Purple Heron

Pelecaniformes - Ardeidae - Ardea purpurea (Pucung Serandau) 

Large heron with rusty head and streaky neck; juvenile is extensively rusty brown on upperparts. Favors fresh marshes with tall reeds and other vegetation. Often more retiring than Gray Heron and rarely seen in open situations. Only likely to be confused with larger and bulkier Gray Heron, which is paler and grayer overall, with a stouter bill.

(eBird)

Appreciating mystery of occurrences, no need for reason.

Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker

Piciformes - Picidae - Yungipicus molucsensis (Belatuk-Belacan Kecil Biasa)

Small plain woodpecker of wooded areas from primary rainforest to parklands and forest edges. Brownish overall with a white-striped head, a spotted back, and pale gray streaks on a buffy breast. Male has a small red speck near the back of the crown. Similar Gray-capped Woodpecker is black-and-white, with a less cleanly striped head, cleaner underparts, and unevenly distributed pale spotting on the back and wings. Sunda’s call is a high-pitched rattling trill.

(eBird)

 Reason, virtue endure; no matter where it comes from.

***

Chapter 4

Not having source

l

Reason [is] empty, and in employing it apparently [it is] not exhausted.

Profound [it is] 

Oh! it resembles the ten thousand things of the ancestor.

ll

It blunts its [own] sharpness.

It unravels its [own] fetters.

It harmonises its [own] light.

It identifies itself with its [own] dust.

lll

It is tranquil

Oh! it seems like to remain.

I not know whose son [it is].

It seems to be God’s antecedent.

Malaysian Pied-Fantail

 Passeriformes - Rhipiduridae - Rhipidura javanica (Murai Gila)

 
A bold and adaptable songbird of wooded areas, ranging from open forests to parks and gardens. Dark above and white below; note slender white eyebrows, black chest band, and white-tipped black tail. Combination of all-white belly and plain back separates this species from similar dark fantails within its range. Very active, often bobbing and fanning its tail. Frequently joins mixed-species flocks. Song is a very high-pitched, squeaky “chee-wee-chee-wee-chee-wee-chit”, with a short, falling last note. Calls include harsh churring and high-pitched squeaky chattering.

(eBird)

Deliberate, act without trickery.

Little Egret

 Pelecaniformes - Ardeidae - Egretta garzetta (Bangau Kecil)

Small snow-white heron with slender dark bill, blackish legs, and yellowish feet ("golden slippers"). Breeding adult has 2 long wispy head plumes and a spray of white plumes ("aigrettes") on the lower back. Inhabits a wide variety of wetlands: lakes, rivers, marshes, estuaries—almost anywhere with small fish. Occurs as singles or small loose groups; nests and roosts communally. Distinctive within its range, but compare with larger Great and Intermediate Egrets, stockier Cattle Egret, and white morph reef herons.

(eBird)

Appraise, not judge; apply, not compel.

Blue-eared Kingfisher

 Coraciiformes - Alcenididae - Alcedo meninting (Pekaka Bintik-bintik)

A diminutive dark blue kingfisher with no rufous on the ear-patch. It has an orange spot in front of the eye, white ear tufts on the sides of the neck, and an ultramarine-blue head and neck with darker blue bands giving it a scaly appearance. Upperparts glossy dark blue with paler blue central band down the back to the rump. White chin and throat with deep orange underparts. Males have black bill with brownish-red base, while females have almost entirely red bill. Juvenile also has dark blue upperparts, but has rufous cheeks and ear-coverts similar to Common Kingfisher. Inhabits well-shaded waterways in forested areas.

(eBird)

Appraise, not judge; apply, not compel.

Velvet-fronted Nuthatch

 Passeriformes - Sittidae - Sitta frontalis (Pepatuk Dahi Hitam)

One of the few nuthatches to break the general neutral color scheme of the family, this stunner can be quite common in lowland and foothill evergreen forests. Aquamarine upperparts, crimson bill, and black patch on the forehead make this active little species unmistakable. Forages by creeping along trunks and branches, often upside down. Often moves in groups, frequently as a member of mixed-species flocks. Song is a high-pitched chittering trill; calls like isolated fragments of song.

(eBird)

Cut to the chase - know what is, what is more, what is less.

Bushy-crested Hornbill

Bucerotiformes - Bucerotidae - Anorhinnus galeritus (Enggang Belukar/Buluh) 

Plain, medium-sized dark hornbill. Glossy black with a bicolored tail and pale patches of bare facial skin. Male has an all-dark ebony bill, while female’s bill has a pale brown tip. Quite social; forages in medium-sized groups. Can be quite vocal, giving garrulous yelps, barks, and squawks. Found in lowland to foothill forests, usually in dense areas, but can often be seen in breaks in the foliage, such as clearings or riversides.

(eBird)

Knowing how it all begins, know how to deal with it.

Scarlet Minivet

Passeriformes - Campephagidae - Pericrocotus speciosus (Burung Matahari Besar)

Brilliantly-colored forest bird, typically encountered in flocks. Coloration varies significantly throughout wide distribution, with males ranging from black-and-crimson (most of mainland Asia) to black-and-yellow (southern Philippines) and black-and-orange (Java and Bali). Females are predominantly gray-and-yellow, but southern Philippine and western Indonesian birds are black-and-yellow. In all subspecies, note colored “blotches” on the wings (other minivets have cleaner wing patterns) and female’s yellow forehead. Gives high whistled “wheeep” notes, often when flying over the treetops.

(eBird)

Humility in being first, being only.

Rufous Piculet

 Piciformes - Picidae - Sasia abnormis (Belatuk Kerdil/Belatuk-Kerdil Api Melayu)

Absolutely miniscule woodpecker. Tailless and round-bodied, resembling a wren or cupwing in shape. Olive above and orange below; lacks the white brow patch of White-browed Piculet. Forages in dense secondary growth from lowlands up into the foothills, often in bamboo stands. Clambers around in and flutters between low-lying vegetation, seldom high up in the canopy. Makes sharp squeaks somewhat resembling shoes rubbing on wet floors. Drums are surprisingly loud for its size.

(eBird)

Yin and Yang, no absolutes; let go, no ownership.