To the New Year

 And so the year did end bright, emboldened ....

Lesson from a winged being ….

There were twists and turns ....

Then when you think things were going downhill …

There were cruises too ….

All in all, who says this couldn’t be a soar if we take the right turn!

Season 'aplenty' nevertheless

May just be mainly these 'sh(t)rikes' thus far whether it's in the taman or the bukit, nevertheless it's season aplenty.

At the bukit

 

The other beauty

 Pretty but nasty.

Just another day

The Ashy Minivets, male and female, on the go, on the hunt. 

Just another day.

The female mate.

 

Sun halo

Time when the heart warms up immediately, when it feels nothing but awe - common or uncommon such a sight, it's a gift from Above.

How it's slowly dispersing after 20 minutes.

 According to Google AI Overview:

A sun halo is a ring or light that forms around the sun when sunlight passes through ice crystals in cirrus clouds. The ice crystals' hexagonal structure and the way they fall create the halo's shape. 

Here are some other things to know about sun halos:

• Color
  Sun halos are usually white, but they can sometimes have color. The most common type of sun halo is the 22° halo, which has a series of colored arcs with red on the inside and blue on the outside. 
  
• Visibility
  It's uncommon to see complete rings or arcs, but you might see parts of them in clouds. 
  
• Formation
  Sun halos are caused by light interacting with ice crystals in the atmosphere. The ice crystals are usually found in cirrus or cirrostratus clouds in the upper troposphere, but they can also float near the ground in cold weather. 
  

Season for woodshrikes

It must be the season for Large Woodshrikes as I seemed to encounter them more often than not these days.

A female that came lower but stayed momentarily.

 

Iora

Never say No even to the common for it's not ever frequent for one to fly in right before you, with prey in mouth, no doubt perched a little higher, a little blocked than had hoped for.

It's a female Common Iora that would have stayed to finish off its meal (despite spotting me) except for an oncoming motorcyclist that spooked it despite it being in the upper canopy.

The avian 'wheat-sower'

 Another beauty from afar.  

It was simply a matter of at the right place at the right time when this female Mugimaki Flycatcher (Ficedula mugimaki) flew in when I was walking by, and hereby also hoping that I will encounter the male sometime later.

According to AI, mugimaki is a Japanese word that means 'wheat-sower' and the mugimaki flycatcher is also know as robin flycatcher.

Refresher (extract mybis):
Order - Passeriformes
Family - Muscicapidae
Genus - Ficedula
Specific epithet - mugimaki (Temminck, 1835)
Common name: Muginaki flycatcher, Sambar mugimaki

Status: Least Concern

22/2024

As I was passing by

  Luscious but unfortunately no taker ....

Another regular bukit visitor

It's always a thrill to come across a paradise-flycatcher no matter how many times it happens, and especially when the bird stays to entertain, if not challenge with its temperament.

And especially if it's not as common as the other, and it's the Blyth's Paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone affinis).

Refresher (extract mybis):

Order - Passeriformes

Family - Monarchidae

Genus - Terpsiphone

Specific epithet - affinis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Common name: Asian Paradise-flycatcher, Oriental Paradise Flycatcher, Murai Ekor Gading, Sambar Cenderawasih Asia, Blyth's Paradise-flycatcher, Sambar-ekor Gading Blyth

Status: Least Concern

21/2024

If not adorable, what is!?

A 'manja' pose!

A pose that firmly establishes that it's a Blyth's.

Contrast the Amur Paradise-flycatcher ….

Sometimes one has to work a little harder for its id ....