Saturday, 3 March 2012

Steamy spring


As I step out in the cool-by-comparison of early morning, two blue-tailed bee-eaters perch atop a red and white telecom mast, giving their loud sandpapery bleat as they take flight. A mile or two to sea lowers a slaty rainstorm. It seems unlikely the promised rain could make this place any more damp; though it might move the damp around a little.

News comes from Yorkshire of early-arriving sand martins and avocets back at their breeding site; and from the USA of spring amphibians with poetic names: New Jersey chorus frog, wood frog, spring peeper and southern leopard frog. While I sweat out the Sri Lankan spring, keep on keeping me posted of spring far to the north. 

Today I have a meeting with Dhammi, the celebrated Sri Lankan naturalist with whom I'll be working over the next week on Naturetrek's Blue Whales and Leopards tour. Tomorrow morning our clients arrive at around 2.30am. I'll be needing coffee.


New today

Birds

343
blue-tailed bee-eater
Merops philippinus

2012 Totals
Mammals: 33
Birds: 343
Reptiles: 6
Amphibians: 3
Fish: 1

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