Sunda Scops-Owl

 A morning call, and a rescue of a Sunda Scops-owl was underway.

Report was that it was sighted on the ground early that morning on the opposite side, hopped across to where it managed to perch securely on a broken branch, perhaps thinking that it was well camouflaged on the slope.

And many thanks to Dr Jalila Abu of Avian Vet Unit of UPM for her in-situ advice and guidance on how to handle this bird (what will we do without Whatsapp, enabling immediate exchange of information, photographs and advice!)

As it didn't come across as visibly injured, it was decided that it should be moved to higher ground away from intense scrutiny of over-enthusiastic morning park walkers (we humans easily forget how we would feel if we were to have a camera thrust into our face).

Many thanks to Dr Shahridan Faiez for his presence and excellent handling of the Scops-owl, and for the following photo and videos, after its move to an adjacent more secluded location.

On a followup check-in that evening, it still looked fine (for the advice was to send it the next day to the clinic if it still came across as immobile).  In fact it had moved to conceal itself under a leaf from overhead Long-tailed Macaques.

The next morning we were hoping not to see it (how could one wish not to see a Scops-owl again!!!!) for it meant that it was well enough to fly off; indeed it was not there (already much missed!!!!).

To ensure that it was really well and that perhaps it was still around, an inevitable brief 'callout' was undertaken, and to our relief, it flew out from about 5ft away, right in front of us, and off!  Phew!

Blue-eared Kingfisher

 Oh mine, how the young Blue-eared Kingfisher has grown over approximately 4 weeks, and perhaps being young, has yet to develop heightened sensitivity to human presence as he did not display any sign of wariness as he flew in to perch so very close below where I was.

And hardly daring to move, still I felt a little dismal, thinking that all 's offered was merely a study in back profile!

And then off he dived but whether successful or not, he did not reappear.

And unwilling to give up, I decided to stage a hide-out, impatience was not an option.

And the little gem of a kingfisher came to reward, and more.

It was a little essential pause  as he had to offload the remains what he couldn't digest.

AI Overview:

A kingfisher’s pellet is white because it is made almost entirely of cleaned, bleached fish bones and scales. Unlike owls, whose dark pellets contain fur and feathers, kingfishers eat fish. Their digestive acids and gizzard grind away the flesh, leaving behind white bone material that gives the cast pellet its pale color.

And one last re-appearance before he fled downstream.

"Lightning tree"

 

A rare sight spotted on the open field in the taman, according to AI:

...  this branching, vein-like pattern in the grass is almost certainly caused by a recent lightning strike.

The True Cause: A Lightning Strike

When cloud-to-ground lightning hits an open lawn, the massive electrical discharge radiates outward through the upper layer of thatch, grass roots, and soil moisture.

• The Branching Pattern: The current takes the path of least resistance, branching out like a root system (known as a Lichtenberg figure or dendritic pattern).
• Instant Heat Damage: The extreme heat instantly vaporizes moisture inside the grass blades and roots, searing the turf along the electricity's exact path and leaving these narrow, bleached, or dead channels.

This specific branching, tree-like electrical discharge design is called a Lichtenberg figure.

• Lichtenberg Figures: Named after the German physicist Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, who first discovered and studied these branching patterns while conducting experiments with high-voltage static electricity.
• Alternative Names: When these patterns occur naturally via lightning strikes, they are also frequently referred to as "lightning trees" or "lightning flowers".

Why the Pattern Forms

The branching shape occurs because electricity follows the path of least resistance. As the high-voltage current from the strike races through the moist grass blades and upper thatch layer, it repeatedly forks outward into smaller and smaller paths, leaving behind this distinct fractalline footprint. 

Black-winged Flycatcher-Shrike

It all started in what could be considered the more sodden part of tree barks for the pair of  Black-winged Flycatcher-shrikes, perhaps because the barks were soft and easier to rip off after a night's rain.

Moving on even higher.

The female came lower but was rather unproductive.

And then trying her luck on another tree she surprisingly left it untouched, perhaps the hardier bark fibre was too overwhelming.

Meanwhile the male was hard at work.

Despite a fair grip in his beak, the male went on to harvest more.

And he did lose some as he continued his foray with a beakful, before fleeing joined by the female.