Bridled Tern, Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka

Bridled (or Brown-winged) Terns are pelagic seabirds which were rarely seen well by shore-based birdwatchers because they are usually a few nautical miles out to sea. The commercial development of whale watching in Sri Lanka since May 2008 changed all of that. Now there are a number of whale watching boats leaving from Sri Lanka's whale watching triangle of Mirissa, Trincomalee and Kalpitiya. As a result close views are now had of pelagics such as Bridled Terns. These birds also engage in long movements travelling thousands of kilometers. They have been recorded breeding on islets on Adam's Bridge in the North-west of Sri Lanka. But a bird such as the one in the photograph may well have travelled in from the South-west of Australia and may be on its way towards Africa in what is believed to be a 'figure of eight' migration.

Although I have seen Bridled terns many times, it was this image which brought home the long slim glider like wing design which allows them to spend so much of their life on the wing.

The logistics for this Kalpitiya research trip was organised by Ashan Seneviratne of Little Adventures (www.littleadventuressrilanka.com) and the accommodation and boat was provided by Bay Watch Eco Resort Village (www.baywatchkalpitiya.com).