Hwa Mei - Melodius Laughing Thrush [Garrulax Cannorus]

Surprisingly, last year I heard around 11 birds of this kind has arrived in a bird market in Surabaya, but unfortunately I had no chance to get one of it. The news I heard was too late for me to catch it. Fortunately, there is another wave is coming and now I have a chance to get it.
I choose to take a pair, a couple of Hwa Mei. Those birds are wild, just like a new catch from the wild in China. No smooth and complete feather and absolutely they don't sing as you imagine.

I used to take care a lot of hwa mei many years ago and today I think I will put a same treatment as it used to be.


The birds are very wild at the first time they arrived at home. I have to catch the male, since I have to do some manicures (whoooa ...) on its nails and beaks, which already too long and can harm it self. After the exercise, the male is getting more wild and wild, seems it got stressed. So, I decide not do the same treatment to the female.
I take another option to prevent the nails from growing to much, by changing the perch from the previous (using Tamarind wood branch, which famously and always used for the caged bird in Indonesia, instead of other materials) and becoming pre-treated round-shape fabricated wood with glued sand underneath. The nails will be automatically sand-paper treated likes, everytime they jump or the fingers hold on it. They are now being tamed a little bit, especially the female. The male is still affraid when a person is closing to them or taking/bring their cage down, still looks too wild.


After the sixth month, both birds were reached adult age, getting attracted to each other. Everytime I separate them, or moving one of them to another place to hang its cage, they just apparently singing. The male is also singing more often everyday, it is a good sign that they have been tamed or adapted to the environment.
I also started to put the male to a round shape cage. The cage is a common shape and size, which usually been used in China or other place as it is origin. I can not find a daily use cage with this model in the market right now, especially the model and finishes according to what I want to, so when a friend offer me a used cage, I decided to take the offer. I brought the cage from Malang, where it came from, and put this to a specialist for re-build it, since the cage is broken, no bottom parts, no common accessories left from it. It been done within 2 weeks later then and I put the accessories on it, such as the hanger (steel), the clipper/locking (stainless plate), the feeding bowls, the perch, the carpet, etc. (By the way, the 'Batman' logo is very ugly, I think ...) Actually, the cage is very small for this bird kind, I think, but this is the most effective way to tame it. I still did not get a chance to find the cage for the female, the good one, so it still be placed in a square small cage. it does not matter, since the female is more tamed than the male.

I took a short video capture of this male Hwa Mei for you to have an idea how it is looks like right now, after six months of treatment and taking care of them, as seen by clicking this short cut: Finchpolis on Youtube, and check it out ...

Jogjakarta - New Birds Market

3 years ago, I have a good chance to visit Jogjakarta, copied from Wiki 'a city and the capital of Yogyakarta Special Region in Java, Indonesia. It is renowned as a centre of classical Javanese fine art and culture such as batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, and puppet shows. Yogyakarta was the Indonesian capital during the Indonesian National Revolution from 1945 to 1949. One of the districts in Yogyakarta, Kotagede, was the capital of the Mataram Sultanate between 1575 and 1640. The city is named after the Indian city of Ayodhya from the Ramayana epic. Yogya means 'suitable, fit, proper', and karta, 'prosperous, flourishing' (i.e., 'a city that is fit to prosper').[2]', during my course session for 'Oil & Gas Contractor', held by ESDM - Ministry of Energy & Minerals Resource. Absolutely, there's only 2 places I'd like to visit: the Birds Market and the famous 'Malioboro' street. I searched the information regarding the birds market and well informed that the previous 'Ngasem' birds market has been relocated and moved to a better place in the edge of the town, beside the main road between the city, area Dongkelan, Jl. Bantul KM 1, Yogyakarta. They named it 'Pasar Satwa dan Tanaman Hias Yogyakarta (PASTHY)'. Of course, near or in front of it (if I'm not wrong, as I remember) is where the Flower & Plants market is located. Looking at its name, actually it is not purely the birds market, since it is said the 'animals' market.

This first picture is showing how the previous Ngasem birds market looks like today. Barely almost empty from the activities as it is common in birds market, but some trader or seller are still hold on to this place. Surely the buyers are prefer to go to the big new one, except for some people who doesn't like to go more far and just buying small amount of bird food or something like that. Even the fishes and its equipment is still available in here. It is very common in Indonesia that every birds market, usually also available fishes and its equipment.

Some bird food sellers are like to stay to serve the people in this area and they should have permanent buyer or old customers, to let them alive and survive in here. They try to survive by serving the old customer near by or within the area, selling daily bird foods and some small stuff and cage's acessories

This is the face of the PASTHY, the birds/animals area, taken right from the Entrance Gate. The parking area seems neat, tidy, well paved and tens of cars can occupy the parking lots. even they made decoration in the parking pavement, marking the lot, drawing a bird shape and things like. It is not that beautiful, but I shall appreciate the effort for trying to. Nice, ehh ...

Entering the market area, there is separated walkway, quarry stones paved, with median made for garden/plantation and some big high aviary cages. A water fountain also seen in the middle of the garden, a small one and it is not activated. This walkway goes along the middle of the market, divide the market into two large area. Whether we go to the left side or right side, the whole area was fully occupied by the seller.

The walkway/pedestrian is branching, separating the seller's kiosks into blocks. No special allocation to each available block. There is area between the pedestrian and the kiosk, grass block paved. This area can be used for the seller to take care and maintain their goods, birds, or can be used for the trading place or show area. Most important, this area is a must in the birds market, since every bird requires sun bathing each day, especially in the morning, when the market started its activities. I found that this is rarely available in the common birds market I used to visit in Indonesia. I also found that garbage cans are available in every place. That's why this place is looked so clean, differs than any other birds market I ever visited.

I feel something's very different in here, more than visited other birds market. Very comfort. The place is very wide, among the garden, grass, plantation and big trees. This condition will not be found in other birds market. In Surabaya, the place is narrow, in the 1 and 2 stories building, with small size kiosks. In Jakarta, the biggest one, birds market in (Jalan) Pramuka street, even worst (or I might say the worst ever), the building's is 3 or 4 stories, the kiosks are smaller in size, the corridors are very narrow and the most uggly is the bird's waste. The waste is layering the corridor's floor and also the kiosk floor, since the place for hundreds of sellers with no appropriate garbage management. Imagine that, how many garbage and waste that should be cleaned in daily basis? More worst during the rainy season. I bet you could not stand the odors-smells it created.

Some corridors (whole corridors are open space, actually) are equiped with the place for hanging the birds. This will let the seller hang the cage in there and the buyer will take their time to watch, until the transaction is made and get deal. I believe all caged birds, even the wild one, will be happy and made their best appearance and sings their best songs ever!!

Almost all common traded birds are available in here. Even the imported bird kind, such as the parrots family. Especially the common and unrestricted birds, they will be found easily in here. Birds traded from Jakarta to Surabaya or from Sumatera island to Bali, through Java island. Landed in Jakarta city from Sumatera, going to Surabaya city before arrived in Bali. Those trip of trading commonly have to pass Solo city or Jogjakarta city. That's why we can find more easy birds kind in here rather in other city.

Red Siskin [Carduelis Cucullata]

"The Red Siskin (Carduelis cucullata) is a small passerine bird. This finch is a resident breeding bird in tropical South America in northern Colombia and northern Venezuela (where it's called "cardenalito"). The introduced population on Trinidad is believed to be extinct, with no sightings since 1960.
Some hope has been given to this highly endangered species by the discovery in 2003 of a population of several thousand birds in southern Guyana, 1000 km from any previously known colony. Otherwise the world population is believed to be between 600-6000 pairs." 

The quotes on above will be read if you take a look in Wikipedia.
Actually, trying to have this bird is close to 'just a dream' to me, since it is not available in the market nor no Importer would like to bring this bird to Indonesia, where I have to wait for tens of years 'till this day. It is a lucky day when a friend of mine told me that one pair left in the market, for me to right away hunt it and get it. The couple looks very good, young and healthy. I guess its reached at least 1 year old. The male, the red one, looks very active, pretty often to sing and chirping. The female, the duller feather color, seem a little bit wild. More wild than the male. I see some feathers are fallen in the bottom of the cage. One of them is in molting. The day after I brought it home, I separate them, each in individual cage. The purpose is to let them becoming more fit and healthy untill the molting period is over and they will ready for breeding. There is no use to keep them in pair if one or both of them are in molting period, they will not breed anyway. It can be seen in the picture, the female feathers in the cap is not tidy, some of the feather was fallen and some of it are growing. It is more important to feed them with good diet, treat them with minerals and vitamins, so the female will be much better for breeding preparation. The female molting period took longer than the usual time required. The feathers are not fall together in a such period, but falls per body part, started from the head/cap, down to the lower parts.

Grey Singer Breeding (White Rumped Serins)

Well, it is good to say that this Grey Singer couple is a hard core! They breed rapidly. Once they laid their eggs, 13-14 days the chicks are popped out ... then the male and female are start to feed the chicks. This feeding session also made them start to breed again. Even when the chicks ain't reach 2 weeks old yet, or at least the chicks has reached their baby's days out, they start to build another new nest for laying their new several eggs. It will be difficult for the male then to feed both the chicks and also the female in nesting period. But only the good one can do this, not every male wants to and can feed them at the same time. Most of them will abandon their chicks.

Experiencing the deaths of separated chicks from several experiment, I found out that this Grey Singer's chicks kind had no highly survival mode. When the parental feeding is less than 5 weeks, they get sick by poor eating ability and ended in death within couple to several days. I have tried to separate them in 4 weeks old, then 5 weeks old, they did not survived. So I decided only to separate them from the parental feeding after 6 weeks. It is very risky, due to the danger that the chick may kicking the eggs out of the nest, since they will still be in the same small breeding cage. In addition of that, they will also suffer from the parents that usually pulled out their feathers for nesting material or try to reject them out of the cage. Sometimes it is difficult to make a decision, wheter we have to take them out or let them stay in the cage supported by their parents but resulting the damage baby's feather. We have to be very sharp to watch the situation and condition on this.

The pair will breeds at least every 5 to 6 weeks, started from 3 eggs. Some of them survived completely to 2 or 3 chicks and sometimes they didn't survived at all. It means they are producing at least 5 to 6 breeding times and brings 15 to 18 chicks per year. But in fact, they only appear after suvival around 10 chicks. Not bad, isn't it? Of course, it was a good factory to me ... rather than to have only 2 or 3 breeds per-year. So, why don't you try to breed this kind? instead of only to get them singing in the cage.

Vintage Relief Carved Cages - 8 Chinesse Gods

Surprisingly, I found this vintage carved cage from a friend who had a store in the bird market. It is a rare stuff. Someone, a bird lover and also a cage collector is selling some of his collections. Some of them were put in his store for sale. I was just falling into the feeling that it is a must have cage! It is very truly unique, classic and really classy. This cage is seems a product of 90's era. Look at its carving appearance, even the carves it self doesn't shows that is not made by a real quality carver, it framed by a line, leaving a space in the edge, a plain space is available left after some crafting made by fine saw in connected square and round/circle modules, as we oftenly see it in the ancient chinesse carving. Surely the type is following theme of the carving: Chinesse Gods - the 8 prime gods. I used to have so many kind and so many type of the Chinesse Gods carving cages before, since the early of 90's. Those cages are product from Malang, Jepara, or other places. There is some details are always seen that becoming thew, a character of a carver and also from its origin that applied in the carving cages. Smoothly I can make a guess to a cage by defining the character and its appearances.

Serinus Mozambicus: New Kid on the Block

Here are the pictures of the 3 months old juvenile of Green Singer, from the last breeding season before the molting period in the end of last year. The bird is very good in its physical condition, in addition that it is a single chick of a nest, it got the blessing that the singing ability is very excelent.

Vintage Carved Cage from China

It was a lucky day when a friend of mine told me that he has been asked by his little brother to sell one of his cage collection. The subject is a cage, carved cage, made by a Chinese carver - a master in his special skill, made from bamboo material (surely we shall know that it will the best well treated bamboo in the world, if it will be used for cage material). The cage is an used cage, in good condition and it seems that this cage has been re-conditioned. I did not check it in detail anyway. It has a story carving, telling about the Monkey King, or Sun Go Kong in Chinesse. The finishes was in brown, a natural color that always be my favorite one. I pay the price he asked, surely after a little bit forcing to have a discount :-) i take it home. Took a little while to watch it, feel amazed and wrap it into a plastic cover to protect it from the dust. Since I do not know for what bird I will use this cage (in case you did not well informed, Hwa Mei, the purpose of this cage for, has not been introduced to Indonesia no more since 2000), so this cage been stored in the warehouse for many years. Surprisingly, once I checked and looked one day in the warehouse, some cages has been damaged by the rats attack, this cage was freed from the rats. I do not know why, maybe it is becasue of the round shape of this cage. Actually, this cage was my favorite one, but it is very sad to say that I never had a chance to use it for my favorite bird, the Melodius Laughing Thrush (Hwa Mei), is very difficult to be found in the market today. So, this cage will be still stored in the warehouse until this day.The carvings are very adorable, amaze me, always ... I think the carver must be very talented and well experienced. The proportion of the body shape, the captured acts it presented, the details proportion, the story telling, everythings were great. A master piece. I think oneday I'd like to visit the place where the cages like this are produced and get some new experiences and knowledges about how to make the cage like this.

A New Love Bird

I tried not to have love bird again, that's what I have promised to my self. But I failed! :-) I just got tempted when I buy bird food in a seller around my neighborhood. I have seen something interesting, when the seller said he had bought a package contained pairs of breeding love bird. I asked him to show those birds and he also informed the price of each bird.
So I choose one of them, the kind which I never had before, the Rosy Faced Love Bird (Agapornis roseicollis), as seen in these pictures. I choose the cock, as I thought that the cock will sings more often than the hen. Actually, it is very difficult to recognize which one is the cock, as Plumage is identical in males and females. So, I think I have to see the size, the most easier way, as the hen is bigger than the cock. It was the most wild and twitter. And I prove it as the good singer, 24 hours after it arrived at home, it is singing very often, from the dawn 'till sunset. Never stop a loud and a constant chirper.
Next visit, the same seller recognize me and he then inform me that there is a hen that already laid several eggs, so he convinced me to buy it. So, I pay it, but since I don't have a breeding cage [the reason is, I will try to re-start to breed love bird again, since I stopped this in 1999], I leave it to him for a week until I have time to prepare the cage/buy the cage.

After a week, the cage is ready and I took it home. Next day, those love birds becomes pairing.
Since this time, I feel a little bit feels noisy in the morning when the pair of lovebirds in start to sing.

Asian Fairy-bluebird 'Cucak Gadung' (Irena puella)

The Asian Fairy-bluebird, Irena puella, is a medium-sized, arboreal passerine bird.

This fairy-bluebird is found in forests across tropical southern Asia from the Himalayan foothills, India and SriLanka east through Indochina, the Greater Sundas and Palawan (Philippines). Two or three eggs are laid in a small cup nest in a tree. It was described by British ornithologist John Latham in 1790. The only other member of the genus and family is the Philippine Fairy-bluebird, Irena Cyanogastra, which replaces the Asian Fairy-bluebird in most of the Philippines.


The adult Asian Fairy Bluebird is about 24 to 27 centimeters (9.4 to 11 in). The male has glossy, iridescent blue upper parts, and black underparts and flight feathers. The female and first year male are entirely dull blue-green.


It eats fruit, nectar and some insects. Its call is a liquid two note glue-it.

That's what I have read, a part about this bird kind, if you wanna know about this bird further more, click this Wikipedia link. One thing they missed, seems this bird widely spread in Java.


Well, I have known this bird since I was a teenage, when I was a newbie in bird business, around mid of '80's in my neighborhood. I thought, that time, that was a very nice looking bird, until someday I have heard this bird sung a little bit, what a weird sound to me [ain't heard as my favorite common singing birds that time, such as Hwa Mei [Garrulax Canorus], Kacer [Copsycus Saularis], Murai Batu [Copsyscus Malabaricus], Asian Pied Starling (sturnus Contra), etc.) but I could not remember what kind of sound it was. What I still remember, somebody told me about its name 'Cucak Gadung' when I asked it. Maybe it's a common name.


Rarely I found bird lovers has this bird. Of course, the reasons are this bird might has no good sound/songs, they also not the commonly found bird around the village population, so they must be not included in the preferred pet birds in Java. The exception is they had beautiful color that we could not deny.


One day, it was couple weeks ago, I was attending a seminar, held by Govt Ministry of Resources and Energy, in Hyatt Hotel Jogjakarta. This session gave me a chance to take a look a this city's bird market. Previously, the bird market in Jogja was Ngasem Bird Market, so we were just looked around 'Pasar Ngasem' and we could not see where the he** the market was. After several times we drove around, we asked someone in there and then we heard that the market has been moved to another new built place designated as a bird market. In the opposite, across the road, there is another new place for plants & flowers market. We parked the car and then get into the place.


The market is very big, bigger than I thought before. I think it is now becoming the biggest and the best in Indonesia, even better than Sanglah, Denpasar Bird Market. Pramuka Bird Market in Jakarta is biggest based on the seller booth/kiosk, which very much (this is normal, upon the population of Jakarta). But based on the area, Bird Park in Jogjakarta, the new one in Bantul Street, is bigger.


There are 3 kiosks at least, that had this bird. Fortunately, I found a kiosk that had 2 birds, which one of those is Sub-Adult/Juvenile. It has feather's color like the female/hen. Black color back ground, with tosca [color between green & blue] all over the body part. But I have seen at some part, some feathers already turned to blue color, very bright blue, as seen in those picture in above. Those pictures were taken a week after arrived in my home, in the end of July 2011. In my opinion, this bird already 3-4 months old, in regards of its first molting period. It shows how this chick looks becoming an adult male bird.

Sanglah Birds Market, Denpasar, Bali

This is the next travel to the bird market in the out side of Java Island, where I can get a little bit time to spent on it, during my waiting time before attending the Iron Maiden Concert in Bali in early of this year. It is placed in Sanglah, Denpasar, the Capital City of Bali Province.
The place is very nice, clean and tidy. There are 2 roads for Entrance and exit, where in the end of the Block is located a "Pura", a temple of Hindu religion. So, whether you are going to the bird market, if would like to, you may have a nice view also to the temple. Isn't it looks great, man ...

A lot of typical simple cages, mass product of factories, made from plastic coated wires in very interesting shape and colorful are available in there. Absolutely cages made from wooden and bamboo also available. Accessories are offered in so many varies, from feeding bowl, perches, water sprayer, even the aquariums and its equipment also provided.
We can see a box cage full of Javan Myna (Acridotheres Javanicus) in the picture above, a very beautiful kind of Myna of Java. This kind is still have big population in its nature, so, not so many breeders wants to breed this kind until to date, in addition that the price of this kind is cheap. There is a big gap, in the price, between this Myna compare to other mynas, such as Asian Pied Starling (Sturnus contra), Bali Myna (Leucopsar rothschildi) , Black-Winged Starling (Sturnus melanopterus), which their price at the local market are very high due to their population in nature and availability in the market that very minimum and rare, beside the regulation in trading it, and this is the reason why the breeders are very interesting to breed it.




You can see in the pictures, there were some other pets available in there such as small monkeys, squirrel, even there were some big bats :-O what a mess ..... what's wrong with those guys anyway?