Today turned out to be absolutely fabulous with success at every turn.  I started when I was drinking coffee just minutes after I got up.  Ravi, the house owner noticed that there were 2 or more Brown headed Barbets around the garden so we quickly put out a piece of papaya to see if that's what they had come for…..and it was because, quick as a flash and as soon as it was safe one came down to the fruit.  At least 3 others waited their turn and it was a real spectacle to get so close to this stunning species.
I am just so taken with the beautiful exotic look of this species which is a little larger than a European Starling but very much bulkier and as you can see with a huge beak which it uses for breaking in to fruit like mango or papaya. I am told that they are particularly fond of papaya.  Then after that excitement I went to the beach, the sun was now shining bright and surely the bee-eaters would be using the perches that I had set out – and they were.

I set my self up next to the perch were only a few minutes earlier a Blue – tailed bee -eater had been and it was just a matter of seconds before one flew in with a bee,  I pressed the shutter and in the bright sunlight, I captured the lovely bird in flight with wings stretched.
Then later on in the afternoon I went back to the are where I had seen Lotens Sunbird yesterday and at first things were a little quiet . There was a local fisherman with a throw net and he had disturbed the birds. But he soon left and then I was able to get down to some serious birding photograph and in the end managed to see all 3 of Sri Lankas sunbird species. All in all a great day.
Dinner tonight was a lovely plate of curried tiger prawns which were caught by the village fishermen from the village beach. Quite a lovely meal.