Breeding the Java Sparrow

I am getting lazy, so I will paste something I wrote in the Malaysia Bird Forum (its a reply to a member's request for help in setting up an aviary as his school science project):

OK, I have thought about this project over and I present my thoughts and invite debates

Now, from the management of aviaries point of view. It would be difficult to manage a multi species aviary especially in a school compound.
You must think of the non-working weekends - who is in charge? of cleaning, feeding etc.
Think of the long school holidays - who is in charge?
It is not a short term project. Long term management and upkeep have to be considered lest it becomes another "big idea" that becomes neglected over time.
Keep in mind that the birds are living things and can't be put on hold even though the human carers have more important things to do.

My suggestion. Keep things simple. Have a single specie aviary. It would make the upkeep simple such as food and nesting requirements. So, even the gardener can be taught quite simply how to maintain the aviary. Another problem solved would be inter species compatibility. Some species are quite aggressive and could present a problem for other more docile species.

So, what do I suggest you keep? It has to be non TP (totally protected), no license requirement (cost and frozen licenses comes to mind), preferably local breed (you are teaching local kids here, so might as well teach them the love for their own Country's fauna) and hopefully there is a higher purpose to all of this.

What specie eh?

Let me suggest the Jelatek or Java Sparrow. They were common wild birds back in the old days. Stories of "pikat Jelatek" , catching Jelatek etc etc abounds if you speak to some old timers. First they are hardy birds, live well in a communal and breeds readily in an aviary. Not to mention that they are actually attractive birds and one of those local species that does not require a license to keep. As the population in the aviary grows, consider tagging and releasing the birds to hopefully establish a thriving wild population (this is the higher purpose that I spoke about). For "ego" purposes maybe can tag as SKDB (Sekolah Kebangsaan Dean Barau hahahaha!). Then your school can be proud of something, the kids learn something, the Country benefits somehow and DeanBarau has less work to do

Wa! I am spending too much time in the Forum. Must get back to my TV. How guys? feedback! feedback!

Retro Movies - Lucky

A tribute to my first ever Mata Puteh that I kept. Finding old footages to share ;)



Seems like a long time ago. This is one maintenance free fella. Out in the morning and back in the evening, always with his cage door open so that he knows where to get his food. I gave him away to a friend who practice the same schedule as well.
One day, his new owner forgot to put out his cage for him to return to and he was never seen again :(

That is the peril of keeping birds in such a way. Its a dangerous world out there.... and so, we suspect that Lucky fell prey to some predators.






note: I have accidently uploaded the same video twice & do not know how to remove it.... sigh!

Bathing Birds

Bath time has always been a favourite thing to do for most of the birds (there are actually exceptions). It is also a time consuming activity especially so if you keep an unsane number of birds. Just sharing how I manage.

For Oriental White Eyes (Mata Puteh), the occasional luxury I can accord them is a hanging bath cage in a sunny area where I know the shadow will cover it within 20 minutes. In this bath cage, I provide food and a big cup of water (to bath). A tray would be out of the question as it would be too heavy when filled with water. It has the purpose of providing extra space, activities, sunning and "bath all you like" for the enjoyment of the birds.



Then there are the Red-whiskered Bulbuls (Merbah Jambul) which is more straight forward. A round aluminium container filled with water is placed inside their cage for them to bath as and when they want.

The White-rumped Shamas that tends to get their tail damaged in a bathing cage, the set up would be like below. Cage and bath cage is aligned so that the bird is free to bath and get back to its cage to shake and preen itself.
This is not without risk especially where there are energetic pets running around or the inquisitive children at home ;)



Territorial birds like the Shamas can turn a mundane bathing event to a "mini singing contest". Its a joy or nuisance depending on how much time one has. If all the time in the world, then its a fun thing to observe. If rushing to fetch the kids or something, not many birds will get their bath :(

Zosterops Palpebrosa Pt.3

This is Thor, personally I think quite potential to be developed into a good bird if no bad habits set in.



He came to me uninvited, meaning I wasn't actually looking to increase my stock of Puteh. But after hearing stories about him, I was tempted. See, among hundreds of Putehs that passed by this trader's hand, 2 caught his attention and he dumped them with another 8 Putehs that he thinks got potential into a "ladung" (big cage, usually 4 feet by 2 feet). 1 broke its leg and left 1 which he thought he better let me keep.
Well, only time will tell whether this trader knows his stuff or maybe whether I know my stuff