Abbott's Babbler

 Passeriformes - Pellorneidae - Malacocincla abbotti (Kekicau-Belukar Biasa)

Plain, sandy-brown babbler with distinct orange-tan tones to the sides. Note grayish tones to the face and the large heavy bill with a hooked tip. Prefers degraded and secondary forest, where it forages quite slowly and methodically on or near the ground, without the frenetic energy of some other babblers. Moves singly or in pairs. Call repertoire is wide, and includes harsh churrs as well as smooth whistles. Song consists of melodic whistles, usually 3-4 notes.

(eBird)

When the eyes turn away, turn not away the intent.

Ruby-cheeked Sunbird

 Passeriformes - Nectariniidae - Chalcoparia singalensis (Kelicap Pipi Merah)

Tiny sunbird with a short sharp bill. Male’s metallic green upperparts, wine-red cheeks, and bright orange throat and chest are unmistakable. Female is less distinctive, but note her size, bill shape, and bright orange throat. Found in forest, forest edge, and gardens from lowlands up into hilly areas, typically foraging actively in upper levels of trees. High thin song variable, but usually incorporates whistles and twitters.

(eBird)

When it's feast for the eyes, feast for the soul, all's well again.

Lesser Cuckooshrike

 Passeriformes - Campephagidae - Lalage fimbriata (Selancang-Kelabu Melayu)

Medium-sized gray bird (small for a cuckooshrike) with considerable geographic variation. Male averages darkest on the wings, throat, and breast, contrasting more heavily with the rest of the plumage than in the fairly uniform-looking male Indochinese Cuckooshrike. Female is pale gray with fine barring on the underparts. Undertail is black with white-tipped feathers concentrated at the end of the tail; does not appear as evenly graduated as in the larger Black-winged Cuckooshrike, and is less extensively white-tailed than Indochinese Cuckooshrike. Forages in the upper levels of forests and forest edge in lowland and hilly areas, often as part of mixed-species flocks. Song begins with a few clear tinkling notes, then transitions into a loud, insistent “jeh, jeh, jeh, jeh”.

(eBird)

See, and miss, a pity; see, and dismiss, more the pity when truth reveals.

Blyth's Hawk-Eagle

 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae - Nisaetus alboniger (Helang-Hindik Melayu)

Medium-sized raptor of montane forests. Adult is dark brownish-black above and has heavily black-streaked white underparts. Flying adult shows broad, rounded wings and a single broad white band on the tail. Lacks the overall buffy brown tones of the much smaller adult Wallace’s Hawk-Eagle. Immature is very similar to Wallace’s but has thinner tail barring; immatures are best distinguished by altitude (Blyth’s favors higher elevations than Wallace’s) and size. Small crest is not visible in flight but may be held erect when perched.

(eBird)

Learn to know when eyes can deceive.

Green Iora

Passeriformes - Aegithinidae -  Aegithina viridissima (Kunyit-Kecil Hijau)

A medium-sized canopy-dweller of lowland and foothill forests, often seen with mixed flocks. Male is dark olive-green with boldly black-and-white-striped wings; female is paler, with an olive back and a less contrasting wing pattern. Look for bright yellow “goggles” around dark eyes in both sexes; Common Iora lacks these goggles and has pale eyes, but these can be hard to discern. Song is high, simple, and repetitive: “wit-dee, wit-dee, wit-dee” or “chew-a-wee-chew, chew-a-wee.” Calls vary, but the most common ones are downslurred and rather nasal-sounding.

(eBird)

On seeing and being seen, who's the catcher, who's the captive?

Blue-throated Bee-eater

Corasiformes - Meropidae - Merops viridis (Beberek Leher Biru/Berek-berek Rengkung Biru)

A bright green insect hunter with a long bill and triangular starling-like wings. Adult has a bright blue throat, orange-brown crown and nape, and long trailing central tail feathers. Sexes are alike. Juveniles have a paler blue throat, no orange-brown coloration, and no long tail extensions. Often hunts from exposed perches such as telephone lines or snags, on which it rubs its venomous quarry so as to disarm it. Call is a bright, inflected “chileep.”

(eBird)

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."

Greater Coucal

Cuculiformes - Cuculidae - Centropus sinensis (Bubut Besar Asia)

A large bird that resembles a cross between a crow and a pheasant. Largely black with distinctive rusty wings, glossy underparts, a long and heavy black tail, and deep red eyes. Juveniles are much duller with white bars on the tail and underparts and variable amounts of black streaks on the wings and upperparts. Common across a range of habitats except very dense forests. Similar to Lesser Coucal, but Greater Coucal is larger with a longer bill and red eyes. Adult Greater Coucals also lack the white streaks on the wings seen on Lesser Coucal. The call is a series of deep, resonant “oop-oop-oop” notes.

What is lost to the eyes can always be regained with an open heart.