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Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:56 pm
by Michal Szkudlarek
Fuck logic ,worst fieldherper is starting on 2.07 three week long holiday with accommodatin in Hikkaduwa. I will be also in Qatar before midday for several hours so I will hang near airport and in Doha. So far i have inter alia read http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Field-H ... -Reptiles/ , parts of A New Species of Toad (Bufo) Indigenous to Southern Ceylon , AN ECOLOGICAL STUDY OF THE MANGROVE FAUNA IN THE WEST COAST OF SRI LANKA and Expedition Field Techniques REPTILES AND AMPHIBIANS, created using inaturalist a list of amphibians living near Hikkaduwa listed as LC because it is the best method of assessing likelihood of encountering that species I invented
Code: Select all
Microhyla rubra
               ornata
Ramanella variegata
Kaloula taprobanica
Polypedates maculatus
                 cruciger
Bufo scaber
        atukoralei
        melanostictus
Euphlyctis hexadactylus
                  cyanophlyctis
Pseudophilautus popularis
Fejervarya limnocharis
Sphaerotheca rolandae
                     breviceps
Hoplobatrachus crassus

I have of course learned about habitats of these amphibians. In literature there were also
Hemidactylus brookii parvimaculatus
Hydrophis ornatus
Xenochrophis piscator
mentioned to be present in Hikkaduwa.

I am going to visit places recommended by Peter Janzen and:
Ambalangoda
Horton Plains NP
Galle
Yala NP

Have stumbled upon quite funny paper http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/sillymolecule ... appens.pdf I plan to herp at night despite being afraid of being bitten by gangs of wild dogs. Near Hikkaduwa there is Telwatta Bird Sanctuary and 2 lakes, however mangroves are propably destroyed. There are also some ponds according to google maps - https://www.google.pl/maps/place/6%C2%B ... !1s0x0:0x0 I will check them and post in this thread up to date. Daniel Bohle sent me an email with http://www.scharf-links.de/42.0.html?&t ... af2bf69fc1 so I am not taking with me any aquariums, boxes and even net. All advices, links are wellcome, also those regarding photographing herptiles at night.

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 12:27 pm
by André Van Hecke
Here my result of a Sri Lanka herping.

http://www.freanonherping.be/fotogalerij.htm

André

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 1:00 pm
by Michal Szkudlarek
Thanks for that link Andre. What photo lenses were you using to take these photos?
Yesterday I emailed Wildlife Conservation Society Galle and read inter alia parts of "The Study of the Faunal Diversity In Galle District – Southern, Sri Lanka".

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 2:21 pm
by André Van Hecke
Michal,
I use a hybrid digital camera Panasonic fz 200, great camera for herping with macro 1cm and zoom 24x

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:29 am
by Michal Szkudlarek
So far no reply from Wildlife Conservation Society Galle.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6c1c9Ugls0
Last sentence in end credits made me confused if it is only a metaphor. :?
If this movie inspired you to visit sri lanka be careful since you might be arrested for taking a picture of a butterfly.

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:44 am
by Daniel Bohle
you should not just read the last sentence

Geckos

PostPosted: Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:06 pm
by Michal Szkudlarek
Hemidactylus parvimaculatus:
-from Hikkaduwa
Image
Image

Cnemaspis sp. from Sinharaja Forest Reserve
Image

unidentified gecko from Hikkaduwa
Image

young Hemiphyllodactylus typus from Hikkaduwa
Image
Image

Hemidactylus frenatus:
-from Colombo
Image

-from Hikkaduwa
Image

male on the left, female on the right
Image

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:44 am
by Michal Szkudlarek
What are now best hours to herp? 7-9am and after 5pm?

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 6:28 am
by Ruggero M.
Michal Szkudlarek wrote:What are now best hours to herp? 7-9am and after 5pm?



When I was in Sri Lanka, the monitor lizards (and huge crocodiles) were easy to see during the day in Yala and Bundala.
But I met only two snakes, both at dusk: they were an Oligodon in Yala, and a beautiful young Ptyas mucosus in the park of my last hotel in Colombo, near the international airport. I think the hotel name was probably "Negombo International Airport Hotel", located in the middle of a swamp territory not far from the airport.
A worker of this hotel in Colombo told me that was easy to spot "cobras" (? maybe cobras maybe not...) during the early morning hours on the hotel park main road (probably basking or simply resting): but, unfortunately for me, I had no more time left to observe those "early morning" snakes basking on the hotel park road! :cry:

Re: Sri Lanka 2014 July

PostPosted: Thu Jul 17, 2014 7:29 am
by Michal Szkudlarek
V. bengalensis are easy to find basking by the hotel pool. V. salvator were seen too. So far I have photographed 2 wild snakes, both in Horton Plains NP. When I was asking about snakes people tell me that there are no snakes around. I think they say like this because they think that I am afraid of them and I would run away if they told me that there are some. Local people here are generally afraid of them. Today I was walking along railroad tracks at 7am and only young Calotes versicolor spotted. By the main road there are dogs, cats and noisy traffic, I found no snakes there, only twice gray Calotes versicolor adult on handrail.