Crimson Rosella

Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans

The Crimson Rosella, although relatively common, has not been the easiest bird for me to photograph. I had seen them on a number of occasions along the east coast of Australia but hadn't been able to get a clear shot. I found a few of them around where we stayed in the Barrington Tops and was finally able to get some unobstructed photographs of these birds.

More images after the jump.

Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans

I found them frequenting a small creek that ran behind the house where we were staying. They would arrive there at roughly the same time each morning which made things a bit easier for me. I was able to photograph them while they were feeding and also while they were cleaning themselves in the stream.

Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans

The light wasn't the best as there the creek was in a valley and there was a fairly dense canopy overhead. The birds moved around a lot and I had to use a fast shutter speed to capture these images. In order to get around the problem with the light, I had to bump up the ISO. I generally try to keep the ISO at 100 but the 7D performs pretty well in this regard.

Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans

All the images on this post were captured with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. 

 Crimson Rosella - Platycercus elegans

Crimson Fronted Barbet

A Crimson Fronted Barbet (also known as the Ceylon Small Barbet) photographed in Kandy, Sri Lanka

This small, endemic barbet, also known as the Ceylon Small Barbet, is common throughout the lowlands and mid hills of Sri Lanka. It is probably the only endemic seen in major cities. Some of the photographs in this post were actually taken in the middle of Colombo. Read on for more info and images of this species.

A Crimson Fronted Barbet (also known as the Ceylon Small Barbet) photographed in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Although this bird is fairly common, it is often overlooked because of its size and its colour. Its green  body makes it virtually impossible to spot in the canopy. It can only be mistaken with the Coppersmiths Barbet which doesn't have uniform green underparts or blue on its lower face. This bird generally lives in pairs but single birds are often seen. When I was photographing this bird in Kandy, I noticed that they were actually in a group of about 10 - 12 birds. This may have been because they were feeding on a fruiting tree.

A Crimson Fronted Barbet (also known as the Ceylon Small Barbet) photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

I was quite surprised to see this species at our place in Kandy as I had never seen them before. I was out looking for the Yellow Fronted Barbet when I noticed a number of them feeding on one of the fruit trees in the garden. In order to find them, I had to look out for the red forehead or wait for them to move. Unfortunately I was below them most of the time and therefore couldn't get too many decent shots.  As usual, I used the 100-400mm lens and the canon 7D to capture these images.

A Crimson Fronted Barbet (also known as the Ceylon Small Barbet) photographed in Kandy, Sri Lanka

Other images / info on Barbets

• Brown Headed Barbet
• Yellow Fronted Barbet
• Crimson Fronted Barbet