Above - a later siting during the Banglore Bonanza in May 2012.
White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis
This picture below was taken down at my river in the bottom of the valley near Ellerton's lodge in the hills beside Kandy, Sri Lanka. I had a daily walk that wound down the side of the hill - taking in a few smallholdings and bits of cleared forest. At the bottom of the track was a small hydroelectric power facility with a road bridge and a shop ! The mud in and around the bay by the dam was home to a few different bird species.
All Kingfishers are wonderful - they vary in size from whopping great things the size of small crows to tiny birds that would sit in the palm of your hand with ease. This is quite a chunky little kingfisher quite a bit bigger than the kingfishers you might be used to seeing in Northern Europe - 'commons'. The bill is quite large and I think these birds hunt over the land as well as the water taking small lizards, large insects and so on. I saw them all around Sri Lanka perched on telephone wires mostly.
I have to admit that on the day I walked down the valley and snapped this fine bird I cheated and got a tuc-tuc to haul my frame back up the hill. That was as much fun as seeing this bird - the driver had to be forced to take money from me. It was a short journey and he kept waving me away when I tried to get in my wallet. Amazing country, lovely birds and lovely people.
The chocolate brown and the bright blue on this bird were stunning in the sun and in flight it took your breath away.
This is a view of the front of the bird with its white throat.
And a blow up to show the big hefty bill. This was a very satisfying 'tick'. A sunny walk through a tropical forest that ended with a kingfisher in the valley below. Whats not to like.
White-throated Kingfisher - Halcyon smyrnensis
Near Ellerton Lodge, Hills by Kandy, Sri Lanka
10 April 2011
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