With the number of trees that have been cut down in the neighbourhood in recent weeks, it’s a miracle that this dead tree was left standing. It made a perfect perch for this Brahmini Kite. If you happen to pass the Kelanitissa Thermal power station, don’t forget to look towards the sky, you will see at least a dozen of them soaring a long way up. The thermal currents produced by the steam turbines coupled with the proximity of the garbage mountain makes it one of their favorite areas.

This one though was seen in Battaramulla, I don’t know if they range that far but then again Kelanitissa is not so far off as the crow (or the kite) flies.

Huge monster back hoe loader? Is that background a huge rock cliff? nah it’s a toy. Well you can use it for earth moving but not 30 tons at a time as the label shows. More like 30 grams at a time. The background is latterite bricks.in my study.

I would have a magnificient view, if my neighbour’s Calicut clay tiled roof didn’t get in the way….

Momma Bird with her babies.

Spotted Dove Hatchlings no more than a day or a two old. Catching sight of them turned out to be very difficult. The wooden rafter blocks them from view. And when mama bird is also in the nest they are completely obstructed. In fact I didn’t know the eggs had hatched until at least a day after the event.

The nest is a clumsy affair but the location has been chosen wisely. There are two shikras in the neighbourhood and hatchlings like this would be easy prey for them when the mother bird is away. But because this nest is almost inside the house the Shikras are likely to keep away. The same cannot be said about cats though. Yet this rafter is two high for our lazy cats to reach.