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
Image by roosterfeather via FlickrThis little tortoise was crawling a neighborhood garden when I saw it. After taking some quick photos and video I set it free in to a stream in a nearby rice field. It was so small that two of the same size could easily have fitted in to my palm .
The link at the end of the post says that Indian Black Turtle or Indian Pond Terrapin (Melanochelys trijuga) is limited to the northern low wet and dry zone parts in Sri Lanka, but I've seen them often in the western province too, where there is still or slow flowing fresh water such as rice fields, ponds, rain-filled old granite mines etc.
It's said that these tortoises are near threatened. One factor which may contribute to that in Sri Lanka is that people have a taste for it's meat. Some people hunt these and some times these critters bite on fishing bait get themselves caught. Image by roosterfeather via Flickr
This link here provides a whole lot more information on Indian Black Turtle.
PS-Hi all, Looks like my identification of this animal is not entirely correct,as my friend Bushana says in his comment. I'll quote him here in case you don't notice it.
"............What you have photographed here is Spotted black turtle(Melanochelys trijuga thermalis) a sub species with a face with bright red, orange or yellow spots. This subspecies has wide distribution in Sri Lanka(It doesnot imply that it is common) and specimens were reported from varies places throughout the country such as Colombo, Jaffna, Trinco, Kandy,Anuradhapura, Tissamaharama, Kalpitiya, Welimada..etc. Other subspecies M.t.parkeri or Parker's Black turtle -comparatively larger than this one and no color spots on the face- is restricted to Northern part of the country. So as a species it is distributed throughout whole island in suitable habitats contrary to what it is said in the link you have given above............"
provides a whole lot more information on Indian Black Turtle.
