Redemption

It was a nice Saturday noon, I'm at botanicals gardens in regard of searching and adding new species into my list. As much as I hope I could encounter any snakes resting in some cooler spots in the trees, such as Wagler's pit viper (hope it doesn't bite my face), or an elusive Calamaria sp. slithering within the foliages, I found none.
At my way waking up to the lily pond, I heard something, a quick rustling sound of dried leaves being crawl passed, I knew it has to be at least something like a common sun skink
(In fact there's multiple absolute units of common sun skinks that is over 15cm present there). As I bend myself down to check out where my eye is locked at, the foliage that I think something is hiding in, SWOOSH! A bright green silhouette in it's top speed ran pass my eyes from a forest edge to another.
Before my brain can process what just happened, gut feeling told me it that creature must has been a green crested lizard that I'm looking for! I quickly followed it but before I know it it disappeared into nowhere, but I'm very confident that it ran heading into that direction!
Whilst I'm looking around and searching the forest slope that the lizard has disappeared into, I've come to my mind that my eye reacts 1000× slower than my ears. How could I not see a lizard of a very visible size and colour just right beside my foot, and even worse, LET IT ESCAPE? You might say it's camouflage worked against me but no, it was on the ground where it's covered with BROWN foliages! I couldn't believe and forgive myself for that and eventually, I stopped looking for it.
Upon reaching the lily pond, I sat, laid and stared at the
sky and treetops on a bench there, feeling defeated. I'm still mad about myself for making such a mistake. After staring mindlessly into the void while scolding myself my in mind, I've gotten calmer. Until then I've decided to walk into the fountain of the lily pond through a little pathway around the pond, to see what can I get there. Just as I thought to myself I wouldn't find any new there, voilà! A frog, sitting perfect still on a ginger plant leaf or something growing beside the pond (I'm ignorant about plants), I was so surprised by it, I stepped a few steps away. I thought to myself: "oh my god, is that a Malayan white lipped frog?" It's one of the frog species that I have not observed yet! Quickly, I grabbed out my phone and took a few good shots, as much and good as it can be, until it jumps away by itself.
May this perhaps be a redemption of what I've lost?

Posted on February 19, 2022 05:13 PM by floatingkittem