Serendib Scops Owl. Photo: Uditha Hettidge.
Deepal Warakagoda, the leader of our tours to Sri Lanka, has done it again. Already well known for his discovery of the Serendib Scops Owl, Deepal recently found a population of Marshall’s Ioras breeding on the “tear of India,” as the magical Island of Sri Lanka is sometimes known.
Marshall's Iora. Wikimedia Commons: Arpit Deomurari.
The colorful Marshall’s Iora had been thought to be restricted to the Indian mainland, making Deepal’s discover a significant one. And we have a good chance of seeing this newest addition to the Sri Lankan avifauna on our next tour, in the area of Tissa.
It does the heart of a birder good to know that there are folks out there who are doing good work for our collective knowledge and conservation efforts worldwide.