Wiggly snake

Can anybody tell me what this is?

This little snake was curled up in my compost pile. Found it as I was turning the pile. Captured it in a jam jar and filmed it, then released it in a nearby abandoned land. I will be grateful for any help pinning down an ID on this one.

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   

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. 

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!

Fresh Water Snake

I saw a few of these in a garden pond today. This has to be either the endemic Sri Lanka Keelback (Xenochrophis asperrimus) or The Checkered Keelback   (Xenochrophis piscator), I'm not sure.