Wild Sri Lanka

Shooti'n Without Killin'..........

2011-09-11T12:52:00.000+05:30

Hi all, how's it goin? You must have noticed that I don't blog as regularly I used to, but It's just a temporary drawback, things will get back in form soon. Till then, enjoy these! Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata) Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio) Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) Tiny Grass Blue (Zizula hylax)

Butterflies Flutter By..........

2011-07-24T11:58:00.000+05:30

Common Pierrot (Castalius rosimon) Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) Tawny Coster (Acraea terpsicore) Plains Cupid( Chilades pandava)

What I've Been Capturing Lately....

2011-07-09T17:29:00.000+05:30

A strange arachnid that curls up in to a ball. A Parakeet that I couldn't identify. A Tailed Jay , Graphium agamemnon White-breasted waterhens. A crab common in the paddy fields. A Common Paddy field Frog from the garden pond. World Bird Wednesday Macro Monday

Prinia,Prinia, And The Others....

2011-06-21T21:52:00.000+05:30

Hello folks, It's wonderful to be posting for World Bird Wednesday again! I'll start with two video clips I made today by the Railway line, A Plain Prinia and an Ashy Prinia. Plain Prinia, Prinia inornata Ashy Prinia, Prinia socialis And here is an Oriental Magpie Robin Sub-adult photographed at the beginning of the week. Oriental Magpie Robin, Copsychus saularis

L'amour, la luxure, la passion...........

2011-06-20T00:01:00.000+05:30

A couple of Common Lime Butterflies(Papilio demoleus) in courtship. A post For Macro Monday.

A Scavenger......

2011-06-18T07:32:00.001+05:30

This Water monitor (Varanus salvator) I've photographed occupies the same spot where the Waterhen family lives. It's said that when these scavengers consume a decent meal they lie motionless till it is properly digested. I believe it's true for when I took the bottom picture yesterday, the creature's belly was enormous and it didn't move at all.

Woodpeckers And Waterhens

2011-06-14T23:07:00.039+05:30

Three Black-rumped Flameback Woodpeckers,Dinopium benghalense, gave me quite a run around the neighborhood a couple of days ago. I barely managed to make this crappy video showing two of them. Remember the Waterhen family I showed you last week? The chicks are apparently doing well. I saw them at the same spot today and took a couple of photos and made a short video. The parents are a

Insecta.......

2011-06-13T13:58:00.001+05:30

A post for Macro Monday.

Birding On The Go.......

2011-06-07T22:25:00.147+05:30

Ahh, time for World Bird Wednesday! What kind of striking birds have you got this week, folks? Well, I've got a few! The highlight of this week is a family of White-breasted Waterhen that I came across and videoed at a small pool near a paddy field on the way to work. There were two adults looking after three chicks, so I assume both parents of this species take care of their offspring. The

Peacock Pancy

2011-06-06T00:01:00.002+05:30

Peacock Pansy, Junonia almana is a common butterfly around here. I took these photos at my birding patch a little while ago. A post for Macro Monday.

A Shikra And Some Other Birds.........

2011-05-31T22:45:00.001+05:30

Do you remember the bird I show you on last WBW, the one I said a Crested Serpent Eagle? Well, my identification was wrong, it was infact a Shikra. I was able to photograph another one this week. It makes two Shikras in two consecutive weeks! Shikra, Accipiter badius This White-breasted Drongo was right in

The Dragons of Rockpool......

2011-05-30T00:01:00.003+05:30

Dozens of these stunning dragonflies, and some other types as well, is a sure sight at an abandoned granite mine now filled with water, within my birding patch. I think this particular species is Dawn Dropwing, Trithemis aurora, but I'm not entirely sure. This is a post for Macro Monday.

This Week's Birds......

2011-05-24T21:14:00.001+05:30

How's the birding been this week, folks? It's not been too bad for me. My walks to and from work as well as hanging around the birding patch has yielded some nice birds. ROSE-RINGED PARAKEET Psittacula krameri Well, let's start off with some Rose-ringed

Beautiful Damsel.......

2011-05-23T05:48:00.001+05:30

Ah, a damselfly after a long time. I find damsels be a very tough area in macro photography. As I understand it, their very limited body surface area makes it hard to focus on the subject, some object behind the subject comes on to focus. Things are not so bad if there is solid background immediately behind the subject, like when the damselfly is perched on a leaf. However, I got really lucky

Looks Do Matter.......

2011-05-20T21:26:00.000+05:30

I've always been fascinated by some animals' ability to change the way they look. So I present you folks with such an animal, the Oriental Garden Lizard(Calotes versicolor), with different specimens showing different colors. The first picture shows an adult male with mating season coloration, the look that earns thew title"Blood Sucker"!

Babblers Babble......

2011-05-17T19:42:00.001+05:30

Yellow-billed Babbler(Turdoides affinis) is a very common and widely spread bird in Sri Lanka, which roam open vegetation and home gardens in small flocks. These birds are quite tolerant of human presence. I see them in my garden almost everyday, hopping about the ground in search of food, preening and relaxing, and mostly chattering nonstop! These are omnivorous birds and would eat just about

Beauty!

2011-05-15T23:28:00.000+05:30

I took this photo and made the video yesterday on a shrub by the driveway. I didn't know what it was called then, so I looked for and found the ID to be Common Mime( Papilio clytia). This is my post for this week's Macro Monday.

See The Skink....

2011-05-14T22:59:00.000+05:30

I recorded this video this evening at my in law's garden, and thought to post it for this week's Camera Critters. This Common Skink(Eutropis carinata lankae) was feeling around among the rubbish with its tongue, probably for food.

I Can't Help Falling In Love With You............

2011-05-10T22:29:00.002+05:30

ABC Wednesday World Bird Wednesday Wild Wings Wednesday WordlessWednesday

The Painted Butt......

2011-05-09T19:46:00.000+05:30

A very small spider I captured in the garden a little while ago. The marking on the abdomen is really some thing,huh? I don't have a clue about what species it is. Do you? A post for Macro Monday.

Not Sure what This Is.........

2011-05-07T22:16:00.000+05:30

I photographed this lizard today in the garden. It looks like a male Oriental Garden Lizard(Calotes versicolor) but this particular color pattern makes me wonder.... Any ideas? Posted for Camera Critters.

The New Year Massenger.........

2011-05-03T22:53:00.001+05:30

Hello folks, allow me to present Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus) for this week's World Bird Wednesday. The old folks of Sri Lanka interpreted the mating call of the male of this species meant the arrival of Sinhalese-Hindu new year festival of April, and still the kids here find the significant call such a wonder. All these photos show the male bird. The female looks entirely different

Baged Another Beauty.......

2011-05-02T06:43:00.002+05:30

Here is my first presentable(is it?) photo of Common Leopard(Phalanta phalantha). I took this photo in my garden a little while ago. As the butterfly didn't seem to be in a hurry to flutter off, I made a short video too, which I think turned out okay. This is my post for this week's Macro Monday.

Hey, Litlle Fella!

2011-04-29T17:54:00.001+05:30

My Camera Critter this week is a juvenile Common Green Forest Lizard (Calotes calotes). He was in a shrub by the driveway, and dashed away before I could get close enough for a macro.

Barbet And Robin..........

2011-04-27T00:59:00.003+05:30

Hey folks, how's it goin? We have had a good mix of blazing sun and thundering downpour for about two weeks, and it didn't rain at all for last three days. I have observed Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis) to be mostly a solitary bird. Their diet seems to consist almost entirely of insects, there are instances when one would snatch some cooked rice off the feeder in the garden.