The pictures is showing how the Kupang Bird Market, in Surabaya, is looks like. It is not a permanent bird market. The place looks so dirty, not because of the trash, but the non permanent building they made is so bad. Doesn't seems neat. Not well organized. I think someone or the authorized body/government shall look at this side and takes action for making it looks better. This place shall requires a very big improvements.The picture is taken in early of May 2009. The view is still the same as 20 to 30 years ago, an exception I may noted is only for the number of bird sellers, it is might had been increased or decreased. I am not really sure about that. This conditions also applied to the traded birds kinds. Some kind of traded birds is already banished, such as some imported birds like Hwa Mei or Melodius Laughing Thrush [Leucodioptron Canorum, formerly Garrulax Canorus], Poksay or Black Throated Laughing Thrush [Garrulac Chinensis], Sanma or Grey-Side Laughing Thrush [Garrulax Caerulatus], some Robins, etc. Since 90's, some new bird kinds were exposed and exploited, some is still exist and the others was ended into the blue.
In the picture, we can see the left side is temporary birds market and the right side is the parking area. Formerly, both sides of the road is full with bird sellers since 90's. After 00's, in 2007, the yard on the right side was used to be built a commercials building, it seems a mall I think, so they had to move from there. Today, the building's construction will be finished and I am sure that all the bird sellers will be moved also as soon as the grand opening of the building. The other road, next to this, is also used as the bird market, the original one before. It is will stays there as the 80's era.
In this present day, the bird sellers are not just selling birds, they also sells cages as well as they are selling the birds. Even the number of the cages they are selling for the time being is as much as the birds it self. It was a funny phenomenon. Shall we call it birds market, or now we shall call it bird's cages market? LoL. The cages they sell are only the second or lower grade in quality and price. For sure, you will not be able to find any best quality cages in here. Even the birds they sells, most of the birds available in here is the raw materials, the chicks or the wild caught. For quiet sometimes, if you are patient enough to check it one by one, or takes some time to look around as approaches, in such a fortune way, you may find a good one. A quality bird for exhibition purpose. Only if you will gives an effort.Bird's food also available in here. The most famous quality bird's food in Kupang bird market were the white type Banana and the Ant's Egg. If in the other bird markets in Surabaya you can not find good Banana, so you must try this place then. The Ant's Egg, it is a must bird food, especially for the carnivora birds, which takes insect as the main food. In this place, the Ant's Eggs are the best in quality. But do not forget the Economy Law, the price goes along the quality.
The last image, it shows some big cages contains munias. The white breast munias and brown streaks breast munias, the common munias in Java origin. These birds usually will be bought by childrens, as some [stupid] bird sellers are using water base colors for coloring them, to make it full of colors and try to make or attract the kids are to be interested to buy. In the end of 90's, some weaver's kinds also sold in here [it is rare now] for the children's market also. As the years passed by, some bird lovers had learnt that the weaver could sing as well as the other singing birds. If the weavers are tamed since they were chick for then they were placed near a patron bird, absolutely they will sing the same song kind when they reach the adult age. It is also increase up the price of the weavers as it is also made the weavers became one of the favourite birds, a collectable.I have visited this bird market last month and I found some chicks of the Asian Pied Starlings, Orange Headed Thrush and Chesnut-Caped Thrush in there. I bought an Asian Pied Starling at that time, a month old chick with a ring around its leg, as it is made me sure that the bird is a product of a farm and not a wild caught.
