Wild Sri Lanka

A Drongo's Nest And Some Other Stuff.....

2012-05-18T22:42:00.000+05:30

Another week almost ends, and it's getting unbearably hot and humid. Some heavy rain is soon due, it seems. As I told you on my last post, I did have a little walk through the birding patch last Saturday morning, and saw an unbelievable variety of birds, though photographing them proved to be real tough. There was a nest of a White-bellied Drongo on a Tamarind (Tamarindus indica) tree by the

Beautiful Spring!

2012-05-12T00:56:00.000+05:30

Another great week, sunny, warm, interesting creatures everywhere! I've got so much to show you folks. I'll start off with some birds I bagged during a walk through my birding patch. Below is a Green Bee-eater. Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis This is a White-bellied Drongo. White-bellied Drongo (Dicrurus caerulescens) I captured this Indian Pond Heron on the way back

I Feel Good..!

2012-05-05T00:28:00.005+05:30

Hello folks, how are you? This week has been the very opposite of the last, being sunny and hot. I was able to bag some really interesting critters to show you. I'll start off with the birds. The tiny one you see below was completely new to me. Does any one know what that little bird is? And here is a Red-vented bulbul perched on the TV antenna. Red-vented Bulbul (

Bother!

2012-04-28T01:45:00.000+05:30

It's been raining like mad through out this week, so I couldn't take my cam out to do any good photography. To make things worse, my internet usage went over limit and the ISP has lowered the speed to 64kbs! But the speed will come up after 31st this month, so only a few days more till things get back in full steam again. Sorry for not visiting your blogs this week, it's not really a pleasant

2012-04-21T00:53:00.001+05:30

I hope you guys are not bored by the Yellow-billed Babblers constantly appearing here. I really couldn't help showing this shot off. I think it turned out nice, what do you think? Yellow-billed Babbler, Turdoides affinis Here's a Jungle crow eating ripe jack fruit. The population of this species seem

Oriole, Bulbul, ETC......

2012-04-13T11:58:00.001+05:30

Hi everybody what's been going on in your part of the world? It's definitely spring here, with a fair amount of rain, which is typical of this time of the year. Black-hooded oriole is a species of bird that has really tested my nerves when it comes to photographing them. This week I managed to get some barely presentable shots of one, and it did give me a run round my and a neighbor's gardens

The Uninvited Guest And The other Critters........

2012-04-07T00:45:00.001+05:30

Last night there was this small snake just outside the house, slithering close to a wall. I trapped it in a bottle and released it in to a block of land that has been left unattended for so long. I couldn't get any decent photos of it as my wife was freaking out while I handled it. I will upload the images to Lakdasun forum for possible identification. This Common Lime

Pecker And Fungi.....

2012-03-30T06:14:00.003+05:30

Hello people, how are things? I did manage to get something for you this week as I hoped last Friday. Here's a Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker (Dinopium benghalense) and a kind of fungi That I have photographed. Be back with more shots next Friday if the weather permits, we have started getting heavy rain after a really long spell of dry weather. Posted for World Bird Wednesday,

Back In Black..........

2012-03-23T23:54:00.000+05:30

Hey folks, it's wonderful to be back blogging again! I'm sorry for the long absence, but I'm back, and with some exiting stuff too. Last Saturday was a great day in my life, for I was able to bag a really magnificent bird of prey, a Crested Serpent Eagle! He was perched on a power pillar in a rice field nearby, probably looking for some game, and obliged me with these two presentable shots

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