Nice blossom for the CNY

Somebody gave us a seedling of an unnamed plant. Just befor Chinese New Year, we found it blooming nicely. Maybe I should try gardening instead of aviculture. At least when people see me tinkering in the garden, they won't ask me whether it's for sale or whether I could make money from it.





When someone has a garden full of flowers, even though much work went into it, everyone thinks that it is a hobby. If you have a garden full of birds, most people jump to the conclusion that 1) you are a bird dealer 2) you are selling birds 3) you are a stockist for bird shops.... sigh! very amusing hahaha!

Crossing Cage

Supanna, a Jambul I acquired on 16th Dec 2011 upon recommendation of the shop owner.... so far the form has been rising nicely. Today on the 1st day of Chinese New Year, I managed to find time to sun my flock of Jambuls.... from morning till 12pm as the lion dance troop was scheduled to visit at 11pm, it has to end at 12 noon to allow me time to cover them and bring them indoor in case they got frightened by the noise.

When the visit by the lion dance troop was postponed to the next day, I took the flock out again to enjoy some fresh air. Citra (a new and young Jambul) and Supanna was calling to each other frantically even though they were a distance from each other and blocked by 2 other cages. If both of them perform like this in the competition arena, then I am in for more prizes hehehe!
Which motivated me to work on the base of a new cage.... these Thai cages doesn't seem to come with trays, so a lot of D.I.Y. from scraps have to be done. Then comes another problem.... Supanna does not cross cage

2/2/11
And the latest update.... got a professional to do the base 😊

Breeding the Straw-headed Bulbul - a proposal

I quickly amended a proposal to be submitted to the authorities yesterday. Hope they will rule favourably for it during their meeting. For foreign readers of my blog, keeping birds in Malaysia is a tricky business. Most birds are protected by law, regardless of its status in IUCN or CITES. Even common birds and animals which are sometimes regarded as pests elsewhere in the world could still be fully protected in Malaysia. In the case of the Straw-headed Bulbul, such protection is welcomed as the numbers are declining drastically. Which also shows that strict laws, at times are not enough. Protection of its habitat is also important. If all else fails, then promoting captive bred stocks may be the way forward. There are negligible demands for this bird in Malaysia. When the government hinted on confiscating existing stock, I know of some panic selling by keepers. I am quite certain such stocks are no longer in Malaysian soil. It may of course be a good thing, as it appears that only our neighbouring countries are interested in breeding them. Maybe one day, we could import them back for our children to see and hear :(

Jambul competition - 8th Jan 2012

Determining who gets 4th, 5th or 6th position.... Chiku is on the far right.... All birds and owners are exhausted.... starting at 10.30a.m. and ended around 2.00p.m. 105 birds competed. Chiku has to settle for no. 5

A sign

A sign was placed on the lawn this morning. A sign that all is not well, danger lurks everywhere & I have to be careful.


For now, the victim is a wild dove. Culprit could be anything. But why in the lawn.... Should be the 3rd time a wild bird was found dead here.