dogs make themselves scarce when they appear.

Then there is the kingfisher (or in mum speak the ‘blue bird’ because of the flash of blue as it flies across the garden). It usually is seen perched on the gate looking in the direction of the pond. This usually is around the time we have stocked up the pond with fresh fish. It will swoop down and scoop up the small fish. I am fighting a losing battle here. The only fish to survive for any length of time in my pond is a rather substantial gold and black one.   The other ones become kingfisher food given time.

Other regulars include the pair of spotted doves who are building a nest in the rafters of the porch. They come and have a drink at the pond producing the rather incongruous sight of a real dove sitting beside a stone dove (present from a grateful visitor). They are always around.  The mynas are also frequent visitors at the bird table. (They are also unfortunately frequent victims of the southern expressway!) There are also lots of sunbirds who don’t come so close, but feast on a variety of colourful flowers like the pink ginger.

Then there are the more infrequent visitors. There are the parrots who do come from time to time to the bird table. Bright green and quite aggressive.  And the   Asian Koel who can be seen feeding itself at the bird table. The coucal can be seen wandering around the garden like an old man out for a stroll. The brown headed barbets are also frequent visitors and the red backed woodpecker pops in now and again. Sea eagles also hover overhead.

We await the arrival of the paradise flycatchers who arrive in the trees in November and leave at the beginning of the year. These birds are amazing to watch with their long tails that look like paper streamers weaving their way between the branches of trees. There are the Indian ones which have white tails and the Ceylon ones which have more chestnut coloured tails. Both appear in November and stay for the season like faithful tourists.  

You need do nothing to enjoy these visitors. Just sit on the porch. My mum doesn’t know their names  (neither do I if truth be told – but I can look up a bird book) but she does know their habits and can enjoy their colourful garden antics.