This wild Parakeet in Sri Lanka caught my eye because of it’s fantastic colours.
I had never seen a Parakeet in the wild before, I actually never knew where they came from – I jsut knew they seemed to pop up in pet stores all of the time, so it was nice to see one out in the open spaces of Bundala National Park, Sri Lanka.
This Rose-ringed, or Ring-necked Parakeet was one of a handful that I saw flying around in the park, which is a popular spot for people who enjoy birding.
Such an elegant bird! The Painted Stork is a large wading bird that can be found around the Indian Subcontinent and Southern Asia.
Very colourful, these birds are not yet endangered, but are listed as a near threatened species partly due to habitat loss and destruction.
This Painted Stork was photographed in Ruhuna / Yala National Park, Sri Lanka.
Langurs, langurs everywhere! Gray Langurs are a species of monkey found in South Asia, including Bhutan, Pakistan, Nepal, India and Sri Lanka.
These old world monkeys vary in look and appearance depending on their location and there is no real consensus on how many different Gray Langur species there actually are.
The Tufted Gray Langur seen here is only found in Southeast India and Sri Lanka.
So I have no idea how to pronounce the name of this temple in Sri Lanka, but it was one of those pleasant, random surprises. Stopping in Dikwella broke up a long day of driving, but it was actually quite an impressive place.
Towards the back of this photo you can see the largest seated Buddha statue in Sri Lanka. If you want – you can climb to a platform behind Buddha’s head too.
A holy pilgrimage site, Adams Peak (or Sri Pada) in Sri Lanka is a sacred mountain. Atop this mountain is a small temple housing what many people believe to be the footprint of Buddha.
I saved the 5200 stair trek up the mountain for my last day in the country. Getting up in the darkness of the middle of the night, the slow, heart-pumping effort was worth it to see the sun rise over Sri Lanka.
For a short time, the sun pierces the top of the temple, creating this pyramid-like shadow across the cloud-covered forest and land below. I thought the prayer flags added a special element to the meaning of the photo.
