Black-headed Bulbul

Passeriformes - Pycnonotidae - Microtarsus melanocephalos (Merbah Kepala Hitam)

 Olive-yellow bulbul with a black head and unsettling sapphire eyes. Broad black band across the tail is especially noticeable when seen from below. No other bulbul in its range sports a crestless dark head, but look out for the slenderer and longer-billed leafbirds, whose dark throats may cause confusion when seen from below. Extremely rare gray morph replaces all yellow with gray, and intermediate birds have both yellow and gray patches. Inhabits broadleaf and mixed forests as well as edges, often in areas close to water. Usually seen in pairs or small flocks in the upper layers of lowland and foothill forest. Unlike many other bulbuls, not particularly vocal; gives occasional “chew” or “chep” notes, often while flying.

(eBird)

"Distance means so little when (you mean) so much."

Grey-headed Fish-Eagle

Accipitriformes - Accipitridae - Icthyophaga icthyaetus (Helang Kanguk-Besar)

Fierce-looking brown-and-white fish-eater. Note adult’s contrasting white belly and white tail with a broad black bar across the tip. Juvenile is paler overall, with a streaked brown breast and barred underwings. Smaller Lesser Fish-Eagle has a less contrasting tail pattern and typically a more jagged-edged white belly patch in adults; juveniles average paler below overall. Gray-headed forages around rivers, lakes, and swamplands. Vocal; often detected by its hoarse yelping screams.

(eBird)

Different but of the same, so, so what if we meet again? 

Greater Spotted Eagle

 Accipitriformes - Accipitridae - Clanga clanga (Helang-bintik Besar)

Adults are large and quite uniform dark brown eagles with very broad wings and short tails. Single white "comma" mark at the wrist of the underwing. Similar to the Lesser Spotted Eagle, which is smaller, paler, and more contrasting. Juveniles are more boldly patterned with numerous prominent dirty white spots on the back and upper wings. More tied to forests than Lesser Spotted Eagle, but still near rivers and bogs. Frequents humanmade habitats more often in winter, such as lakes, rubbish dumps, and reservoirs.

(eBird)

"Amazing the things you find when you bother to search for them."

Black-browed Reed Warbler

Passeriformes - Acrocephalidae - Acrocephalus bistrigiceps (Cekup-Paya Kecil Biasa) 

Dull brown reed warbler with a sharply marked head, found in a variety of wetland habitats with substantial vegetation cover. Namesake black brow line is not always apparent, but the thick and strikingly pale supercilium is distinctive in its clean-cut and squared-off appearance. Somewhat similar to the rarer Streaked Reed Warbler, but averages much darker and lacks the latter's black striping on the back and wings. Song is a scrambled set of chatters, chirps, and rattles, more musical and tuneful than Oriental Reed Warbler. Gives dry “chit,” often in series.

(eBird)

"Ask questions from your heart and you will be answered from the heart."

Lineated Barbet

 Piciformes - Megalaimidae - Psilopogon Lineatus (Takur Dada-Berjalur)

Luminous green barbet with a streaked gray-brown head and a flesh-pink bill. Bare patch of orange skin around the eye creates a monocled appearance. Not as shy as some other barbets, frequently perching up on exposed branches. Inhabits deciduous forests and edge areas, as well as parks and gardens. Primary territorial song is a repetitive “woo-kohw.” A hooting trill is also occasionally given.

(eBird)

"I learn, by going, where I have to go."

Eastern-crowned Warbler

Passeriformes - Phylloscopidae - Phylloscopus corornatus (Cekup Daun Tongkeng)

 A boldly marked songbird, rather large for a leaf warbler, usually seen foraging in the canopy. From below, a bright yellow vent and broad orange-based bill distinguish it from most other local leaf- warblers. Crisp yellow-tinged olive above, with very weak thin wingbars and black-bordered white eyebrow. Pale crown stripe is often not visible. Similar to Claudia's, Blyth's, and Hartert's Leaf- Warblers but head pattern is more powerfully contrasting in Eastern Crowned. Song is a burst of two or three “wi-tcher” calls, followed by a wheezy and tuneless “reee.” Unlike other leaf-warblers, seldom calls on wintering grounds but sometimes gives a brief “fit” or sweeter “chi” (the latter sounding like Ijima’s common call). Breeds in openings, edges, and cuts in well-forested areas; can be found in a wide range of wooded habitats when not breeding.

(eBird)

 

"There are two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle."

Long-tailed Parakeet

 Psittaciformes - Psittaculidae - Psittacula longicauda (Bayan Melayu)

Medium-sized green parakeet with red cheeks and black stripes above the eye and below the cheek. Male is brighter-colored than the female, which has less extensive red on the cheeks and a black instead of red bill. Like other forest parakeets, usually encountered shooting past overhead while screaming raucously. Long filamentous tail feathers not always present.

(eBird)

"It's more than seeing them, it's tuning in on them and allowing the current they hold to connect with one's own, like electricity.  To put it differently, this means an end of living in front of things and a beginning of living with them.  Never mind if the word sounds shocking, for this is love."