A Skink That Went for a Swim

A little Dussemier's Litter Skink had somehow ended up in the tank below when I looked down. Suprised how it ended up there, I went down with me camera to photograph the poor little guy. He couldn't run off anywhere and was hence standing on a floating tapioca leaf that fell into the water.

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However, the skink did try to swim off when I came close with the cmaera.

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In the end I had to catch him with my bare hands, wipe him dry and then release him away from the tank. I don't want to be rescueing them all the time, unless its a rare animal that'll give me a chance to photograph it.

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Poor Little Bat

Was walking back from church one morning and noticed this dead bat, apparently electrocuted by the wires above. As you can see, it touched both wires together and thus got killed, burning itself totally. Pity the poor bat.

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This is a common sight in India as very often bats fly through the wires and get killed. I've seen them very often but it was usually when I'm in the car looking out as I we drive by. Hence, I never really got to photograph them. Even this time, I had to wait for a while for the people to go off since seeing me take a picture of a dead bat may seem weird to them.

Carried Away by a Damselfly

Went over to my old house together with my grandpa. He had to bring some unripe bananas back home, so i decided to come along and help him. Our old house there was given for rent to an old couple. they told me that a mongoose had recently made its home somewhere around the area and is very often seen with its young. However, while waiting at the mongoose's preferred spot, I was carried away by this colourful damselfly that caught my eye.

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The damselfly was certainly pretty with nice colours. And, it was a very co-operative one too. It stood on the leaf without moving, allowing me to take some close-up shots.

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The damselfly then flew off but not long after that, I spotted another one close by. This species of damselfly is pretty common in our areas. This one however, was resting in a place with less sunlight, and so I didn't manage to get much clear shots.

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Except for a head-shot in which I used flash.

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Locusts and Such

Locusts are a common insect found in most sub-urban areas in Kerala. They are usually found in grassy areas and appear usually when it is really hot and sunny. This is one of the locust species that prefer the open grounds when it is really sunny.

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And there's another common species of locust that generally prefers the damp areas with shelter from the sun. They are usually seen on plants and sometimes come out in the night, attracted to the lights. they are called Toad Grasshoppers due to their wide front compared to the rest of their body. I'm not exactly sure if they are grasshoppers or locusts, though.

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This is another species of Toad Grasshopper seen in my area. This is the species that gets attracted to the light during the night.

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So much for a bunch of locusts.

A Lizard and a Butterfly

I spotted a male Common Mormon at rest on some herbal plants in my backyard. I went to take some shots. It is not always that I get a chance to shoot a buttefly this close.

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At the very moment, a scaly creature jumper off from the plant where the butterfly was and started to run off. I followed the creature and managed to identify it as the very common Changeable Lizard.

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Apparently the lizard was actually stalking the butterfly so as to catch and feed on it. I saved the butterfly and left the poor lizard without lunch.

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A Slender Skimmer at Rest

Was out in the open for a while helping my grandpa. Meanwhile I spotted another Slender Skimmer at rest on a fallen coconut tree. I managed to get pretty close and snapped a few shots.

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Findings by the Stream

Spotted a variety of critters following the brown butterfly by the stream. Right after the butterfly, I spotted this Lynx Spider hiding under the ferns waiting to ctach prey.

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The ferns seemed to have attracted many visitors, such as this big damselfly. I can't confirm if this is a Black-Tipped Forest Glory as it is smaller and more of a greenish colour.

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For the first time, it allowed me to get close enough for a decent head shot.

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Some other common insects like this Bush Brown Butterfly were spotted. This one seemed to be feeding on a dried black seed.

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Mean while, it was mating mayham in the water as a couple of pond skaters were busily mating.

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they were pretty obedient and allowed me to get some close-up shots.

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Butterfly Resembling a Dead leaf

After the Slender Skimmer, the next creature that came into my sight was this butterfly. It flew right up and sat on a fern beside me. Grabbed a few shots without flash since the sun was bright enough.

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I used flash just one time to see the difference it makes. After using the flash, the butterfly in the photo resembled a leaf.

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Glittering in the Sunlight

I went hunting around the stream close to my home. Since I'd been there many times, I knew what to expect to find. Right as I stepped into the narrow path, a few dragonflies started hovering around me but I didn't know which one to follow. I was chasing two rabbits at a time, and, eventually, all escaped. However, I felt some glittering movement near me soon. It was a dragonfly, a Slender Skimmer. Due to the sunny weather, its wings reflected light into my eyes and I was able to spot it.

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The sunlight also helped me take crisp, clear shots of the dragonfly. I really liked these two images as I don't think I've ever photographed a Slender Skimmer this well, despite trying for months when they visit my school in Singapore. The background also seems to suit well. So, sometimes my Casio compact camera is better than the dslr using the basic lens.

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A Shield Bug

This Shield Bug actually flew into my house the night before, but I ignored it since I was dead tired and sleepy. However, I realized that it was still there the next morning. Since I had no mood to go deep into my yards, I placed the bug onto a stick outside and snapped away some macro shots.

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It appears that the bug was in fact nocturnal since it was active during the night, but really sluggish during the day when I was photographing it. Well, that was only a good thing for me as I would be able to take any shot I want from any point, even a face to face shot like this.

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Preparing for a Battle

Reached home sweet home in Kerala and started my usual mini-hunt the next morning. There were plenty of creatures, but I got attracted to this pair of house spiders that were clinging onto a tree trunk. They were facing each other, although they were about half a metre apart.

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It looked like these two spiders were about to start a fight. Both cautiously moved forward but half a metre for them at such a slow speed looked like an endless journey. I had to leave so left them to battle while I snapped a few more shots and went off.

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Finally Ending Off With Bukit Timah

Finally ending of with my findings from Bukit Timah for 2009. As usual, there were a great number of insects and invertebrates spotted in the reserve. This was an unusual insect I'd never seen before. Have to say that if you looked closely, the insect is actually translucent. I think its probably some sort of hopper.

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Then there was this big forest snail near the summit.

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A bunch of small fungi growing on a dead log near the start of the climb.

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And on the way back from the summit, I spotted this little triangular-shaped moth resting under some leaves.

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And last but not least, a pair of crickets were sensing love in the air as they got ready to mate. Shot them just outside the Visitor Centre.

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An Emerald Dove in the Undergrowth

Heard the rustling of dead leaves in the undergrowth beside the main road. I knew it was some sort of animal, and then found out it was an Emerald Dove. It was pretty close to me so I tried to adjust the focus ring and snapped a few decent shots.

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It then walks away from us and into the forest.

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Spot The Drongo

Somewhere along the mian road in Bukit Timah, I heard the calls of a drongo right above my head. I took a shot but of course, it was too far away. However, you guys can try to spot the bird in this picture. It should be easily spotted since it is perched onto an open twig.

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Branded Imperials and Common Posies

The small bridge at the start of the Taban Loop trail is not just a good place for snakes. Butterflies like the Branded Imperial can also be found there easily. I saw one at the same spot last June, but this time, there were a few Branded Imperials and a Common Posy accompanying them.

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This pretty forest butterfly is always present to greet visitors to the nature reserves of Singapore, never failing to delight nature enthusiasts with its bright orange colouration and long white tails. It is often seen fluttering in the shady understorey and thick vegetation, and rarely moving out to bright sunny areas. The Branded Imperial is local in distribution, but is not uncommon. Frequently, a few individuals are observed, frolicking and chasing each other in shady vegetation.

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Here's the Common Posy, which had part of its hind wing torn off.

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Male Common Posies have a dark brown forewing and the hindwing a very attractive azure blue. The female is mainly brown, with a faint orange discal patch in some individuals. The underside is orange on the forewing with orange and black markings, and mainly white on the hindwing, with black solid bands and spots.

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At times all three butterflies would rest together at a particular spot but would fly off when I came too close. But they decided to give this poor young man just one chance and I quickly snapped a picture of them together.

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