Downpours After The Draught....

Many parts of Sri Lanka has just recovered from a very long drought, and it's endless rain, floods, landslides, you name it. None of the disasters around where I live, but bad news keep coming from around. It was quite a shock seeing what Sandy did over there in America, nothing like I've ever seen. I just wish these extreme conditions will cease to be, globally.  

I'm not updating this blog and visiting your blogs as frequently as I used to be, and there are a few reasons for that. I recently found myself spending too much time in front of the computer, and it was not good. I'm trying to improve my photography, going deeper in to exposure compensation, white balance, spot metering and stuff like that. So I spend more time taking my photos and post processing them. This results in me discarding lots of photos, so I don't have that many photos to upload any given week. A recent vermicompost  project  and a bit of gardening takes up time too. I'll probably post about it on my gardening blog soon.

And here are some birds I've been shooting. This one is an Asian Brown Flycatcher.



 Asian Brown Flycatcher (Muscicapa dauurica)

 This one is a Scaly-breasted Munia.

Scaly-breasted Munia or Spotted Munia (Lonchura punctulata)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

I'm also throwing in a video I made of  a bee goin in to and out of a flower. Check the shiny blue color of the bug.

     


All right, that's all I have for you folks for now, I 'll make a new post as soon as I get around doing it.

Check These Out......

Alexandrine Parakeet (Psittacula eupatria), male

 Crested Serpent Eagle, (Spilornis cheela)

? Asian Paradise Flucatcher

Dancing With Bubuls.......

I cant believe  I let my internet usage go over-limit in the first week of   a billing cycle! But I just did that, and there goes my connection speed down. You can hardly do anything online with a speed of 64kbps, hence the one month absence. But I'm back in the game again, so let's see  what I've shot all this time.

We visited my parents at my old place at Panadura on 15th last month, and stayed there for three weeks. There were some pretty tame White-browed Bulbuls that allowed me to get very close to them.


White-browed Bulbul ( Pycnonotus luteolus)

I particularly like this shot of a Scaly-breasted Munia captured on the same day.

This pretty striking caterpillar was on an ornamental that has been there since I was a small kid. Them caterpillars have been  on it ever since I remember too.

Look what I found in a sack of dirt that my father had kept in the shed. I could not identify it, so I uploaded in to Lakdasun forum and awaiting a reply.

That's about it for now, folks, drop by next week end to see if there's anything new. I'll be visiting you too. 


Camera Critters, Macro Monday   

Birds In motion....

Hello folks, I have got a few birds to show you, all in video. I simply didn't manage to make any good stills this week.


Here's a Shikra tearing at an Oriental Garden Lizard that it snatched off the ground in my garden. Not a very good video, you can't see what the bird id eating, or the bird it self properly because of the impossible place it perched on our t tree,   but I thought I'd post it anyway.

Shikra (Accipiter badius)

This is an endemic Ceylon Small Barbet.

Ceylon Small Barbet(Megalaima rubricapillus)

This Common Tailorbird was  on our Hibiscus plant.

Common Tailorbird (Orthotomus sutorius)

Finally, a Black-rumped Flameback Woodpecker, also filmed in my garden.

 

Creeapy Nightcrawlers & Others.....

Folks ready to see what I've bagged this week? Well, I'd start with the birdies first, and here's  a male purple-rumped sunbird pecking at his own reflection.

Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)

This Pelican was at a nature park we visited last Friday.

Spot-billed Pelican(Pelecanus philippensis)

 

This Grizzled Giant Squirrel was enjoying a little snack off our breadfruit tree. 

grizzled giant squirrel (Ratufa macroura)

  

Now, for the mini-beasts. This is  a grasshopper on one of my Bell pepper plants.

 Another night-patrol-in-the-garden-with-a-flashlight revealed a spider and another bug. Could anybody help me ID the spider?

 

 Well, that's all for now, hope to show you more come next weekend, have a good time!

Camera Critters, Macro Monday, Wild Bird Wednesday.  

 

 

 

 

A Colorful World......

Hello folks, how's the summer? It's not bad here, though I didn't have  much of a chance to take advantage of it, as things have been a bit hectic at home lately. However, I did have a little walk in my birding patch last Saturday,  and managed to bag a few creatures well up on the color front.

So, here's Woody-woodpecker to start with.

Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense) Woodpecker

 

White-browed Bulbuls are always abundant in the birding patch.

White-browed Bulbul, Pycnonotus luteolus

This is the very first appearance of  a Scarlet Minivet on Wild Sri Lanka.


Scarlet Minivet, Pericrocotus flammeus



Here is another newcomer,  a Common Iora.

Common Iora (Aegithina tiphia)





Now, to the butterflies. This is a common lime.


Common Lime, Papilio demoleus

 The next two butterflies are absolute newcomers too.

Common Jezebel (Delias eucharis)

Crimson Rose (Atrophaneura hector





And finally, a Plain Tiger.


Plain Tiger,Danaus chrysippus




Well, that wasn't a bad trip at all! I'll probably make a new post on this weekend, so stay tuned!


Camera Critters, Macro Monday, World Bird Wednesday.  

Nector For The Sunbird.....

The rain continues, and I'm restless, unable take my camera out and shoot all kinds of creatures around to my heart's content. This sloppy video of  a Loten's Sunbird will have to do for this week.( sigh!)

Sour-beaked Parrot & Others......

Hey, folks, sorry for not posting for two weeks! The rain continues to pour down here, with me struggling to do some photography when things get a bit dry every now & then. Today's highlight is this Rose-ringed Parakeet I spotted on our Bilimbi tree.  The fruit is extremely sour, & a very important in local cuisine both as  a substitute for lime & some very palatable side dishes to go with rice. The fruit can be eaten raw too, but I'd say no thanks!


Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

This is  a caterpillar of Blue Tiger butterfly. It was on a Wattakaka volubilis plant, which happens to be this butterfly  species' host plant.

Caterpillar of Blue Tiger (Tirumala limniace)

I have a habit of getting in to the garden at night, aiming a flashlight here & there as I go. This has proven to be an excellent way to spot all kinds of interesting creatures. Below are a moth I spotted on a Solanum plant
and a Juvenile Oriental Garden Lizard on a Lantana.

Oriental Garden Lizard (Calotes versicolor)

Well, that's about it folks, thanks for visiting, all comments are  welcome! I'll probably post again on next Saturday, stay tuned!


Camera Critters, Macro Monday, World Bird Wednesday.  

After The Rain....

It rained a lot this week, except for today and yesterday. When the sun appears after a period of rain, it brings out all kinds of creatures to the open, only I didn't have much time to go about photographing them. Here is a few shots I did manage get though.

White Fourring, Ypthima ceylonica

three stripped palm squirrel (Funambulus palmarum)

Brown-headed Barbet  (Megalaima zeylanica)

 Pink Skimmer, Orthetrum pruinosum

Posted for Camera Critters, Macro Monday, World Bird Wednesday.

Shikra, Bushchat,Mantis,Moth

Hello folks, what's been going on in your corner of the world? We have had a bit of a rainfall over here, which didn't help photographing wildlife. But I did get some interesting ones within my garden and here they are!

Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Praying Mantis

Moth

Pied Bushchat (Saxicola caprata)

Posted for Camera Critters, Macro Monday, World Bird Wednesday.

Two Newcomers & Some Others..........

Below is the highlight of this weeks photos, a  couple of Golden-fronted Leafbirds that I bagged today in the morning at the Ethugala rock forest area. This is the first time I've ever photographed these beauties.


Golden-fronted Leafbird (Chloropsis aurifrons)

These two Toque Macaque monkeys were captured during not very far from where the birds were.

 toque macaque (Macaca sinica)

Interesting creatures keep bumping on to me in the garden, even in the house. This hairy caterpillar was on the back doorstep.

As I took the caterpillar out and tried get a macro of it, a rustling sound under my seed trays betrayed the presence of this skink. I think it's the same one which was in the compost bin, as it's just about the same size and always hangs around where I keep my gardening stuff.

I also managed to capture  some woodpeckers and a Rose-ringed Parakeet.



 Black-rumped Flameback (Dinopium benghalense)

 Rose-ringed Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

I'm also throwing in a very sinister-looking caterpillar I found on my curry plant and a spider on a tomato plant.

I'm really happy to show you folks such a mix bag of creatures, hope you would enjoy. Wish me luck for some more photos in the week to come, and drop by around next Saturday.



Posted for Camera Critters, Macro Monday, World Bird Wednesday.