When a big one suddenly flew right across my windscreen as I turned the corner to exit the highway, across the road to the other side into the oil palm estate, it was enough but to offer me a quick glimpse of streaked purplish (?) underparts on wings and body that all I could say was 'Whoa!'
And as this image continued to flash through my mind as I drove on, all I could think of was perhaps it was a young Crested Serpent-eagle as this was the bird that I commonly encountered on this stretch of the road, always not one but at least two.
Googling for images of the juvenile of this bird failed to produce much as the serpent-eagle's nest and young are not so easily sighted compared to that of the crested goshawk or brahminy kite.
With these thoughts and the purplish hues that continued to play on my mind, it made me recollect that once many years ago I came across a sub-adult serpent-eagle right in the taman that bore 'purplish bluish' hues but these were on the upperparts. (I guess I would never be able to id that bird whose sudden appearance and streaks will always stay with me.)
And those were the days when the birds, big or small in the taman, did not fight so shy of human presence.
With my point and shoot then, I could stand right in front of this sub-adult and snap away without frightening it off.
It had come down to drink and I was merely meters away.
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