Black-rumped Flameback - Part 2

A Black-rumped Flameback photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Out of all the birds found in Sri Lanka, the Black-rumped Flameback is one of the most striking in terms of colour.  It's bright red back makes it relatively easy to identify. However it can be mistaken with the Greater Flameback. More info on this species can be found in one of my previous posts at http://devwijewardane.blogspot.com/2009/11/black-rumped-flameback.html

We are fortunate to have a pair of these birds visit our garden on a very frequent basis. These images were all captured at home.

More images inside.

A Black-rumped Flameback photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

A Black-rumped Flameback photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

A Black-rumped Flameback photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

A pair of Black-rumped Flamebacks photographed in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Common Tiger

A Common Tiger photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Common Tiger is a member of the danainae family of butterflies and is found throughout Sri Lanka, India, Burma and extending to South East Asia and Australia. These butterflies look very similar to the Monarch butterfly found in the Americas.  More images and info after the jump.

A Common Tiger photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Common Tiger has a wingspan of around 75 - 95mm and both sexes have tawny wings with veins marked with broad black bands. Females of this species have a pouch on their hind wings while males have a prominent black and white spot on the underside of their hind wings. In drier areas the tawny part of the butterflies hindwing is paler in colour and resembles a White Tiger.

A Common Tiger photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

This butterfly can usually be found in scrub jungles, fallowland and dry and moist deciduous forests, referring areas with moderate to heavy rainfall. The Common Tiger is a strong flier and it never flies rapidly or high. However it has stronger and faster strokes than the Plain Tiger.

A Common Tiger photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Members of this family are leathery, tough to kill and fake death. They are unpleasant to smell and taste and, as a result, they are soon released by the predators. They also gather toxins from some of the plants they feed on. In order to advertise their unpalatability, they are brightly coloured and have bold markings.

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

Blue-tailed Bee-eater

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Blue-tailed Bee-eater is a common migrant which dispersers throughout the country. Small groups of these birds have been spotted taking up residence in tall trees around Colombo. These images were captured in Anuradhapura near Tissa Wewa (lake). The birds were flying out over the water to catch insects and kept returning to the fence to consume their prey or to take a small break. Returning to the same perch while hunting is common behaviour among Fly-catchers. It's very difficult to photograph these birds in flight as they are quick. More images and info inside.

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Differentiating the Blue-tailed Bee-eater from other Bee eaters is not difficult. It doesn't have a black line across it's throat like the other Bee-eaters found in Sri Lanka and it has a lot of brown and very little yellow around the throat area (reverse of the  Chestnut-headed Bee-eater). It's long central tail feathers are also prominent. The tail is obviously blue in colour. It can reach a length of around 23-26 cm and both sexes are similar.

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

These birds nest in colonies on sandy banks or open flat areas. They build a relatively long tunnel in which they lay 5 - 7 spherical white eggs.  The eggs are taken care of by both males and females.  These birds feed and roost in groups.

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The images on this post were captured with a Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens.

A Blue-tailed Bee-eater photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Ashy Prinia

An Ashy Prinia photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia, or the Ashy Wren-Warbler, is a common bird found throughout Sri Lanka and the Indian subcontinent. It's colours, an Ashy upper-part and buff underpart, and upright tail make it easy to identify. These images were shot in Anuradhapura in the north central province of Sri Lanka. It actually perched on this small branch and let me photograph it for quite a while. More info and images after the jump.

An Ashy Prinia photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

Like most warblers, the Ashy Prinia is insectivorous and can be distinguished by the loud snapping noise it makes during flight. According to sources on the internet, no one knows for certain how this noise is produced. Possible sources of this noise include, the birds mandibles and the beating of the wings against the tail. The resident Prinia genus shows biannual moult which is rare among passerines.

An Ashy Prinia photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

The Ashy Prinia builds its nest close to the ground in a shrub or tall grass. A clutch usually consists of 3 - 5 eggs which are laid in a nest made of leaves. The eggs vary in colour from a brick red to a rich chestnut.  The eggs hatch in around 10 - 12 days. The breeding season varies with the locality but is mostly after the monsoons (December to March or August to October in Sri Lanka). The species is considered to be monogamous and both the male and the female incubate the eggs (to varying extents).  

An Ashy Prinia photographed in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka

These images were captured with the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens. I was very close to the branch which the bird perched on and was quite surprised by how unconcerned it was with my presence.

Degraves Street - Melbourne

Degraves Street in Melbourne, Australia

The lanes and alleys of Melbourne are quite busy as they are full of small Cafe's and bars. I spent quite a bit of time wondering around them with the camera. We also stopped at a one of the cafes for a really good meal. The photographs on this post were taken down Degraves Street which is quite close to the Flinders Street station.  More images after the jump.

Coffee shop down Degraves Street - Melbourne

Violinist down Degraves Street - Melbourne

Degraves Street Melbourne, Australia

A Cafe down Degraves Street - Melbourne

Graffiti - Hosier Lane, Melbourne

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

Hosier Lane, on  the southern end of Melbourne's CBD, is famous for it's street art and graffiti. The graffiti covered walls have become a back drop for fashion and wedding photography as well as being a tourist attraction. The lane is also featured in state sponsored tourism campaigns and other publications. Everything along the lane, including the bins which are shown in one of the images below, is covered in Graffiti. The street art on the walls along Hosier lane is legal. More images inside.

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

While I was photographing the lane, several groups of tourists and school children were being guided through. A number of other photographers were also wondering along the lane capturing images of whatever caught their eye. Below is a selection of images which I managed to capture over the two hours I spent in the area.

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

Graffiti Bins - photographed down Hosier Lane Melbourne

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

Graffiti - photographed down Hosier Lane in Melbourne

All these images were captured with the Canon 7D and a 24-105mm lens.

Melbourne

Flinders Street station - Melbourne, Australia

It has taken me five years to make it down to Melbourne since relocating to Sydney in early 2005. We spent last weekend in and around the Melbourne CBD catching up with a few friends and family.  I had Friday and Monday off as well and spent the extra days wondering around the city with the camera. The image above is of Flinders Street station, one of the bigger stations in the CBD.  More images and info after the jump.

St Pauls Cathedral - Melbourne, Australia 

St Pauls Cathedral, shown in the image above, is on the opposite side of the road from Flinders Street station. This was the first time I had actually been inside the cathedral itself and unfortunately I didn't have the tripod with me. There wasn't a lot of light inside and I had to shoot at 1/10th of a second at f4. Fortunately I found a railing right in the middle of the isle which I was able to use for support. 

Horse rides in the city - Melbourne, Australia

Horse carriages are a common sight along Swanston street in the heart of Melbourne. Usually you'll see around five or six carriages taking tourists for a ride (literally and metaphorically) from the city to the Shrine of Remembrance and back, along St Kilda Road. 

Art and Craft Markets - Melbourne, Australia

We also spent some time at the art and craft markets, which are on every sunday. The stalls were quite interesting and some of them had some really good black and white images for sale. The stall selling frames made out of reclaimed wood (fence posts etc) is also worth a visit. I could have easily spent a couple of hours more browsing through the stalls.

Sculpture of a Hammer thrower at Queen Victoria Gardens - Melbourne Australia

John Robinson's bronze sculpture of a hammer thrower was unveiled in 1974 by Lord Mayor Cr Whalley can be found in Queen Victoria gardens. The title of the sculpture is "The Pathfinder" and it is part of Melbourne's collection of sculptures of sporting heroes. Stealing the hammer from the statue has become a common prank amongst Melbournians and as a result, the hammer is removed from the sculpture every evening and replaced the following morning.  The statue had been removed when I captured the image above.

The Sherlock Holmes - Melbourne, Australia

The lanes and alleys of Melbourne are full of small pubs and bars which are packed on Friday and Saturday nights. The wooden sign board of the Sherlock Holmes, on Collins Street, caught my eye when I was walking past heading towards docklands. I think the flowering pot plants also added to the image.

All the images on this post were captured with a Canon 7D and a Canon 24-105mm lens.  More images from melbourne will be covered in future posts.

The Greater Coucal

A Greater Coucal (Common Coucal) photographed in Colombo

The Greater Coucal, also known as the Common Coucal or the Crow Pheasant is a wide spread resident of southern Asia ranging from India to Southern China and Indonesia. Surprisingly, they are weak fliers and are usually seen clambering through vegetation. These birds are common in Sri Lanka and are distributed in varying habitats which range from gardens to degraded forests. More images and info inside.

A Greater Coucal (Common Coucal) photographed in Colombo

This bird is large in size and has been recorded at around 48cm in length. Juveniles are similar to the adult birds but have spots on the crown and whitish bars on the underside of the tail. The young, when hatched, have black skin and white hairy feathers which form a fringe over the eye and beak. Sexes are similar in appearance. 

The Greater Coucal feeds on insects, caterpillars, birds eggs, snails, nestlings and small vertebrates. They are most active during the warmer hours of the morning and late in the afternoon.

A Greater Coucal (Common Coucal) photographed in Colombo

The breeding season is after the monsoon in southern India but can vary in other parts of the range. The Greater Coucal is monogamous and their courtship displays include chases on the ground and the male bringing food gifts for the female. Nests are built mostly by the male in 3 - 8 days. A Typical clutch consists of 3-5 chalky white eggs. 

In British India the Greater Coucal was often mistaken for a Pheasant and shot. It was found to be "evil flavoured" and earned it the name "Griff's Pheasant".

These images were captured in our garden in Colombo. I was using the Canon 7D and the 100-400mm lens at the time.