Showing posts with label Tao Te Ching - Chapter 3. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tao Te Ching - Chapter 3. Show all posts

01 September 2026

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.



30 August 2026

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.



28 August 2026

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.



25 August 2026

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.



20 August 2026

Chestnut-breasted Malkoha

 Cuculiformes - Cuculidae - Phaenicophaeus curvirostris (Cenuk Dada Perang/Cenuk Ekor Coklat)


Combination of a bright red face, staring pale eyes, and chunky bicolored bill lends this lowland and foothill forest species a clownlike countenance. Dark glossy greenish above and rich chestnut-brown below, this oversized cuckoo clumps about amongst foliage, looking rather squirrel-like in its movements. Sometimes joins mixed flocks. Gives a range of strange calls, including hollow knocks and hoarse crowing and mewing notes.
(eBird)









Know the duality of comparison, and choice.


19 August 2026

Asian Fairy Bluebird

Passeriformes - Irenidae - Irena puella (Murai-Gajah Besar)

Chunky tree-dweller with blood-red eyes. Spectacular male is decked out in midnight black and electric blue. Female is dark turquoise with dark wingtips. Gathers at fruiting and flowering trees. A species of lowland and foothill evergreen forests, though will occasionally venture into gardens and plantations. Song includes various notes, often paired, such as “wit!” and “wi’wit!” Gives “tik” calls when flying overhead.
(eBird)










To not not want is perhaps to not know.




16 August 2026

Diard's Trogon

 Trogoniformes - Trogonidae - Harpactes diardii (Kesumba Diard)

Chunky, sluggish bird of lowland and foothill tropical broadleaved forests. Male has brilliant crimson underparts, a black head, and a triangular pinkish nape. Female is brown-headed with a sharp and solid white line between head and red breast. Red-headed Trogon female has a thinner, incomplete white collar. Often perches quietly at middle levels, frequently in pairs. Song is an echoing series of rising hoots that levels off.
(eBird)



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Compare and desire, compare and let go.