At The Lake In Kandy.........................

I spent a little time at the lake in Kandy last Thursday. I like this particular lake for the photographic opportunities it offers. On one side of the lake there are some dead trees fallen in to it and you can always see a variety of waterbirds, turtles and huge water monitors perched on them and enjoying the sun.  Inhabiting a lake in the middle of a very thickly populated city, these birds are not as vary of us humans. However, this photography expedition didn't go all that well, the sunlight was way too bright, and I haven't    got the hang of exposure compensation and spot metering. Dah!.....

Asian Openbill Stork/ Anastomus oscitans


















Black-crowned Nigt Heron/ Nycticorax nycticorax

 





















Black-crowned Night Heron /Nycticorax nycticorax Juvenile

Little Cormorant /Microcarbo niger/දියකාවා

Parker's Black Turtle/ Melanochelys trijuga parkeri/ පාකර්ගේ ගල් ඉබ්බා

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 


















Water Monitor/Varanus salvator salvator/ කබරගොයා

This Is What You Call A Cooperative Subject

I take most of my photos as I walk home from work in the evening. I walk to my work place in the morning too, but usually in a hurry. This morning I could leave home earlier, so I took some time taking pictures on the way. That's how I captured this Indian Pond Heron  (Ardeola grayii) Perched on a coconut palm.  

King The Fisher

A Few Days of Sun Has Brought Many Critters To The Open

Image by roosterfeather via FlickrThe topic of this post is different from what I said it would be on my last post,but the originally intended content is included,plus some more.Apparently the consistent downpour that caused so many trouble is over,and the last few days has been warm,humid and sunny. I've observed and photographed a variety of creatures during this time,and here they are.This Lesser Whistling-duck (Dendrocygna javanica) was the recent for the originally intended post title, Quack Quack!   I didn't know of these till I saw this post by my blogger friend Amila.  I was on the look for this one ever since, till I finally saw this one floating in  small tank at a village a little off from Kurunegala. 

Image by roosterfeather via FlickrA small flock of  Scaly-breasted Munia, Lonchura punctulata were near a paddy filed yesterday,eating the seeds of some tall grass. I couldn't focus on their face though,I'd try my luck again.  




 



Spotted Dove (Spilopelia chinensis) are nesting, and I see some incubating and building nests at my workplace. I tried to capture one carrying a twig in the beak, but failed. But I got this shot.  










Red-wattled Lapwings (Vanellus indicus) are clearly enjoying the sunny weather too.










Ever-present Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) is seen in both small flocks as well as individuals pecking parasites off grazing cows and buffaloes.  



































Image by roosterfeather via Flickr








I photographed this Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) today as I walked home after work. They seem to prefer being in water.







Image by roosterfeather via Flickr

Last Sunday morning allowed me to capture this Indian Pond Heron or (Ardeola grayii).













Image by roosterfeather via Flickr This Oriental Magpie Robin (Copsychus saularis), like the Spotted Dove, is from within my working place premises.







                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Butterflies  have been plentiful around here too. This one is a Common Pierrot (Castalius rosimon).


                                                  

Common Grass Yellow butterflies have found my Sesbania grandiflora plant,there are a few caterpillars and a pupa already.


















Dragonflies and damsels have also appeared in considerable numbers, with notably many juveniles. This Pink Skimmer(Orthetrum  pruinosum) is from my garden.  












I saw this marsh dancer on a plant in a foot path leading to a paddy field.


Allow me to finish this post with this water strider from my garden pond. Could you guys tell me the binomial name? I've got some more photos, but it's 1.40 a.m. and I can't go on. Stay put, take care! 

                                                                                                                           

Blue-eared Kingfisher, (Alcedo meninting)

There were three of these birds at the dirty canal I talked about earlier. They were extremely vary of me at first and took flight when I got barely close enough for a video. But I observed that they came round every time.   Then I realized why. They were feasting on  Thilapia  Juveniles which were swarming that part of the canal. So I decided to hang around a little, hoping they would get used to me,and they did. Eventually, I was able to get as close to them as teen feet, roughly. But these kingfishers being quite small, even that wasn't close enough for my camera to make a well zoomed and focused footage, but this turned out a little better than my earlier video of the same species. I 'll keep trying, with them as well as White-breasted Kingfishers.   

White-breasted Waterhen

This video is the result of weeks of waiting and observing one single spot near a paddy field in Kurunegala. On the route I've chosen to walk between my workplace and home is a big shallow hole close to a rice field that gets filled by the rain in the rainy season. That's where I saw an opportunity to have a go at a  White-breasted Waterhen(Amaurornis phoenicurus), locally known as Korawakka . But it was no easy task. These birds will remain in the open as long as I leave them alone, but dash in to hiding if I so much as  just look at them. But today in the morning I got lucky with one. Having made a couple of videos, I moved on for work. Although it was pretty hot and humid when m,y work was over, I decided to walk home with out taking a bus, hoping I'd be lucky again. And this time there were two of them. I couldn't get the two together in the video though. Like some scientific information of this bird?   

Red-Wattled Lapwing

I took these photos on one bank of the canal I talked about earlier. I can recognize this particular bird from the rest of its flock with it's thinner built and the indifference it has started showing for my presence around the canal.

Vibrant Life In A Dirty Canal -5, Indian Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii grayii)

This is yet another frequently  seen bird around the canal. A white -breasted Kingfisher attacked this heron while I was making this footage, but it doesn't show so well in the video. Sigh. The colors are of breeding plumage. This bird is locally known as Kanakoka.


 

Vibrant Life In A Dirty Canal- 5, Blue- Eared Kingfisher (Alcedo meninting)

This is the first ever and only Blue-Eared Kingfisher Alcedo meninting I've seen. Hopefully I 'll have better videos and more information for you in the future. Follow this link till then.

Vibrant Life In A Dirty Canal 4, Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) Aka Eli Koka

Here is another commonly seen bird in and around the dirty canal. Dambulla Road is very close to this canal, and lots of these birds are nesting on trees at the very edge of the road, undisturbed by thousands of traffic and people passing by everyday. Wanna learn more about   Little Egret ?                                                                          

 Wings in the wetlands: A photographic portfolio

Vibrant Life In A Dirty Canal 2- Little Cormorant (Microcarbo niger) Aka Diyakawa

This bird is a very skilled diver. They are capable of floating on water surface like ducks. It's nice to see how they float like that and suddenly dive in ti catch fish. I'll try to make a footage of such a dive. Learn more about Little Cormorant.... 

Vibrant Life In A Dirty Canal 1- Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) Aka Kirala

Close to my work place is a canal that functions as an outlet to a nearby wewa ( man made lake to collect rain water, one of the historical marvels of Sri Lanka) that goes through the south part of the city of Kurunegala. Lots of garbage gets dumped to the canal at many points. But despite that, an interesting number of critters find shelter and food in the canal. If the garbage continues to find it's way in to the canal, there populations will inevitably thin out. Most of the critters I see three is wetland birds, and there is a considerable population of introduced and invasive Thilapia too. Whats in the video below is some Red-wattled Lapwings. Stay put to see the other critters with time to come.    

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) Or Pilihuduwa

 These beautiful birds are very accurate hunters. Prefers habitats where there is plenty of water, but a frequent sight in home gardens too. I've often seen them perched patiently on tree branches pr power cables  above streams or what ever with naturally filled water, and then coming down on it like an arrow to snatch a  fish,crab or a frog. Learn more.....       

Red-wattled Lapwings(Vanellus indicus) In a Paddy Field

I recorded this video today at a Paddy field in Kurunegala. These birds always seen where there is plenty of water, such as Paddy fields and wetlands.   Lots of scientific information about Red-wattled Lapwing is available here.