Early Days

I have been introduced to care birds since I was a kid by my grand father, indirectly. He had several birds of pigeon kinds, such as: Spotted Dove [Streptopelia chinensis], Eurasian Collared Dove [Streptopelia Decaocto].
My own real 'career' in ornithology was started when I was in elementary school that time, by caring some pigeons/doves, buying some munias and weavers from 'mobile' birds seller, which using bicycle he brings a lot of munias and weavers. Some of those munias were stained by water base colors, pretty weird and he thinks it's funny for the kids. I don't think so. It was very stupid.
Couple years later, I was in junior high school, and this time was the beginning of my real ornithology session. I started to buy Black Headed Bulbul/Kutilang [Pycnototus Aurigaster], Yellow Vented Bulbul/Terucuk [Pycnototus Goavier], Straw-Headed Bulbul/Cucak Rawa [Pycnototus Zeylanicus] and by the time goes by, I went into other kind, such as White-rumped Shama/Murai Batu [Copsychus Malabaricus], Oriental Magpie Robin/Kacer [Copsycus Saularis], Pied Bushchat/Decu [Saxicola caprata], Black-naped Oriole/Kepodang [Oriolus chinensis], Black-faced Laughingthrush/Poksay [Garrulax Affinis], Streaked Laughingthrush/Samho [Garrulax lineatus], Asian Pied Starling/Jalak Uret [Gracupica Contra], Common Fiscal/Cendet [Lanius Collaris], etc. Some of the birds I bought in Kupang Bird Market, some of them I got from Bratang Bird Market and the rest I took from some birds sellers in some places around in Surabaya.
This picture is showing some of my collections in 1985, when I lived in Surabaya. Start from the left in the picture, inside the yellow small cage is my first 'Cendet', a Common Fiscal [Lanius Collaris], which is very stern, as I could remember. It seems always bite the hands close to it. The next one, in the middle, in the natural/brown cage, is 'Murai Batu', the White Rumped Shama [Copsychus Malabaricus]. This Shama is the smaller kind, its origin is Java. It has smaller size, shorter tail and shallower black feather in the neck. Its songs also not as good as its close 'cousin' which came from Malaya [Sumatra or Malaysia]. In Java, they used to called it 'Larwo', instead of 'Murai Batu' name. This kind, in Java, also already rare in the market or in the collector's hand and I think it was extinct by huge exploration during 80's to 90's era. The last one, first from the right, in the white cage, is the White Rumped Shama, a bigger kind, which come from Sumatra.
This 'Larwo' is very aggressive bird, it sings very often and very loud, since the dawn till the sun is set. It had good enough song any some variances, that was as I remembered. I got it from a bird seller who had a bird shop and he is a bird foods seller also, a small kiosk in Jalan Sumatra, Surabaya, a street side kiosk. Today, the kiosk is already swapped by local govt as they have planned to clean the city and try to make the city looks clean, neat and tidy in every place. Unfortunately, as they are the member of Copsychus family, they should be fed with Ant's Eggs or Crickets as they were the full Insects Consumers. This is the worst part, this dependence of high protein is making me always hunting for this bird food, which sometimes the availability in the market is unstable. I will takes time, effort and more money for this matter.