Pied Kingfisher - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

I hadn't photographed a Pied Kingfisher until my last trip to Arugam Bay in July. I came across a pair of them hunting along a small waterway on the side of the road. They were making short flights out over the water and hovering for a while and returning to their perch on a telephone wire. Fortunately for me, they hovered for long enough for me to take a few photographs.

More inside.

 Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Pied Kingfishers range from sub-Saharan Africa across to west Asia. The species found in Sri Lanka is considered to be a sub-species named leucomelanura. They are about 17cm in length and are white with a black mask. The males have a narrow second breast band while females have a broken breast band. The photographs above are of a male. It hunts by hovering over water to locate prey and then diving bill first to capture fish. 

Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. The conditions were not ideal as the clouds were a very bright background for these flight shots. I also had to push the ISO up to be able to shoot photographs of the birds in flight. I'm hoping to get some better shots in the future but they are not too bad for a first effort.

Paddyfield Pippit - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

The Paddyfield Pippit, a small passerine, is a common bird found in scrub, grassland and cultivated areas through Asia. I photographed these birds while driving to the Kudumbigala Monastery in July. It's a relatively plain looking bird with a streaked grey and brown body. However, measuring in at around the 15cm mark, it is large for a Pippit.

More photographs inside.

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

Richards Pippit and Blyths Pippit are similar in appearance to this species and differentiating them can be difficult in the winter month when they migrate into the area. 6 subspecies have been identified. The Paddyfiled Pippit is smaller, weaker in flight and has a shorter tail. 

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

This species breeds throughout the year, mainly in the dry season, and may have two or more broods in a year. The nest is built on the ground under a slightly prominent area which could be a push or a tuft of grass. A clutch usually consists of 3 - 4 eggs which are greenish in colour. When disturbed near the nest the parents may feign injury to distract predators.

Paddyfield Pippit (Anthus rufulus) - Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka

I came across these birds by the side of the road and photographed them from the car. I used the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens for all these photographs.

Black-winged Stilts - Yala, Sri Lanka

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Black-winged stilts are common waders found in most Sri Lankan tanks. Their distinct red legs and black wings make identification straightforward. I hadn't actually photographed this species before our last trip to Yala and was quite keen to get a few shots of them in flight.

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Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

We stayed at a house outside the park during our time in Yala. Just before leaving for Colombo, I walked down to the bottom of the garden and found a number of Black-winged Stilts in the tank adjacent to the property. The photographs on this post were shot during the 30 minutes I spent at the tank.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Males of this species are said to have a black back with a greenish gloss while female's backs have a brown hue. Immature birds are grey in colour  instead of black and have a sandy hue on their wings. The Black-winged Stilt belongs to the avocet family and mainly feed on insects and crustaceans.

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. If I were to take these shots again, I would probably get lower down to the ground and shoot at a similar level to the birds as they fly past.






  

Scarlet Basker - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Scarlet Basker is one of the easiest Dragonflies to identify in Sri Lanka. The male, pictured above, is a bright red colour which borders on being gaudy. They can be seen around most tanks (a tank is a man made lake).  I have photographed them on a number of occasions in the past. This post contains photographs I shot on our last trip to Sri Lanka.

More photographs inside.

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

In terms of appearance the female, photographed above, is a bit easier on the eye. It is yellow in colour and looks completely different to the male. Early starts paid off with these shots as the dragonflies were sluggish and allowed me to photograph them from quite close.

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

When time permits, I would like to attempt to photograph dragonflies with a macro lens and probably the extension tubes. I think the Scarlet Basker would be a good species to target for this, purely based on my luck to date.

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The difficulty in using a macro lens to photograph dragonflies would be handling the external light sources. I don't have a macro lighting kit or a ring flash (yet) so I use my speed lights handheld. I try not to use a tripod as setting it up may disturb the dragonfly.

Scarlet Basker (Urothemis signata signata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I didn't have to use additional lighting as there was sufficient natural light when these photographs were taken.

Superb Fairy-Wren - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

I have uploaded a couple of photographs of the Superb Fairy-Wren previously but thought I'd share a few more recent shots of the male of this species on this post. Again, the photographs were taken over a weekend spent on a friends farm in Sandy Hollow in the northern reaches of the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

More photographs inside.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

As with most Wrens, the Super Fairy Wren doesn't sit still for long. They spend their time hopping from branch to branch foraging in the undergrowth. Photographing these birds takes a fair bit of patience as you need to wait for them to appear in the open. Then you have to try and focus on the bird before it disappears again.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

I used AI Focus to track the birds while they moved about feeding. As soon as they stepped out into the open I hit the shutter release to take the photograph. It does sounds a lot easier than it actually was! The main issue I experienced while photographing these birds was focusing. As the camera would sometimes focus on the leaf litter or on a stray leaf. I couldn't pre-focus as the birds were unpredictable.

Superb Fairy-Wren (Malurus cyaneus) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

All the photographs on this post were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. A tripod wasn't use as the light was strong enough to use a quick shutter release.

Pied Parasol - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

I have photographed the Pied Parasol on a number of my early morning trips to Thalangama. They are fairly common in the area and can often be found perched close to the water. Although the male and female are completely different in terms of appearance, this species is unmistakable.

More photographs inside.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The adult male's wings (1st photograph) have a broad black band followed by a white band. It's body colour varies with age with juveniles initially having a light brown body. The females have dark brown tips with brown spots in the middle of their golden wings.  Their abdomens are light brown and yellow.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

This species is generally found around tanks, ponds, marshes, slow flowing streams and paddy fields. They can be found from the lowlands to the mid hills throughout the year. It can be found throughout South and south-East Asia.

Pied Parasol (Neurothemis tullia tullia) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I would like to start photographing dragonflies with a macro lens at some stage. This is probably a good species to start with as it let me get quite close to it without taking flight.

Cabbage White - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Sandy Hollow was full of Cabbage Whites when we visited over he Easter long weekend. Although I didn't do too much photography while we were there, I did take a few photographs of this species. Since butterflies are a bit sluggish in the morning, photographing them was a bit easier.

More photographs inside.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

The widespread populations of this common butterfly extend from Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The species has also been accidentally introduced to Australia, New Zealand and America. In the caterpillar stage, it causes a significant amount of damage to cabbages and crops of the mustard family.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

This species is one of the most "cold hardy" butterflies in the world. In America, the Cabbage White is one of the first species to appear from its chrysalis in spring. It is also occasionally seen during mid-winter spells in cities as far north ans Washington.

Cabbage White (Pieris rapae) - Sandy Hollow, Australia

These photographs were taken with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. No tripod was used as the light was sufficient.

White-browed Fantail - Yala Sri Lanka

White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The White-browed Fantail, also called the White-browed Fantail Flycatcher, is a common fantail found in the lowlands and the mid-hills of Sri Lanka. I saw this species in Yala, Anuradhapura, Kandy and Arugam Bay in July. However, I only photographed it in Yala.

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White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Measuring in at 18cm in length the fantail is a little larger than a house sparrow. Apart from its plumage, it's loud whistling song, the constant twitching of its tail and the regular opening and closing of its wings make this species unmistakable. It's nest is shaped like a cup and is made out of plant matter bound together with spider webs. A clutch consists of 2 or 3 cream coloured eggs with dark brown spots. The duties of building the nest, incubation and feeding the young are shared by both sexes.

White-browed Fantail (Rhipidura aureola) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All the photographs on in this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I pushed the ISO up a bit in order to use a faster shutter speed. No tripod was required.

 

Common Indian Tree Frog - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Common Indian Tree Frog (Polypedates maculatus) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Tree Frogs are quite common in Anuradhapura and have an annoying tendency to crawl into houses and take shelter in bathrooms. I've come across a number of them on several trips to the area but hadn't photographed them until our last trip in July.

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Common Indian Tree Frog (Polypedates maculatus) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Common Indian Tree Frog, also known as the Chunam Tree Frog, is found throughout South Asia. They have been identified as an endangered species by the IUCN. Measuring in at around the 7-8cm mark, these frogs are usually a shade of brown, yellow or grey with darker spots or markings. It's fingers are nearly un-webbed where as the toes are two thirds webbed.

Common Indian Tree Frog (Polypedates maculatus) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

These frogs are known to have day roosts which are used on a regular basis. They have a habit of wiping their skins with a secretion consisting of mucus and lipids to help reduce the loss of moisture. In warmer areas these frogs are known to secrete directly from the skin and adopt a lighter skin colour.

Common Indian Tree Frog (Polypedates maculatus) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Since these photographs were taken at night I had to use an off camera 430 EX II for additional light. Fortunately the Frogs in these photographs did not move around too much and made things a bit easier for me.

Wild Flowers - Sandy Hollow, Australia

Wild Flowers - Sandy Hollow, Australia

We were up at a friends farm in the upper Hunter Valley in New South Wales over the Easter weekend. On one of our walks I noticed that the wild flowers on the side of the road were back lit by the setting sun. It's not the sort of shot I take often but I thought I'd fire off a few frames and see how they turn out.

More photographs inside.

Wild Flowers - Sandy Hollow, Australia

I have started cropping images in a 2:1 ratio (first and third image as well as a few previous posts) and so far I've liked how they have turned out. This time I actually took the photograph with that particular crop in mind. Since this is not the usual type of shot that I upload on the blog, I'm pretty keen to see what you guys think. Please drop a comment below if you have a minute to spare.

 

Wild Flowers - Sandy Hollow, Australia

All the photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 24-105mm lens. Since the shutter speed was quite fast, I didn't have to use a tripod.

Mugger Crocodile - Yala, Sri Lanka

Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Mugger Crocodiles, or Marsh Crocodiles are fairly common in Sri Lankan national parks. They can often be seen on the banks of most water holes or submerged in them. I saw and photographed a number of them on drives through Yala and Wilpattu.

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Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Mugger can be found in and around the Indian subcontinent. It is primarily a fresh water crocodile but has some tolerance of salt water and has been seen in salt water lagoons. It prefers slow moving bodies of shallow water as opposed to fast flowing, deep rivers. It feeds on fish and other mammals which it seizes and drags into the water to drown and consume at leisure.

Mugger Crocodile (Crocodylus palustris) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

Grey Pansy - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Grey Pansies were out in large numbers in Thalangama through July and I was able to photograph them on every trip I made to the wetlands. Since most of my trips were early morning visits, I got there before they were too active and was able to get quite close to photograph them.

More photographs inside.

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Grey Pansy is a member of the nymphalid species and can be found throughout South Asia. This species is known to feed on the Lantana plant and a number of these photographs were taken while the butterfly had settled on one of them.

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The sexes of these species are similar although the female is larger than the male. This species is common in Sri Lanka and can be found up to an elevation of around 3500 feet. It is often seen in open grasslands, marshes and paddy fields. It can't be easily found throughout the year but it is believed that the population peaks around the monsoon season.

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Since I used a telephoto lens instead of a macro, I didn't need to use a flash for additional lighting.

Grey Pansy (Junonia atlites) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Fungus-eating Ladybird - Sydney, Australia

Fungus-eating Ladybird -  Sydney, Australia

Over the weekend I found a tiny ladybird on one of the plants on our balcony. Since I hadn't photographed the species before I grabbed the macro lens, extension tubes and a flash and started shooting. I came up with a number of decent images.

More photographs inside.

Fungus-eating Ladybird -  Sydney, Australia

The fungus-eating Ladybird, identified by the yellow and black markings on its body, is about 4mm in length. There are a number of yellow and black Ladybirds and I spent some time online trying to identify the correct species. Fortunately each species has a distinct black and yellow pattern on its back which simplified the task.

Fungus-eating Ladybird -  Sydney, Australia

As the name suggests, this species feeds on fungus and black mold on plants. It is fast moving and is known to take flight or drop when it is threatened. It is not a welcome garden pest as it is said to spread mould spores form plant to plant as it moves through the garden.

Fungus-eating Ladybird -  Sydney, Australia

I used the 7D and the 100mm Macro lens for all these photographs. For lighting I used a Canon 430 EX II fired from various positions off camera. I tried a couple of shots with the flash on the camera and found them to be a bit flat and boring. The off camera flash created a bit more depth and, in my opinion, produced better results.