The Last Black-Throated Laughing Thrush/Poksay [Garrulax Chinensis Chinensis] in Town

This is my new Black-Throated Laughing Thrush [Garrulax Chinensis Chinensis] or Poksay as we, the birds lover in Indonesia, like to call it that way. This bird kind used to be very famous in Indonesia in decade 80's, when the faucet of importing the birds from out side of Indonesia is widely opened. This is the paradise era for the birds lover in here as so many kind of birds from other countries, other continents, are easy to be found in varies. It is now very difficult to find this bird in Indonesia today. Some other birds also had same condition as this bird, such as Garrulax Canorus, Red-billed Leiothrix or "Pekin Nightingale" [Leiothrix Lutea].
Actually, first time I had this 'Poksay' is around 1984. I did not know how to choose which one is female and what is the male looks like. So, the first Poksay I bought was the female one, in which she could not produce any good sound. Just one single female song. What a pathetic beginner's way to learn. Secondly, I was smarter, of course I could get the male one, which already tamed, singing often. The price for male Poksay was 15,000 rupiah at that time and the female was about 7,500 rupiah, half price of the male.

It is now 2011. It's been 27 years after the first time I had my Poksay/Black-Throated Laughing Thrush. Suddenly, accidentally along my regular weekly trip of project's site visit from Surabaya to Bojonegoro, a regency, a city district of Province East Java, I found a Poksay, one of the Poksay left, stay alive, in 3rd millennium in Indonesia in a birds shop/seller. I said to myself, shit, this is very great, man ... So I asked the seller about the price to take this bird to be my collection. Whoaa, the price has been goes up 50 to 100 times from the first price I got many years ago. Ok, it is normal ... So I pay it and take it home.
This bird looks so good in condition, physically. No less, but a very mature one. For your information, the last imported Poksay came from China introduced in to Indonesia was around late 90's or at least in the early of 2000. So, imagine how old is it? It must be more than 10 years old right now ..... and it is still singing and fit in its condition.
When I took this bird to my home, it was in molting condition, so I did not even hear its sound or its sings. Several days later, once its molting period is out of the blue, it is start to sing. Unfortunately, the molting period for the bird which is very mature often took a little bit longer than usually happen to its kind. This means that its sings not as much as I hope, maybe I should wait until all the feathers are complete or replaced by new feathers.
I've been thinking maybe I have to buy some other birds to accompany this bird, which has sound or sings close to this kind. One of the bird that has sound looks like or closely sounded like this Black-Throated Laughing Thrush is the Oriole kind. Specifically the Black-Naped Oriole [Oriolus Chinensis Maculatus]. This bird has unique sound and I have found one, which had all criteria I want, in the same seller as I bought the Black-Throated Laughing Thrush. The Oriole, or 'Kepodang' as we used to call it, I mentioned had the criteria, was very tamed, sings very often and youngster. But the bad thing is, I think it also in the middle of its molting period, but fortunately it still sings very good.
The funny thing is, every time there is a cake seller is passing by, using its car and sounding the jingle of its brand, with funny music, this bird is singing suddenly. I did not realize this fact, until one day I realize by hear the same song of those two different entities, at the same time, everyday.

Bratang Bird Market - Surabaya

There are several bird markets that available in Surabaya city. One of those is Pasar Burung Bratang/Bratang Bird Market, which located in Bratang area. This bird market seems built in around late of 70's or early of 80's. I just visited this place first time in the end of 1983. At that time, the building looks still in good condition, I thought like it is been built in just couple years ago, still seems like a new building to me.
In early of 80's, when I used to go to this place, I've seen the front yard, that was the parking area today, used to be a place for hanging the birds. I was not sure, was that for the competition or exhibition or just for exercise. The steel pipe frame is set on that place with a small diameter of bamboo webbing/plait and a number is painted in there, functioned as points to hang the birds. Some birds as common popular birds to be exhibited that time were Chinese Hwamei or Melodious Laughingthrush (Leucodioptron canorum, formerly Garrulax canorus)Black-faced Laughingthrush/Poksay [Garrulax Affinis], Straw-Headed Bulbul/Cucak Rawa [Pycnototus Zeylanicus] and White-rumped Shama [Copsychus Malabaricus].
At the time I used to go to this bird market is the best time for some imported birds such as: Black-faced Laughingthrush/Poksay, Melodious Laughingthrush/Hwa Mei, Yellow Rumped Serins/Black Throated Canary, Gray Singing Finch, Kinds of Canaries, Red-billed Leiothrix/Pekin Robin, etc. It was so easy to get those bird kinds in the market, a thing that very opposite in conditions today, which those birds are very rare and no more imported birds available in the market.
Today, this bird market is still provides many kinds of bird, but the transaction is very minimum in number, also in values. Most of them are now also selling cages, in varies kind and type, in case to help their income, daily income, while they can not sells too many birds every month. This condition was caused by some issues and problems. One of those problems was the condition that not everyone is dealing or buying birds in the birds market. A lot of them are buying/trading the birds in the house [to house], on the birds exhibition or during birds championship, even trading via the internet, so this condition will kills the business in the birds market automatically.
The Bratang Birds Market's condition today was very needs concern. The building is getting poorer, the painting is more and more paler, the place is dirty, the electrical installation requires re-new, the floor tiles are cracks everywhere, dirt and needs to be replaced. The walls, as you could see in the pictures on above, is very dirty, stained by paints, and also gets rotted.
If you want to get the best quality of painted, hand painted or sprayed paint, cages in East of Java area or even in Indonesia in my opinion, this place is the right one. Some shops in Bratang are producing, in place, best cages, especially hand painted cages. Some shops which selling and producing painted cages also doesn't produces the cages in place, but they have another workshop and do the painting works in there. I have been in many birds markets in different places and different cities, been visited many shops that selling the cages for birds, and I have proven that I could not find better place than in here in order to get best quality of painted cages.
You can see in the both pictures on above, their main and major traded items were the cages. Some cages are still in raw material,ready to be set & finishes shall be applied, some of those cages were ready to be sold as seen in those pictures on above.