Gray Langur

A Gray Langur photographed in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka

The Gray Langur, or the Hanuman Langur, is the most widespread Langur in South Asia.  The name "Hanuman" is derived from the Hindu monkey god from the epic Ramayana. This species is widely distributed in Sri Lanka and can even be found in Colombo. A troupe of these monkeys frequents our garden throughout the year. Although the name "Hanuman Langur" is widely used in India to refer to the group as a singe species, seven species of the Gray Langur have been identified. Of these, the Tufted Langur Semnopithecus priam can be found in Sri Lanka. More images and info inside.

A Gray Langur photographed in Anuradhapura Sri Lanka

The diet of the Gray Langur consists of leaves, fruits and flowers. The diet is also seasonal with large leaves being eaten in the winter months and fruit. Insects, tree bark and gum are used to supplement the diet. 

Although these monkeys sleep in trees, they spend a considerable amount of time on the ground. They are most active during the day and can often be seen walking on all fours. They live in medium to large groups which usually have a dominant male. Adolescent males who have been expelled from the group form their own bachelor packs. These packs are known to attack the packs that expelled them, with the aim of challenging the alpha males leadership. If they are able to kill the alpha male, a power struggle will ensue and all the infants fathered by the alpha male will be killed.

In India, a relationship seems to have developed between the Chital and troops of the Northern Plains Gray Langurs (another subspecies). The Chital seem to benefit from the Langur's keen eyesight  and the ability to have a look out in the tree tops. The look out raises an alarm when a predator is observed in the vicinity. The Langurs benefit form the chitals superior sense of smell to warn them of predators when they are feeding on the ground.    

Koddiyar Bay - Sri Lanka

We visited Trincomalee, on the north eastern coast of Sri Lanka, in December 2009. 27 years had passed since my last visit and I was really looking forward to the trip. I was a toddler when we were up there last and, as a result, can't remember anything of the trip. These areas were inaccessible for a number of years due to the civil war which prevailed on the island. The war came to a bloody end in May of 2009 and since then, tourists have started traveling to these areas.  Read on for more info and images.

While we were in Trincomalee, we decided to drive down towards Koddiyar Bay which was around 12 km south of Trincomalee town. The Mahaveli, which is the longest river in Sri Lanka, flows out into the Indian Ocean at Koddiyar bay. We had no specific destination and just wanted to drive as far south as we possibly could. The road along the coast is pretty rough and progress was quite slow.

The Mahaveli flows into the Indian Ocean at 5 or 6 different points. The only bridge in the area is the Kinniya Bridge. Ferries have to be used to cross the other bodies of water. This adds a significant amount of time to the trip as the wait for a ferry could be hours long. 

Unfortunately we didn't get too far after we crossed the Kinniya bridge, as the roads had been washed away by the recent rain. We came to a small fishing village and saw that the fishermen were in the process of pulling the nets in. They told us that the road ahead was unusable so we got out of the car and walked over to watch them drag the nets in. 

Communicating with them was a bit of a problem as we knew English and Sinhalese and most of them knew only Tamil. The three men in the first photograph weren't too friendly and didn't say much as they sat mending their nets. However, they were all smiles as soon as they saw the camera. The guys in the image above had come down to the beach to purchase the catch and take it into town for sale. They were quite chatty and we were able to speak to them for sometime.

All the images on this post were captured on the beach at Koddiyar Bay.  They were captured using Canon 7D and a 400D cameras. The 7D had the 100-400mm lens on it while the 400D had 50mm f1.8 lens mounted on it. I decided to convert some of these images to black and white as I felt colour didn't really add anything to the images. The boat in the first image was a dark orange and I felt that it was drawing the viewers attention away from the fishermen.  

Indian Roller

The Indian Roller is a stocky bird measuring around 26-27cm in length and can only be confused within its range with the migratory European Roller. It is found in open grassland and forest areas ranging from Iraq to Thailand. More images and info after the jump.

These birds are usually seen perched on telephone wires or bare trees and descend to the ground to catch prey. They usually feed on insects, small reptiles and amphibians. The Indian Roller is not known to be shy of man and can even be found on cricket pitches in Colombo. They have been known to follow tractors in order to capture disturbed invertebrates. 

Because of its brown breast and dark blue wings it can look "quite dull" when it is perched. However, when it takes flight, the primaries and secondaries show vividly banded light and dark blue. In Sri Lanka, it is found throughout the lowlands and up to the mid hills but it is a lot commoner in the dry zone. Records show that the Indian Roller has been found at a density of 50 birds per square km in agricultural areas in southern India.

During the mating season, the male is known to perform aerobatic displays with lots of twists and turns. It is this behaviour that has led to its English name. The breeding season is from March until June and they nest in a lined hole in a tree or a building laying about 3 - 5 eggs. 

Since the  Indian Roller is very common in India, it features in several legends. Its local name is neelakant (which means blue throat), a name associated with the deity Shiva (who drank poison which resulted in a blue throat). In the past, captive Indian Rollers were released by local rulers during festivals. The Indian Roller has been chosen as the state bird of a number of Indian states.

While I was in Sri Lanka and traveling in the dry zone to Anuradhapura and Trincomalee, I saw this bird very very regularly. Every 2km stretch of the Habarana - Trincomalee road saw an Indian Roller perched on a telephone line. 

These images were captured with a Canon 7D and a 100-400mm lens.