I Feel Good..!

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 (Pycnonotus cafer)

This one is a female Asian Koel.


Asian Koel (Eudynamys scolopaceus )

A female Purple-rumped sunbird is in the bag too.


Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica)

This Boulenger's Bronzeback snake used to come to a   Citrus tree in the garden every day and lay still on a branch for hours, but it has been absent for two days now.


 Boulenger's BronzebackBronzeback,Dendrelaphis bifrenalis

This Oriental garden lizard was on the trunk of a mango tree in the garden next door.


Oriental Garden Lizard(Calotes versicolor)

I also photographed and filmed a millipede, a considerably  big specimen for this area.

This orb Weaver that I asw in the gardening was really small. Can any body provide me with the species name please?


Agriope sp

This Peacock Pansy was filmed in the garden today.




I didn't know that Weaver ants were such interesting creatures till  a local news paper published an article about them  recently. visit this link and see for yourself.

Weaver ant (Oecophylla smaragdina)

I saw a bug dragging a spider way too bigger, as I was working on one of my vegetable plants in the garden. I don't know weather the bug killed the spider or it just came across the carcass,    but I think the latter is more likely.



There are some caterpillars on my Winged bean plants . They don't do much damage to the plants, and I'm waiting to see what they develop in to.

Okay, that's about it, hope you would enjoy. Stay tuned, and wish me luck, I'll be posting again next Friday. Ciao!

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

Bother!

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 experience working online at such lower a connection speed. How ever, here's this wee butterfly I did manage to capture and some other photos out of my archives, which I believe I have   never posted before.

Plains Cupid (Euchrysops pandava)

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

 Common Myna(Acridotheres tristis)

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

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 to be declining, while the House Crow population is going up. Urbanization and increasing garbage dumps seem to have benefited the House Crow, and apparently Jungle Crows are not very good at competing with them.
  
Jungle Crow (Corvus macrorhynchos)

This is a juvenile Land Monitor I photographed in the garden.

       Land Monitor (Varanus bengalensis)

This butterfly is a Common Palmfly.


Common Palmfly, Elymnias hypermnestra

My last picture for this week is a  wee spider I saw on a flower-baring ornamental in the garden. If any body could ID it for me, I'll be grateful.

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

Oriole, Bulbul, ETC......

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.

Black-hooded Oriole, Oriolus xanthornus

Below are the other birds I managed to capture.

Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)

 Yellow-billed Babbler, Turdoides affinis

I also photographed  a female Common Mormon butterfly and  a gecko, which has to be Spotted House Gecko (Hemidactylus brookii parvimaculatus),  according to what Bushana says here, and caterpillar 
that I couldn't place.



female Common Mormon,  Papilio polytes

Spotted House Gecko (Hemidactylus brookii parvimaculatus)

 

Posted for Camera critters, Macro Monday, Best Posts and World Bird Wednesday.

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

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 butterfly was by the driveway when I took my little girl for walk last evening.


Common Lime butterfly,    Papilio demoleus

This beautiful beetle was on the bird feeder bowl yesterday morning. Do check the video out, I think it turned out nicely.

 


Birding has not been very good this week, I've only got a House Craw to show you guys. May be better luck next week, so stay tuned, I'll probably be posting in next Friday again.

House Crow (Corvus splendens)

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



P.S.- My friend Bushana  at Lakdasun has identified the snake to be Russel's Kukri Snake,(Oligodon taeniolatus ceylonicus), a non venomous endemic sub-species. Thanks Bushana!

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

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)