Birds by Water

 

I live in an area where there are a river, mountains and cycle lanes. I especially love the birds around here.

The most common birds here are Mynas. There are a few types of Mynas. The Crowned Myna is our Taiwanese species. They have been under threat by the Southeast Asian mynas, such as Javan Mynas or Collared mynas, who are aggressive and breed rapidly.

 Taiwanese Myna

Egrets are beautiful. In a rainy day, you can see lots of them flying above the river, like seagulls from a distance.

Brown Shrikes are graceful. If you don't watch carefully, you can mistake them for sparrows.

Kingfishers are stunning, but they are quite rare.

White Wagtails visit us in winter. Hope I will see them often this winter.

October and Floss-silk trees

 

October is my birth month so was my mother’s. It is a beautiful month because the scenery is transforming with color and wind. We can forgo restless mood from summer, and contemplate the quietness of autumn. Tchaikovsky composed a piano music called October, which presents just the aura of content serenity. Perhaps it is perceived a bit sad, but if sadness were not in life, how could we discern joy?

 Walking in the river park, I can see the Floss-silk trees have experienced dramatic changes as well. Their fruits explode into floss and red flowers were covering all over the trails, creating another beauty for us.

Tchaikovsky - The Seasons: October