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.

More photographs inside.

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.

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.

More inside.

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

Indian Peafowl - Yala, Sri Lanka

Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Indian Peafowl are a common sight in the dry zone jungles of Sri Lanka and are probably one of the most easily recognisable birds in the area. The male has an unmistakable train of elongated blue and green upper tail covert feathers and a metallic blue crown and neck. The female doesn't have the train of feathers or the same bright plumage.

More photographs inside.

Indian Peacock (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Peafowl are native to the Indian Subcontinent but have been introduced to many other parts of the world. In Sri Lanka they are common in the dry zone and have adapted to living around areas populated by humans. In India the bird is protected by religious sentiment and can be found foraging around villages and towns.

Indian Peahen (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The male's tail is fully developed after it reaches the 4 year mark. Interestingly the blue and green colours of the Peacock are not a result of pigmentation but the micro-structure of the feathers themselves. The males are known for raising their train in the shape of a fan and quivering them as part of a courtship display.

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Peafowls forage in small groups called musters which usually consist of a Peacock and 3 - 5 Peahens during the breeding season and only Peahens and young. Their diet consists of berries, grain, snakes, lizards and small rodents. They are most active at dawn and dusk and tend to stay hidden during the heat of the day. When disturbed they prefer to run through the undergrowth and will avoid taking flight.

Indian Peafowl (Pavo cristatus) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All the photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Unfortunately I didn't see any Peacocks with raised feathers during this trip. 




 

Little Green Bee-eater - Sri Lanka

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Little Green Bee-eater is a common sight throughout Sri Lanka's dry zone and can often be heard twittering in open grasslands. Its Blue/Green chin makes it easy to differentiate this species from other Bee-eaters found in Sri Lanka (Blue-tailed Bee-Eater, Chestnut-headed Bee-eater and the European Bee-eater).

More photographs inside.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

On my last trip to Sri Lanka I photographed this species on a number of occasions in Yala, Panama and Anuradhapura. Most of these photographs were taken when the species was perched on branches at or below eye level. Later on I read that Bee-eaters in Sri Lanka seem to divide the airspace vertically with the Green Bee-eater occupying the lower part,  the Chestnut-headed Bee-eater occupying the middle region and the upper region occupied by the Blue-tailed Bee-eater.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

This species of Bee-eater is distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Western Arabia and Asia. Several variations in plumage can be found across different regions and a number of subspecies have been identified. Some populations are said to move around seasonally but patterns have not been observed.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Green Bee-eater's diet mainly consists of insects including Bees, Wasps and Ants which are caught in flight. This species seems to hunt from perches which are relatively close to the ground (less than a meter in height). Once it captures it's prey it can often be seen thrashing the insect on its perch to get rid of stingers and the exoskeleton.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Yala, Sri Lanka

This species is also known to sand bathe quite frequently (picture below) and have been known to bathe in water too. These birds are solitary nesters and their nests are tunnels dug into a sandy bank (some can be as deep as five feet). A clutch consists of 3-5 eggs which are incubated by both sexes. The eggs take 14 days to hatch and chicks fledge in 3 - 4 weeks.

Little Green Bee-eater (Merops orientalis) - Panama, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. Photographing these birds in flight is tough as their flight paths are not predictable. I haven't been too successful at getting decent flight shots of them to date but will keep trying.

Three-spot Grass Yellow - Sri Lanka

Three-spot Grass Yellow (Eurema blanda) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Three-spot Grass Yellow is a common butterfly belonging to the Pieridae family. It's range covers both the wet and dry zones of Sri Lanka. I've photographed this species in Thalangama, Yala and Anuradhapura on a number of occasions.

More photographs after the jump.

Three-spot Grass Yellow (Eurema blanda) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Its wingspan is about 40-50mm and the three spots, after which it is named, are visible on the underside of the fore wing. The spots can be clearly seen when the butterfly settles on a perch as it closes its wings. Both sexes are alike and this species is similar in appearance to the common grass yellow.

Three-spot Grass Yellow (Eurema blanda) - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. The images on this post have been slightly cropped. I probably could have got a bit closer to the butterfly to photograph it but I didn't want to risk scaring it off.

More Leopards - Sri Lanka

Leopard - Yala, Sri Lanka

I've still got a number of photographs of Leopard taken in Sri Lanka which I have not had a chance to share until now. The photograph above was our ninth and last sighting of a Leopard in Yala. We saw it on the further side of an open plain near the entrance to the park. We watched it for about ten or fifteen minutes while it walked over, crossed the road and disappeared into the undergrowth.

More photographs inside.

Leopard - Yala, Sri Lanka

Unfortunately when we came across this Leopard it was late in the evening and the light wasn't great. I had to push up the ISO to around 640 for this one but in hindsight I should have pushed it up further. Although this would have added to the "noise" I would have been able to use a faster shutter speed.

Leopard Cub - Yala, Sri Lanka

The photograph was taken during the sighting at Karaw Gas Wala. The cub seemed a bit reluctant to cross the road with a couple of jeeps being parked nearby. However, it did work up the courage to cross the road and I was able to take a number of photographs of it in the open.

Leopard - Wilpattu, Sri Lanka

This was the first Leopard we saw when we drove into the Wilpattu National Park. It was only about 5 minutes away from the main gate in an area which "didn't have too many animals". It was a good start to a three hour drive in the park.

All these photographs were taken with the 100-400mm lens and the Canon 7D. The ISO had to be pushed up to around 400 or more as the light wasn't the best.

Green Skimmer - Yala, Sri Lanka

Green Skimmer (Ortherum sabina sabina) - Yala, Sri Lanka

Between the morning and afternoon drives through the Yala national park I spent some time experimenting with my macro lens. I'm still getting the hang of using it but it was very early days in Yala. Fortunately the harsh midday light ruled out the need for a flash and simplified things for me.

More photographs inside.

Green Skimmer (Ortherum sabina sabina) - Yala, Sri Lanka 

This Green Skimmer was a cooperative subject and was content to sit still while I played around with auto-focus and manual focus. I also had extension tubes on which made focusing quite difficult. I used the macro lens for the first and third photographs on this post.

 

Green Skimmer (Ortherum sabina sabina) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Green Skimmer is also known as the Green Marsh Hawk and can be found in parts of Africa, Asia and Australia. Both sexes are similar in appearance and can be identified by the shape of the abdomen, dilated first three segments and the alternating yellow-green and black pattern.

Green Skimmer (Ortherum sabina sabina) - Yala, Sri Lanka

It is a very common dragonfly in Sri Lanka and can be found around tanks, ponds, irrigation channels and rice fields. It's range covers the low country and extends up into the hills. I have photographed them on a number of occasions in Thalangama, Yala and Arankelle.

Green Skimmer (Ortherum sabina sabina) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D. The 100mm macro was used for the first and third photographs while the 100-400mm lens was used for the others. Fortunately I didn't have to use a flash for any of these photographs.

Ashy Prinia - Yala, Sri Lanka

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia, also known as the Ashy Wren-Warbler, is found throughout Sri Lanka but it is commoner in the dry zone. I had photographed this species previously, on a trip to Anuradhapura a few years ago and got another opportunity to photograph it in Yala last year.

More photographs after the jump.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

These Prinias are found in grassland, woodland, scrub and even gardens in major cities. They are found in the Indian sub-continent as well as western Burma. In some regions the plumage of the bird varies based on season. The race found in Sri Lanka, brevicauda, is said to be endemic and varies in terms of plumage and tail length.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia is known for making snapping noise, thought to be produced by the wings, while in flight. Some authors suggest that the noise is made by snapping its tail while others think it is produced by the birds mandibles.  

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

During the breeding season these birds build nests close to the ground in shrubs or tall grass and lays around 3 - 5 eggs. The breeding season varies from area to area but is generally after monsoons. The birds are thought to be monogamous and both sexes are involved with incubating the eggs and feeding the young.

Ashy Prinia (Prinia socialis brevicauda) - Yala, Sri Lanka

All these photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. The birds were flying in and out of some shrubs when I saw them. Getting a clear shot was a bit of a challenge as they didn't perch on exposed branches very often. 

Oriental White-eye - Sri Lanka

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

The Oriental White-eye is a common bird found in the lowlands in both the dry and wet zones of Sri Lanka. It can be found in the mid hills as well but is rarely seen at higher elevations. On my last trip to Sri Lanka I was able to photograph these birds in Thalangama, Yala and Kandy.

More photographs inside.

 Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

It is similar in appearance to the endemic Sri Lankan White-eye but is lighter in colour and slightly smaller. Both species can be seen in mixed flocks. Their presence is often given away by their constant calling while they move through the undergrowth. Their diet consists of nectar as well as small insects and other invertebrates.

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The White-eye's range stretches east from the Indian subcontinent to Southeast Asia as far as Malaysia and Indonesia. A number of subspecies have been recognised throughout this range. Their habitat varies form scrub to moist forests.

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka 

White-eyes are social birds and form flocks which separate only during the breeding season which stretches from February to September, with April considered a peak. Their nests are shaped like cups and are built out of cobwebs, lichen and plant fiber. Two eggs are laid and they hatch in about 10 days.

 

Oriental White-eye (Zosterops palpebrosa) - Yala, Sri Lanka

The hardest part of photographing these birds was getting them on an open perch for a clear shot. The fact that they are constantly on the move and quick, didn't help matters. These photographs were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.




   

Black-fronted Babbler - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

I photographed a flock of Black-fronted Babblers in Thalangama while they foraged through the undergrowth. I hadn't photographed them prior to this and was quite happy that I was able to move quite close to them and fire off a number of frames.

More photographs inside.

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

These Babblers are found in India and Sri Lanka. Three subspecies have been found in Sri Lanka, one each in the dry, wet and hill zones of the island. The species found in India have a complete black hood while the Sri Lankan species, pictured here, have a black mask.

 

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

They are weak in flight and tend to clamber up vegetation when startled. Their diet consists mainly of insects. Like most Babblers the Black-fronted Babblers are noisy birds and their presence is often given away by their calls. They are also known to join mixed species feeding flocks.

Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Breeding season is between May and July and a clutch usually consists of two eggs. Nests are often built low down on bushes and shrubs. The nest is said to look like some dry leaves that have got stuck in a bush with an opening on one side.

  Black-fronted Barbet (Rhopocichla atriceps siccata) - Thalangama, Sri Lanka

Photographing these birds wasn't hard as they were foraging when I found them and they weren't bothered by me being around. I had to keep looking around to find birds which had hopped out onto an exposed perch in order to get a clear shot. All photographs on this post were taken with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.