BIRDING AT KERAWALAPITIYA....

 After exiting the highway point at  Kerawalapitiya you will find an industrial zone but in recent times nature lovers and naturalists have found the garbage dump close to the exist and the surrounding  marsh and sand dune area quite conducive for fauna habitat.

This became very famous in December 2021due to the fact that Masked wagtail( Motacilla alba personata) was recorded near the dump for the first time in Sri Lanka along with the presence of the rare winter migrant White wagtail (Motacilla alba) and also the short tailed White wagtail ( Motacills ocularis ).This gave me the opportunity to visit and explore the place quite a few times and gave me superb opportunities to photograph many a birds over a period  from 2021. 

Paddy field pipits

Temminck's stint

Common Kestrel far away. Although it generally is perched on this branch , we could not get a closer look even after going a couple of times.

Ashy- crowned sparrow lark

Little stint

Yellow wagtail

Cattle egret

Kentish plover

Common sandpiper

Juvenile brahmin kite

The sand dunes give you the feeling of been in Dubai

Citrine Wagtail

Barn swallow

Zitting sisticola

This was the reason that Kerawalaptiya became famous as a sanctuary the Masked wagtail

White wagtail

Short tailed subspecies

Little ringed plover

Lesser sand plovers

Oriental honey buzzard

Pied cuckoo

Clamorous reed warbler

Alpine swift

Sri Lanka swallow

Wood sandpiper

Blue -tailed bee eater

Extremely a rare vagrant- Black winged pratincole

Blue headed quail

male

female

rare migrant- siberian stonechat

Rosy starling

Marsh sandpiper

Common redshank