Mating Sri Lankan Rat Snakes

We have had Rat Snakes (more commonly called gerandiya's) in our garden for as long as I can remember. They are non-venomous snakes that feed on all sorts of reptiles, insects, birds and small mammals. Although I had been seeing them quite frequently, I had never seen them mating till last December. More info and images inside.

I was walking around the garden, with the camera in my hand, when I came across these two fairly large specimens mating. Since I hadn't seen two rat snakes of opposite sexes at the same time, I was quite surprised by the difference in colour. I'm still not a 100% sure if the colour is dependant on the sex as, according to some web sites, there seems to be a variation depending on the age of the snake.

As shown in the image above, the lower three quarters of the snakes bodies were entwined throughout. However, their fore-bodies were raised almost all the time. According to the gardener they had been in this position for a couple of hours. Although this statement has to be taken with a pinch of salt, they would have been locked in this manner for a considerable amount of time. They finally separated and quite literally went their own ways. After a short time the male (darker in colour) changed direction and followed the female. He was followed by a second male who was much smaller and hadn't been noticed by us. The second male may have been attracted to the area as a result of the pheromones being released.

The shot above shows the lower part of the two snakes. 

According to one of the websites I was reading, these snakes produce a variety of sounds, ranging from a hiss to a low growl! They also discharge a bad odour when they feel threatened. 

The rat snake is oviparous and clutches contain 9-14 eggs. Females are known to guard the eggs and incubation takes around 60 days. These snakes can also climb trees. When confronted their initial reaction is to escape as soon as possible but if cornered they can bite. Although they are non venomous, their bite can cause wounds.

These images were taken with a Canon 7D and a canon 100-400mm lens. The light wasn't great as the snakes were in the shadows and the garden in the background was quite bright. The snakes were also moving around a fair bit and getting a sharp capture was not easy. A flash would have been helpful but I didn't have one with me. I didn't want to use the on camera flash as it would have "flattened" the image.

Asian Groundling

The Asian Groundling is a common dragonfly found throughout Sri Lanka and also in many other Asian countries. These images were captured in Anuradhapura. Read on for more info and images.

The Asian Groundling is also known as the Ditch Jewel, the Asian Amberwing and the Common Amberwing. The wings of the male Asian Groundling are orange in colour where as the females have clear wings.  This is visible in the image bellow where the female was facing the camera.

These dragonflies can be found around ponds, lakes, drains and pretty much where ever there is water. The images on this post were captured on the banks of the Tissa Wewa in an uncultivated paddy field. 

These images were captured with a canon 7D which had a 100-400mm lens mounted on it. Unfortunately the 100-400mm has a minimum focusing distance of around 1.8 meters and therefore I was unable to get really close to the dragonflies.  What I found most annoying about shooting these images was the fact that I had to actually back away from the dragonflies to capture these shots!

I think I need to invest in a good macro lens soon. Maybe the new 100mm f2.8 IS L lens??? Food for thought....

Puliyankulam Tank - Anuradhapura

Puliyankulam is a relatively small tank and is situated on the A9 highway north of Anuradhapura. It is about a ten minute drive from the centre of town and is definitely worth a visit. For those of you who are not aware of what a "tank" is, it is a man made lake that is used for irrigation. The north central province of Sri Lanka is covered with a number of tanks that have been built over a thousand years ago, with the aim of collecting rain water in order to cultivate paddy in the drier months. More info and images after the jump.

We visited the tank one evening in January with the hope of doing some bird watching. It was around five in the evening when we got there and the light was fantastic for photography. Apart from a herd of water buffalo, we had the place to ourselves. As can be seen in the first and third images of this post, there was an abundance of lush green grass growing in the fertile soil around the tanks and in the shallows. Beyond the grasses the tank was covered with lotus and the area was teeming with bird life. Our sightings that evening included Common Kingfishers, Egrets, Grebes and Darters. 

We didn't wonder around too much to be honest.  We found a large rock on which we sat while watching the sun dip below the horizon. I'm an outdoors person and this to me, was one of the best ways to spend an evening, surrounded by wildlife and far away from the hustle and bustle of a city. 

All the images on this post were captured using the 7D with the 100-400mm lens mounted on it. These images must be viewed large.

Asian Brown Flycatcher

The Asian Brown Flycatcher is an insectivorous species which breeds in Japan, Eastern Siberia and the Himalayas. It is a migrant and winters in Southern India and Sri Lanka.  More info after the jump.

This species is about 13cm in length and is similar in shape to the larger spotted flycatcher.  The dark bill is relatively large and is broad based. The adult has grey-brown upper parts which become greyer as the plumage ages. The under parts are whitish with brown tinged flanks. Younger birds have scaly brown upper parts, head and breast.

   

This bird is quite vocal and is a canopy dweller. It is found in different habitats, including urban gardens, as long as there are plenty of mature trees. It is usually detected by its regular somewhat loud calls. It has a habit of flying in a loop to catch prey and return to its perch.

I hadn't seen this species in our garden until December 2009. It turned out to be a regular visitor and was frequently seen feeding in the evenings. As usual it was it's call that gave away its presence. In order to capture these images I climbed up onto the roof near one of the birds regular perches. I used a Canon 7D with the 100-400mm lens to capture these images. 

Ruwanweliseya - Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Ruwanweliseya Stupa, which is considered an architectural marvel, was built by King Dutugemunu. It is also known as Mahathupa, Swarnamali Chaitya and Rathnamali Dagaba. The Stupa is one of the worlds tallest monuments, standing at 300 feet with a circumference of 950 feet. More info and images after the jump.

According to ancient texts, the raw materials used during construction included, Gold, Silver, Pearls, Coral,  clay bricks, Copper and precious gems. Construction work on the Stupa began on the full moon day during the Vesak period (April - May). According to Buddhism, the Vesak full moon day is considered sacred as numerous important events took place on this day. These included the birth and passing of the Buddha, his arrival in Sri Lanka and the arrival of Prince Vijaya to Sri Lanka.

The foundation stone was laid during the full moon in June - July. The King had 8 large water pots of gold and 8 of silver placed in the midst of the great Stupa. Around these pots he had a hundred and eight vases placed. He also had eight bricks of gold placed in the eight corners of the Stupa and a hundred and eight silver bricks placed around each of the gold bricks.

After the Buddha's Parinibbana (passing) his relics were enshrined and worshipped in Stupas by Princes of eight countries (two quarts in each country). The two quarts of the relics which were enshrined in the village of Ramagama were, according to the Buddha's determination, destined to be enshrined in the great Stupa Ruwanveli.  King Dutugemunu took the relics on his head and circumambulated the relic chamber, which he entered from the east, three times and placed the relics on a silver couch which was arranged on the north side. When the enshrining of the relics was completed, two novices closed the relic chamber with two stone blocks.

King Dutugemunu passed away while gazing at the Ruwanweliseya when the great Stupa was completed up to the tenth square turret. He had ruled Sri Lanka for a period of 24 years. The construction was completed by his brother King Saddhatissa.
Source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruwanwelisaya

I captured these images in January 2010 when I last visited Anuradhapura. They were taken using a Canon 7D with a 100-400mm lens mounted on it. The first two images were captured across Tissa Wewa, while the third was captured from across a smaller tank. Ruwanweliseya is the larger of the two Stupas visible in the first image. The second is Mirisavetiya.

Purple-rumped Sunbird

The Purple-rumped Sunbird (Leptocoma zeylonica) is endemic to the Indian subcontinent . Like other Sunbirds, it is small in size and feeds on nectar and the occasional insect.  More images and info inside.

These birds are around 10cm in length and have a curved bill of medium length.  They also have brush tipped tubular tongues. The males, shown in the first image, have a dark brown upper side with a blue-green crown. The crown is clearly visible at certain angles when the sun catches it. The violet patches on the throat and the rump are only visible in good light. Both the blue-green crown and the violet patches on the throat are visible in the image below. The female has a white throat and a yellowish breast.

These birds common and can be found in most gardens, even in major cities. These images were shot in a garden in the heart of Colombo. These birds are found in varying habitats ranging from scrub to habitats with trees and even cultivated areas. It is usually not found in dense forests.   

The Purple-rumped Sunbird breeds throughout the year and may have two broods. The nest is made up of fine plant fibres and cobwebs. The exterior of the nest is decorated with pieces of bark and lichens. The nest is generally built on the end of a branch and is elaborate and pear shaped. The nests also have a distinctive entrance roof above the entry hole. A clutch consists of about two eggs which are oval in shape and are pale green and white with spots and streaks. Chicks fledge in about 17 days. Other females and possibly the young from the previous brood help the parents feed the young.

Since the birds tend to perch when feeding on nectar from flowers, they pollinate many plant species. They do not hover as much as the Loten's sunbird. They are said to maintain special scratching posts which they use to get rid of pollen and nectar stuck to their heads. 

    

These shots were taken with a Canon 7D with the 100-400mm lens mounted on it. I used an ISO of around 400 in order to control the noise and use a fast shutter speed. I was fortunate to be able to approach these birds and shoot in fairly close proximity. As a result, the images on this post were only very slightly cropped.

 

Havelock Place Bungalow - Food Photography

Bread & Butter

This post is a bit different from the usual. I took a few shots of the Food at the Havelock Place Bungalow in December and in this post I will describe how each of the five shots were taken and lit. All the shots were taken with a Canon 50mm f1.8 lens mounted on a 7D More info after the jump.

The shot above was taken with an aperture of 3.5 at 1/50th of a second. I wanted to give the shot some depth and therefore didn't use the flash on camera. Instead, I used a canon 430EX fired at around 1/32 from camera left. This gave the image the desired depth as it created shadows. It also created a few highlights on the glasses which also added to the image.

Coconut and Crab Risotto

An aperture of 3.2 and a shutter speed of 1/125th were used to capture this image. This one was a bit trickier to light due to the shape of the coconut and the fact that I had only one flash. The flash was fired from camera right at about 1/32. I feel there are too many dark areas in this image. In hindsight I should have either left the shutter opened for a bit longer for the ambient light to brighten up the image or used a white serviette from the left of the camera to reflect the flash and lighten up the left hand side of the image.

Seafood Laksa

I positioned the flash behind the subject for this image as I wanted to go for a slightly different look. Firing the flash from behind the bowl helped define the rim of the bowl. It also defined the surface of the Laksa by creating shadows. The flash almost caused the highlights of this image to be blown but in my opinion this makes the viewer focus on the Laksa itself rather than get distracted by the other plates which are visible.

Jaggery Ice Cream

The glass which the Ice Cream was served in was chilled and drops of water had formed on the outside. I wanted to try and use the flash to accentuate these drops. In order to do this I shot the flash at around 1/16th through a white cloth serviette to even out the light. The flash was shot from Camera right and slightly behind the subject.  The aperture used was around f 9.0 and the shutter speed was 1/15. I used this combination to reduce the effect of the flash and bring up the background with the ambient.

Lemon Tart and Vanilla Ice Cream

An aperture of f 6.3 and a shutter speed of 1/80th of a second were used to capture this image. The flash was shot at 1/64 from camera left. I had to bring the aperture down to 6.3 in order to control the highlights on the Ice Cream. I wanted to use the flash to define the edges of the Lemon Tart and the Ice Cream. To do this I needed hard light.  

Lankathilaka Viharaya, Kandy

 

The Lankathilaka temple, situated on the outskirts of Kandy, is one of the finest examples of Sinhalese temple architecture. More info and images inside.

 

The temple was completed in 1334 by king Buwanekabahu IV, who had chosen Gampola as his kingdom. The five kings who ruled from Gampola made significant contributions to art and culture. The Gadaladeniya and Embekke temples, which will be covered in future posts, are also from this period.

 

The Image house contains devales to the four guardian deities of the island, each with his consort. A Pali inscription can be found on the rock which the temple is built on and it is supposed to be a record of the valuable gifts given to craftsman who worked on the temple. The exterior of the image house is decorated with sculpted elephants and other decorative designs.

 

The arched passage of the image house leads into an inner sanctum which is decorated with floral designs. The two side walls and the ceiling are covered with paintings and the inner sanctum contains a huge statue of the seated Buddha under a "Makara Thorana". I was unable to go into the image house as the priest was not around and the image house was locked. However, I was able to take a few shots of the artwork that decorated the main door to the image house.

 

 

The shot below shows the wooden carvings found on one of the windows.