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 ;)