Asian Open-bill Stork - Anastomus osciatans
Another stork today - the Asian open bill is a lot smaller than some of the featured storks so far. It is named after its curious bill which seems to have a adaptation like a nutcracker. The photo shows the advantage of the gap between the mandibles. This bird is about to crack a water snail as if it was a wlanut at Christmas.
These birds have a large range across India, Sri Lanka and South-East Asia. They are tree nesting waterbirds and I expect Yala is a favourite spot.
I have not dared to count how many pictures of birds I have left but I have a plan afoot for a long weekend trip to Ethiopia which is about a 4 hour flight away from Dubai. The Bale mountains are a day's drive from Addis Adaba. If I sort out my camera equipment I reckon I could scoop up a couple of month's worth of birds in two or three days. Its not a place I ever thought about until I bought a book by Dominic Cousins called 100 Best Birdwatching sites to try and prompt some thoughts about quick getaways to get some ammunition for this site. Drawing concentric rings around Dubai you can get to some interesting places for a couple of hundred pounds and I have never been birding in Africa.
It will be quite a trip - thats for sure. For now I leave you the Yala.
A large Egret roost. I am sure that this is prime breeding territory for Open-bills as well.
Asian Open-bill Stork
Anastomus oscitans
15-17 April 2011
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