Barana - Kala Wewa, Sri Lanka

 

Barana was in musth when we decided to visit the Kala Wewa area a few weeks ago. We got there around midday and had to wait a few hours until he made his appearance. Fortunately there was a herd of elephants at a water and they provided us with a number of photographic opportunities while we waited. Barana's presence was given away by the odour of the secretions from his temporal ducts that carried on the wind. We watched and photographed him for a few hours as he drank his fill at the edge of the wewa and we left him feeding on the plains.

Jumping Spider - Colombo, Sri Lanka

I came across another Jumping Spider at home yesterday. Ended up photographing him for about 20 minutes and got some decent shots. There are more of them on my instagram profile. The setup was similar to last time with a flash in a small softbox positioned to the left of the camera. The lens was a 100mm macro.

Jumping Spider - Colombo, Sri Lanka

I found this Jumping Spider in the garden this morning. I'd been keeping an eye out for one of them to photograph and ran for the macro lens as soon as I saw it. I was able to fire off a few frames before it decided to hop away and disappear into the foliage. Overall I'm happy with this image but would have liked to have had a bit more time to photograph the spider.

Purple Coot - Thalawathugoda, Sri Lanka

I took the kids out to the Diyasaru biodiversity park this morning. It was later than usual when we got there and the light wasn't great for photography. We came across this Purple Coot (Porphyrio poliocephalus) feeding along one of the waterways by the foot path. It didn't seem to be bothered by us and I fired off a few frames. 

Common Mormon - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The Common Mormon (Papilio polytes) is a swallow tailed butterfly found in Southern and South-Eastern Asia. This photograph was taken in our garden in Colombo. A number of butterflies frequent the garden as we have planted a number of natives. I observed and photographed this butterfly mating a day or two after this shot was taken. Hopefully this indicates that the garden is a healthy eco-system!

White-throated Kingfisher - Colombo, Sri Lanka

The White-throated Kingfisher is a frequent visitor to our garden in Colombo. It is probably the most common Kingfisher found on the island. This one was particularly cooperative as it sat on an exposed branch and let me photograph it from the balcony. The background was also a suitable distance away from the subject. 

The Herd - Minneriya, Sri Lanka

A small group of elephants who were a part of a herd of over a 100. We spent an evening watching them on the banks of the Minneriya tank a few months ago. Unfortunately the usual issues with Sri Lankan national parks have surfaced at Minneriya as well. Over crowding, indisciplined jeep drivers and tourists who have no clue how to behave when in the jungles.

Leopard at Wel Mal Kema - Yala, Sri Lanka

Wel Mal Kema is one of my favourite areas in Yala. It's rocky, not the easiest place to get to and as a result, not visited by too many people. I try to drive through there at least once when i'm in the park regardless of my chances of seeing something. Was fortunate enough to come across this Leopard on one occasion. It crossed the road in front of us paused on top of a rock long enough for me to get this shot and then disappeared into the bush.