Red cheeked Jambul & seeds

Today added another Jambul to the collection. A red cheeked variety. Supposedly from Vietnam. Was told its a good bird, but a little bit camera shy ;)

Then took some samples of seeds from the Middle East. Don't know the name of the seeds. But suppose to be so well loved by birds that they look forward to it. Gave a small portion to my canary. He took to it instantly. But whether he will grab it out of my hand later still has yet to be tested :D



Anybody knows its name, do please drop me a line. I ate some & find it a little crunchy. Not bad at all ;)

Chai Jambuls

Today, we experimented a little bit on how best to "chai" Jambuls with the current venue we have. It is a windy day & I decided hanging at half pole which we notmally do is dangerous.

So I placed my cages on the floor. It worked well except for a light tall "A" cage that I have which toppled twice.




Then I tried the full height on the pole. They were swinging dangerously but the birds appear to love the height. Hmmm.... we seriously need to get a sponsor for some metal racks :D

Jambul Cage

Last month, one of my cage was accidentally damaged when it toppled down. The whole top portion was smashed. To repair would have been too costly. So traded it in and top up another RM50 for the below ;)



A few months earlier, I am sure I can't even get a decent price for my old cage in mint condition. Now, things are different. Even damaged cage is grabbed up in no time. :D

Things are getting hot ;)

Cage accessories

Saw an oddly shaped brush in a shopping centre and immediately thought how useful it would be to clean spaces between cage bars.

Addition to my Jambul Collection

It is always nice to be able to collect nice specimen of the Red-whiskered bulbul. Recently got one that travelled for 12 hours before reaching me. He looks weak upon arrival. However after some water, food and rest, he began to regain some of his form back.



Yet to be named..... he has the loudest voice so far....

Competition - 18th Dec 2011

A friend posing with a bicycle that Chiku won on 17th Dec. 2nd out of 91 birds, I must say I am proud of him.

The next step is to groom him well for another type of competition favoured in the West Coast of Peninsula Malaysia. Where display & "kekek" is paramount to winning.

Jambul Competitions

I am no authority on Jambul competitions, but anyway that won't stop me from trying to say something :D
3 months ago when the 1st competition (1st meaning in a long long time) was held for the Red-whiskered Bulbul, it was kind of a culture shock for most people. The organisers are a group from Kelantan and is more familiar with their way of running a competition.

First, many were shocked that no roof is provided....
Secondly, the birds were expected to play under the sun....
Third, display is not taken into account....

Perhaps a video better explains it.



Birds are judged in a set of 2 for a window period of around 30 seconds.
At the time only 2 birds will be taken into consideration. The first whistle marks the beginning of the judging. Birds should sing for a minimum of 3 times to get 3 points. To get 4 points, it is suppose to sing 9 times ;)
This goes on for 4 rounds. Any tally in points will be fought out in the last determining round (fifth).

Today, there were 91 birds in the competition (1st comp - 39 birds, 2nd comp 50+ birds, so it is a vast improvement over time). It would grow further, no doubt..... only thing is that, there may have to be provisions for an alternative competition style so that a bigger mass of Jambul keepers are kept happy ;)

Chiku did well at 2nd placing.

Elvis the Red-whiskered Bulbul

Elvis, a Red-whiskered bulbul owned by a friend that has a unique forward pointing crest. So, he has been named Elvis ;)

Jambuls foraging among the trees

Saw a flock of Jambuls foraging among the trees in a temple ground. Background are all sounds of wild Jambuls. No captive Jambul in sight. Would be a great place to "chai" Jambuls ;)

Jambul Competition 27th Nov '11

Location of the Jambul competition in Sungai Udang, Melaka in the 27th Nov 2011.


The next competition at this venue has been scheduled at 18th Dec 2011.

Location:Jalan Ozana Impian 4,Melaka,Malaysia

The First Shama Club (Singapore) Talk on Sunday 11th Dec 2011

The First Shama Club (Singapore) Talk on Sunday 11th Dec 2011

The above event is happening is Singapore organised by Shama Club (Singapore).... interesting topics.
Even if just to get to know some Shama enthusiasts, listen to their opinions, I think its a worthwhile weekend spent for those who are free & nearby ;)

Keeping Jambuls

Ever since news of the license requirements for Jambuls has been lifted, thousands have flocked into our local market. There are signs that it is only the beginning. Even today, in a Merbok competition, many traders were seen selling Jambuls, its cages & accessories. Could it & would it give the Merbok a serious challenge as the most kept songbird in Malaysia? Some said it has already done so in Thailand.... only time will tell & I am betting on the Jambuls for various reasons ;)


This is me jumping on the bandwagon.... and this is only part of my collections hehehe!



There are some experiments I am suppose to start. And part of it is to understand the birds better ;)

Square Cages

Haven't tried this type of cages for Jambuls before. Has 2 larger ones for the Straw-headed which is superb for them (me thinks). Bought 2 smaller size ones to try out. Now - need to find matching cloth cover ;)

Cloth Cover for Jambul Cage

Bought some cage covers for Jambul cages. I think they are ideal for keeping new birds. Anyway also using them for the old birds ;)








Twin zip makes hanging them close by possible without over stressing the birds.

Stock reduction - Barau

Ouch! a Straw-headed Bulbul escaped yesterday when my mom helped me clean it's cage. Never mind.... should be able to survive since its a wild caught specimen ;)

Merbah Jambul competition

First time in a long long time.... in Malacca, a Jambul competition was organised base on the singing of these delightful bulbuls....



Only 39 birds competed. A poor turnout by any standards especially when a fridge, washing machine, stand fan & microwave oven are the prizes waiting for the top 4 birds.

Anyway, most who attended had fun.... tried some cheering which is synanymous with comps in Thailand. Didn't get anything this round, but some insights on how comps are judged (alternative system)....

Straw-headed Bulbul

Finally found the perfect cage for the Barau (Straw-headed Bulbul).... small enough not to take up too much space, big enough to be comfortable & accommodate an attached bathroom (aluminium container)


Would be good if I find some time to "socialise" them by way of taking them for car rides to hang under trees etc.

Good way to raise awareness among people of the plight of the Barau....

Collection to the library

I honestly do not know whether I have time for all these, but sort of makes the shelves look good ;)

Addition to the flock

New changes to the law.... although not yet gazetted, words on the street is abuzzed with talks of restriction on keeping the Red-whiskered Bulbul being lifted. In line with the rumours/talks, I have added 4 of these new birds to my collection. If the Government makes a U-Turn to their decision, then only Plan B kicks in ;)




In addition to the 4 new birds, it wouldn't be nice not to include a more matured specimen below ;)



Since I am at it, getting 2 new larger cages for the Straw-headed Bulbul appears to be the natural thing to do.... a friend has even suggested I bring them out to "chai" as they are quite vocal (the juveniles).

Sand Substrate

Experimented a little bit on sand substrate for an indoor aviary. Would like to see the advantages and disadvantages vs newspaper lining ;)

Here it is newly laid....


and the bird making foot prints all over ;)



Use sand substrate meant for aquariums that I bought from a local fish shop.

Bird traps.... other designs

One of the more spacious design, that has both the top and behind covered just in case the wild birds decide to attack from the rear.....



Added a layer of mosquito netting on top as the net looks too big for the Mata Puteh.... there is a small visiting flock.... but in the picture, I am trying to trap the house sparrows by placing some seeds in the trap. It is the lazy person's trap because if you place enough water and food in it, the bird won't die and can check on it every now & then ;)

Bird traps......

Bought a bird trap for fun.... different design from where I lives. Need to test it out in real life one day ;)

Travel North

Followed a friend North to Penang Island on a birding business trip. Made our way back slowly moving to Tasek Gelugor, then to Grik to view some Shamas there.

Had dinner in Lenggong before making our way back to Malacca. Was tiring but an interesting trip ;)

Huge Kelah......





A 9" Shama.....

Bird traps

Bought 3 different designed traps yesterday.

Fishing

Went fishing today.... been many years since I last fished. A friend told me about an abandoned golf course. And so we went there in the morning. Easiest catch in my life. Forgot to take pictures of the fishes but they are small, diamond shape and silver in colour with orange/reddish fins. I alone caught probably 20 to 30 of them.

Brought along 2 Mata Puteh to hang.... and was visited by some wild birds ;)









And a pic of one of the land owner's dogs taking a dip in the pool....

New Addition to the Family

When I first got this bird, it was fully covered for 3 days.... until a friend wanted to borrow a cloth cover.... sigh!
So, since yesterday, this new bird is left uncovered.



Then I bath an old bird and he sensed a new Shama in the house. And he does what most Shamas do when his territory is encroached....

(nearing the end of it's molt, his form is rising....

Fresh Serama Breeding Stock

Not knowing where to house them, I constructed an enclosure made of PVC for these little chickens to roam about and keep them in a cage at night. They appear to be happy & healthy without me worrying about chickens running out of control ;)

My New Shama

In exchange for a 9" Shama, I took home this shorter tailed one....

Sired by a 10" bird, non of it's offspring showed any long tail tendencies. I am keeping it for genetic reasons. Also to see how far it could go in competitions, being a captive bred specimen.

Molting aviary

Its towards end or quarter 3 ... and luckily like clockwork.... all Shamas are molting.
Thought I indulged a little bit and prepare a bigger cage for one of the birds....

Hope he does well in there.

Ohiki

New addition to the flock.... cheapest "long tail" I can find hehehe!
Can't get the Long-tailed Shama, just settle for long-tailed chicken ;)
Anyway, the theory of breeding genetics should be the same.... more venue for practice ;)

Update (23/9): was told by a friend that this is a Yokohama, and another friend that it's the Silver Phoenix. Am confused.... anyway I like it's long tail and pheasant like body shape whatever it is going to be ;)

Male Serama

Found a Serama cock for my lone hen at home.... now, where the hell am I going to house the all :D ......

Bengal Cat

Helping a friend's quest for the perfect Bengal cat.... we found for him a 1st generation (F1) cross of the local Leopard cat. Two female of breeding age.

I still cannot understand the process.... wishing him luck.





How nice if the breeding of the original Leopard Cat is allowed....

Red Jungle Fowl

A specimen of the Red Jungle Fowl hatched from eggs collected from the jungle....






....photo taken during a visit to a friend's house.

Waiting game

Sent 20 Sebright Bantam's eggs to the hatchery to be incubated today. Will be happy with a 30% hatch rate. In fact will be happy with any rate above zero hahaha!

Now the waiting game begins....

Bird Breeding Project

During a meeting with the land owner, I suggested that we abandon our initial plan. "Let's ececute Plan B", I said.
Obviously the reply must be "what is Plan B?".

Honestly I was not sure myself hahaha!
But then cooking up something in the split of a second is nothing new to me. Not in a cunning or sneaky way, but there are just too many plans in my head at any one time. So, sorting out some to meet the occassion appears feasible.

Anyway, plan accepted and now I have to plan for myself.... a bird farm!
A Barau Sanctuary and a Shama breeding facility to be precise is at the core. ;)

The workers' quarters....

the landing strip for my Homing Pigeons? or a "chai" arena for the Jambuls? I have yet to decide....

Lone Serama Hen

After my male Serama died... this hen is lonely and producing many eggs....
Now looking for a nice male to be her mate. Anyone with offers, can contact me (dance4rain@gmail.com)

Skink

One of the common sights when I was a kid.... now not so common anymore (a skink wandering around in the garden)

Tortoise Collections

Life would be boring if we just stick to routines. The dilema should be that routines are the best way to keep birds in consistent form....

So to stray a little from routines, I have indulged myself with some cold-blooded friends ;-)

Leopard tortoise - saw some for sale in KL, but with a RM650 price tag, getting this fella a mate is going to be painful :-D







Red-footed tortoise - appears to be growing quite fast. Keeping a pair. One appears to be significantly bigger than the other.







Elongated tortoise - listed as endangered. My friend who kept it for some time (5 years?) said it's a female. Would be interesting if I could find a male.







Asian brown giant tortoise - need a license to keep according to the new law being enforced. The biggest tortoise specie found in Malaysia.






Yellow-spotted river turtle - originated from the jungles of Amazon....







Ah! how's that for a little diversion from all things avian :-D