Crested Serpent-Eagle

First it was a young Crested Goshawk, then just a couple of days later, it was a young Crested Serpent-Eagle.

Similar to the Goshawk, despite knowing it was observed the Serpent-Eagle refused to budge from its perch.

Patience is indeed nothing like a bird waiting for prey.

An older adult seen about a couple of weeks ago, also at eye-level.

Crested Serpent-Eagle

 When does one's attention get riveted by the calls, or rather the screams of a Crested Serpent-Eagle given that it could even be considered the neighborhood common raptor!

Sharp, piercing, circling endlessly, now low, now high, it did come across as somewhat in desperation.

One wondered if all's not well with this one going by the blemished patch on the underwing, and one of the legs that looked less than perfect.

No response, from anywhere else, and that's the anti-climax.

It flew off eventually, as if to disappear into thin air.

Asian Openbill

 The river by the taman has received more than its fair share of water bird and perching raptor visitors despite being narrow and shallow, and the latest visitor being the Asian Openbill.  Yet the Asian Openbill is known to frequent wetlands, flooded agricultural fields like paddy fields, and lakes.

It was a pleasant discovery when I first sighted it, flying off right over me as I descended the concrete ramp, and I thought I should attempt to spot it again later, so descending the ramp an hour later, it was by the river bank again, and again made a hasty retreat before I could get a proper capture of its presence, so for record sake, the following images 😒😒😒 ....

Or was it the Crested Serpent-Eagle  that had silently flown in to perch above that spooked it?

Unfortunately under the blazing noon sun, I was not inclined at all to await the return of the stork.

Crested Serpent-Eagle

It's almost instinctive, reflexive, to aim for any raptors, however high.

No matter that the cries of any Crested Serpent-Eagle always precedes its appearance, and already reveal its rather common presence and identity.

No matter that it appears as a silhouette.

Crested Serpent-eagle

 I spied, it spied.

But I won as its wariness was its immobility, at least temporarily, as I stealthily attempted to approach it.

Then it finally felt compelled to flee due to a passing human presence.

Not by size

One certainly couldn't say No to any photo-op of the resident Crested Serpent-eagle.

On this late morning, it sped in with a flourish after a noisy altercation and failed attempt at a catch, that I could deduce was at a myna as it was angrily squawked off by a flock of the same.

And there it was, ruminating on its loss before it eventually took off.

Size is not might

 When this one came gliding across my path, so low almost scraping the ground, it was with abated breath that I practically stayed 'glued' to it to its perch, for surely it must be a prey spotted that caused this haste.

Then anti-climax as it merely perched and scanned.

Then a sign of aggression? defence?

Still nothing.

Then all hell broke loose, but all like in a silent movie, with the aggressor unexpectedly caught within the frame, alas the photographer's mishap and woe of an image! 

Looked like the confrontation hasn't ended yet.

Power must be the wrath of one's whose territory's invaded!

The amazing patience exercised of one that has been overseeing this territory for the last couple of hours, on the very same perch!

And the attacker that was hidden from my sight till it suddenly emerged, and a victory stand following its success before it returned to where it was lurking.

The female (l) and male (r) Crested Goshawk measure between 40-60cm compared to a Crested Serpent-Eagle that could be 56-74cm.