Cover: Samaneras in a serene mood

Our staff photographer, Saman Sri Wedage captured this serene picture of samaneras preparing for a pooja at the Sri Dharmarakshanaramaya temple in Mirissa, Matara. The samaneras are Bandagiriye Suwanna Soma who is seven-years-old, Kataragama Sujanasoma who is nine-years-old and Bandagiriye Suganasoma who is eleven years-old.

Back cover: Eagle-eyed friend

Our staff photographer Susantha Wijegunasekara captured this rare picture of a lone Crested Serpent Eagle at the Wasgamuwa National park. We give you more information about the Crested Serpent Eagle.

This large, dark brown eagle is stocky, with rounded wings and a short tail. Its short black and white fan-shaped crest gives it athick-necked appearance. The bare facial skin and feet are yellow. The underside is spotted with white and yellowish-brown. When perched the wing tips do not reach until the tail tip. In soaring flight, the broad and paddle-shaped wings are held in a shallow V. The tail and underside of the flight feathers are black with broad white bars.

Young birds show a lot of white on the head. The Crested Serpent Eagle (Spilornis cheela) is an extremely rare resident of the central forest of Singapore, where it is believed that one to two pairs still survive. However, for the last few years the eagle was barely seen at all. Thus the excitement it generated when the bird was recently sighted. The eagle hunts from a high perch. It sits still until it spots a potential prey among the grass.

The Crested Serpent Eagle breeds in southern Asia from India and Sri Lanka to South China, south east Asia and Indonesia.

It is a forest bird which builds a stick nest in a tree near water and lays a single egg.