Kucing Puaka

The cat that refuse to die......






Photo taken today around 7p.m.

Update 1st May 2010 - Cat still alive and kicking, seen stealing food from my dog :-/

2nd May 2010 - Seen sleeping on top of my car...... sigh! 9 lives eh? wonder how many he has used up hehehe!

7th May 2010 - tried to attack my bathing Straw-headed Bulbul. Back to war - 9 lives eh?

- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Training the Spotted Dove

A favourite place for some hobbyists to train their Spotted Doves. Somewhere near Telok Mas. Criteria for a good spot is safe terrain (less hiding places for predators such as cats, dogs and lizards), plenty of wild birds and shades for the owners.




Joined a couple of guys who were training their birds. Quite interesting. Came a wild bird that glide (lambung) about, making the birds angry.

Photo of Ah Leong's pikat:



- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Broken Cage Pt. 6

I hope that this would be the last of this broken series hahaha!

Caught a squirrel with a mouse trap yesterday which I placed on top of my dog kennel. One of my friend thinks that it is probably a mouse or rat as the squirrel would probably eat the fruits rather than the dry food. Anyway will put up the trap again to catch whatever rodents that passes by.

Placed out some food laced with poison yesterday for the cat. This cat has been harassing my birds for a long time already and managed to kill a Zebra Dove and Magpie Robin. Black in colour with a white chest. I named him "kucing puaka" which means devilish cat yesterday night while talking to a friend on the phone.

See - it's a smart cat. 3 times, the trap did not get it. Once the trap sprang but nothing is inside. I don't know how it was done, but the fish inside the trap is missing. So, the cat probably ate it before escaping. Another time, the trap door did not spring and food I placed on a plate & bait on the hook was eaten. It happened another time again & the cat is often seen just sitting beside the trap, eating out of my dog's bowl, looking at me from the fence, looking at the birds and practically walking around the area like he owns it.

Next, I mix some food with radiator coolant (a friend taught me this) - food I bought the wet type "Whiskas" meant for cats. Must be very nice, he finished all the food including the radiator coolant soup. Still alive.

Then bought poison......



This stuff need to write down identity card number to buy. Mix it with "Whiskas" food and he finished it all yesterday. Today lunch time, my domestic helper reported (laughingly, as she knows I have been trying to get even with the cat) that the cat is still alive......

what can I say :-( real devil of a cat. Maybe a slow acting poison (even though seller claims that if I put in a lot, it would kill a rat a few feet away). Real "kucing puaka" sheeeesh!

If the cat remains alive, I will call a temporary truce until he disturbs me again......

Broken Cage Pt.5

Looks like the cage breaker is still on the loose.
Now he has upgraded itself to Shama cages :-(
The cage belongs to Zeus, an old Shama. Transfered him to another cage and did a simple repair using copper wires.

Looks like no choice but to start covering cages and leave out one with poisoned food as a solution.

Lutino Shama

Did a quick search on the meaning of Lutino but couldn't find a good description. Will spend more time on the term "Lutino" later on. Suffice to name this Shama - Lutino Shama as described by his previous owner.




Will be interesting to see if this genetic defect can be passed on ;-)

Meanwhile, I shall keep this interesting specimen......

Two interesting links have been provided by Jeffrey Low, it did not appear properly in the comment section, so I will reproduced them here:

http://birding.about.com/od/identifyingbirds/a/leucism.htm

http://www.bestofbreeds.net/budgerigarworld/bestv1/1_11.htm

Broken Cages Pt.4

I spoke too soon, the Magpie that was attacked died today. I didn't realise it, but was about to give it away to a friend today. When I took his cage & open the cloth cover, I found him dead. It's now going to be war on cats!






Buried him outside my home parameter. Rest in peace - you will be avenged.

On another hand, I may have caught the cage breaker. Found a big rat inside my mouse trap that I leave on top of my roof. Poor rat was dead from the heat by the time I notice it. Hope this is the culprit.

- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Broken Cages Pt.3

It appears that the cage breaker is still on the loose. And to compound to that problem, I now have 2 brave cats that enter right into my home. One I wish to believe, I have caught it and relocated it today (black with white chest). Now aiming for another one, reported to be grey in colour.

Today's attack on a Magpie;


Fortunately, bird is still ok except some loss of feathers. Now, one of the difficult things to do according to ancient scriptures is to have power and not use it.

I am feeling it now, so much poison in posession, so tempting to use but still obligated to do the right thing - "do others no harm".... sigh!

Jakarta

Just came back from a visit to Jakarta. An interesting place where bird keeping seems to be a part of their culture/lifestyle. Any species is game there - from sunbirds to huge ugly crows to rare birds like the Bali Myna and bird of paradise.

A scene of the bird market in Pramuka;




Souvenirs ready to be shipped home;




A lone Straw-headed Bulbul, probably the most expensive songbird in Indonesia not taking into consideration champion competition birds of other species.


- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Broken Cage Pt.2

It is very sad to note that more cages are being destroyed by an unidentified culprit. This time an old tall cage housing a Golden Fronted Leafbird. Luckily the bird is quite stable and tame. He remained in his cage unlike the earlier Red-whiskered Bulbul that flew away (presumably). The target appears to be food in the feeder cup as it has been emptied. So, the bird appears not to be it's target. That was yesterday.


Today, another similar damage.... a bar broken and food contents in the cup eaten. This time, this RWB remained in it's cage. Lucky me! As this bird belongs to a friend. It's one thing to lose one's own birds, but another to lose other's. I prefer to lose my own birds anytime as compared to those owned by others.

Now, how to rectify the menace posed by this potentially dangerous and expensive pest?




Will put poison in the cup and hang back the cage (without the bird). Meanwhile, will put it back first while I go get some poison tomorrow :-(

I don't believe in killing pests unnecessarily, but I think it is necessary now. Cannot afford to lose some of my birds.

- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Tekukur Pikat (Spotted Dove)

We all know what all work and no play does to Jack, so, I borrowed a "pikat" from a friend to "play-play". Had him for a few days already but haven't test him out yet. The video if him cooing to the friendly neighbourhood dove. I think this fella can "pakai". Will have to wait for the acid test when I pack the gears, travel hundreds of kilometers during ungodly hours and spend a whole day in mosquito infested area to catch a few of these wild doves that I do not wish to keep ;-)
Hehehe! maybe an appointment to my friendly neighbourhood psychiatrist is due....

A Pair of Straw-headed Bulbul (Barau-barau)

Now, I am not really a Barau-barau enthusiast. Just concerned regarding their dwindling numbers in the wild. I have been hearing a lot about breeding successes in Indonesia and Thailand, but locally, it is virtually unheard about.

Of course there are one or two here, but not on a consistent and big scale.



My next intended project would be to breed these birds and hopefully could encourage others to do the same. Then, these birds may have a chance ...... yet

A word about the new pair I bought. They are a pair bought by a person who then joined together 2 metal dog kennels to make an aviary. He kept them in a room in his house. I do not know the reason why, but after an estimated year plus, both birds seem to be losing feather. The female now looks more like a baby bird.

Yesterday while bathing them, the female bird fell on her back in the bath tray and couldn't pick herself up. I had to intervene and catch her before she drowned herself. Today, they appeared to be well. Hope both of them can be nursed back to health.

Broken Cage Pt.1

One of the most feared thing that could happen has happened. Unexplained broken cage - is it a rat, cat, civet cat or just the bird itself that broke the cage. The place that it is hung could rule out the cats, now...... hope that if it's a predator, it doesn't become a habit :-(






- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -


Update (11th April) - I have today, repaired this cage to house a weak Straw-headed Bulbul.

Nest materials

Felt like a parent bird yesterday, down on the ground collecting nesting materials ;-)
I think these dried pine leaves would be perfect. Would try them out - at least can stop buying brooms and cutting them :-D

Wetlands Pt.2

Interesting to see the following scene right smack in the middle of a housing area. Well, I am not the observant type and these could be common scenes all over town. Just want to post it before it disappeared from my neighbourhood. Its facing a row of terrace houses and the question is not whether they will be replaced by another housing project, the question is when?



Two cute little heads sticking out among the wild flowers behind a row of houses. Indonesian kongsi houses are nearby.....
They are the Lesser Whistling Ducks (Dendrocygna javanica)



On the way to town, near where Merbok competitions are held, some wild birds play by the road side (counted 6 today)......
Purple Swamphen (Porphyrio porphyrio)

Trapper's equipment

Have been pondering what type of equipment is best for bird trapping. Car or motorbike. Both have pros & cons.

With a car, the radius can be extended, reaching far off places while still in a fresh condition. Rain does not drench the spirit, more equipments can be hauled along. And can chit-chat along the way with friends.

The downside being not flexible in whizzing in and out of narrow trails. Entering fenced up and gated plantations is not possible. So it's not as easy to scout an area using a car vs. a motorbike.







- Time you enjoy wasting wasn't wasted -

Feng Shui

Feng Shui as an ancient Chinese art of geomancy need little introduction. In fact too much info is already out there with each proponent singing praises of their own "brand" of Feng Shui. This is a bird keeping blog, I shall reserve my comment :-D

I have been involved in Feng Shui long before I started keeping birds. Mainly as a student and curiosity kind of thing. I do not do it for a living. In fact I normally refuse payments and would require a donation made to a third party organisation. Not because I am the goody holy fella, just because I am not sure how effective all these formula and theories are hahaha! (my sifu would strangle me for saying this). Anyway even this I have stopped as it is sapping too much time and energy from me.

In the course of my study, I get to do some interesting stuff. See, to test the ancient theories, enough research must be done and documented. Not locked away and selectively shared. But in the real world, much sharing are done on that basis - must protect the secret. I could go on and on, but suffice to say that there are also good reasons to be secretive. I have visited crime scenes, murder scenes, fire scenes all in the name to find the common factor. They are all quite challenging. Too challenging in fact for me. What is easier to do is to find the Feng Shui common factor on which spot makes the songbird sings more hehehe! What else ;-)

Would post my prognosis if non of it contravenes pre-agreed code of silence :-D

Anyway, most bird hobbyist would tell you of certain location in their house where birds appear to calm down faster, increase form etc etc. Now the question - purely environmental or more?