The first time that I ever saw a Giant Bamboo Ladybird was just three weeks ago and it was on the same huge clump of bamboo as the one shown here. This species must have been in our area for a very long time because there are so many bamboos here, but when I showed my pictures (of my first spotting) to friends and neighbours, no one could recall having seen it before and their reaction was pretty much all the same "It is so big!". So I resolved on that day, when I spotted my first one, to never miss out on the chance of more pictures. As the days went by, for three weeks, I did not see another until I saw this one. I was busy taking pictures of a spider, but as soon as I saw the glint of the orange/red elytra, in the morning sunshine, the spider was abandoned.
A small flock of nonbreeding adults was foraging on the exposed rocky seabed during low tide. One of them (see pic 2 ) was missing a leg.
Endemic to southern India and Sri Lanka, the Yellow-billed babbler is very similar to the Jungle Babbler with which it is often confused. Watch out for its pale spot in front of the eyes and a pale crown that contrast with the dark throat and cheeks giving it a pale capped and blank-faced appearance. It has pale blue eyes and a pale base to its tail. Yellow-billed Babblers prefer drier habitats than the Jungle Babbler, though they can sometimes be seen in the same vicinity as Jungle Babblers. Also gregarious and noisy like the Jungle Babbler.
Colombian black tailed deer tracks in the mud from recent rain
Wildlife
