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Birds
of paradise For over half
a century we have been singing Selalihini kovul - and we still do,
young and old alike. It remains the most sought after song on a
trip, picnic or party. Birds have figured prominently in the Sandesa poems. These poems are generally named after a bird, which carries the message in the text to a deity. The Tisara Sandesa written like a message sent through a swan was the first of this genre of literary compositions that was to become a favourite of Sinhala poets during the succeeding decades. The most popular was the Selalihini Sandesa, written by Totagamuwe Sri Rahula Maha Thera, who also wrote the Paravi Sandesa, where a pigeon was the messenger. At least two other sandesa poems belong to the same period - Gira sandesa (parrot) and the other, Kokila sandesa (cuckoo). The Hansa sandesa belonged to the early part of Parakramabahu VI's reign. Before that, during the reign of Bhuvanekabahu V (1372-1408), the Mayura sandesa featuring a peacock was composed. During the early days of British rule, there is mention of pigeons being used to carry mail. In the 1850s, penny postage was introduced to the island, while towns were also linked by telegraph. Referring to these services, the 'Ceylon Observer Centenary Supplement' states: "The precursor of this swifter means of communication was the Colombo Observer's carrier-pigeon service between Colombo and the mail port of Galle -most successful of its kind ever known in connection with the newspaper enterprise in any part of the world". Books
on birds He also gives a few hints to potential bird-watchers. In what he calls "bird-studying tools", he stresses the need to have a notebook. The basic rule he gives is "one observation, one page". "Write on one side only of a leaf. Every observation should be dated and its locality given; observations such as weather, wind force and direction, time of day etc., often prove to be very valuable afterwards," he states. Visual aids or field glasses are the next thing you should possess: "Birds, in general, are shy of man; the great majority are small; and without some optical assistance our range of effective observation of them is severely restricted," he says. As to the bird diversity in Sri Lanka, of the 230 species, 26 are endemic. Resident (also known as indigenous) birds are those species that have a natural distribution, breed naturally and have offspring in a particular area or country. They comprise both endemic and non-endemic species. The
stamps The insectivorous birds (second row) are the Scarlet Minivet (dilirath minivitta), usually living in pairs; White-rumped Sharma (vana polkichcha), seen perching on lower branches; Malabar Trogan (lohavannichcha), a forest loving bird and lonely hunter; Asian Paradise Flycatcher (asiya rahanmara), noted for its loud 'creech' call while hunting; and Little Green Bee-eater (punchi binguharaya), which hunts insects while in flight. The carnivorous category includes the Brown Wood Owl (boravana bakamu-na), which spends the day perched in trees with heavy foliage; Crested Serpent Eagle (silu sarapakussa), seen soaring on clear days; Crested Goshawak (silu ukussa), having similar habits to those of the domestic pigeon; Jungle Owlet (vana upabassa), seen during the day as well; and Rufous-bellied Eagle (kusarath rajaliya), usually a silent bird which feeds on birds. In the frugivorous category are the Black-headed Munia (hisakalu vee kurulla) seen in flocks feeding on grass seeds; Pompadour Green Pigeon (pompadoru batago-ya), which feeds exclusively on small fruit; Plum-headed Parakeet (pandu girawa), considered a pest by cultivators; Coppersmith Barbet (rathlaya kottoruwa), seen in well-wooded gardens and dry zone lowland forests; and Emerald Dove (neela kobeiya) which spends much of its time on the ground searching for food. The omnivorous birds featured are the Blue-faced Malkoha (vatanil malkoha), often seen threading its way through tangled foliage; Scimitar Babbler (de demalich-cha), living in pairs constantly calling each other; Painted Francolin (tith vadu kukula), usually found in flocks in the savannah grasslands and foothills of Nilgala; Red-backed Woodpecker (ratupita rath kerala), the commonest woodpecker in Sri Lanka; and Malabar Pied Hornbill (poru kedetta), a large bird found in isolated colonies favouring the belt of tall trees that line riverbanks. The attractively printed stamp sheet has been designed by Kalum Gunasekera. It is priced at Rs. 112.50. Of course, if you get tired of looking at the stamps, you can use them to post letters. Each is worth Rs. 4.50. |
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