Aussie Finch Forum

Greg
Up until this year I would travel to Bali and Java between 5 and 7 times a year.This year hopefully less.
Anyway while there I have always squeezed a half day to see what birds were available,sadly alot were odd softbills with bright feathers
but there are pairs available. Sadly all they seem to be interested in colour,how tame or its singing ability. How rare the specie is thats not
thought about.
When you go to the ferry terminal it is sad to see the small cane baskets of birds coming across.
Then when on the island as you go over the first mountain range apart from families begging on each tight bend(for money or smokes) there are numerous
sellers offering some of the lesser coloured birds such as female Fairy Blue Birds and the Flycatches. I have even been offered kittens of Spotted Cats.
They do not care about CITES or how rare the specie just will it bring in a little money.
As I have said before,if it is not purchased its eaten,that is the way and I doubt if our views or others will change the situation.
On my last visit to Bali I could have purchased Pintailed Parrot Finches for around $7 each,wild caught Javas $2 each, Shama at $30 male and $6 female and all these costs were before negotiating.
In the past I have had people having shots at me because each visit I buy 1 or 2 pairs of birds and release them in a jungle area on the island.I do not know how long they survive but at least I give them a chance.

E Orix wrote:In the past I have had people having shots at me because each visit I buy 1 or 2 pairs of birds and release them in a jungle area on the island.I do not know how long they survive but at least I give them a chance.

I think some (most?) of them were wild caught anyways.

E. Orix, if for every 3 you release , 1 dies, 1 is recaught and 1 goes on to breed you have still done the species a favour. Good on you keep it up. And Greg, I hear you in regard to these markets conditions being wrong but the temptation to buy anyway if a pair of endangered birds was available, yep I think we all get that.
LML

I'm sure the raptors are all rare here. Orix is right that in the provinces if it's not traded then it's eaten. I can not see the attraction of a heron or a crow but the flycatchers Orix was talking about are also found in Palawan (Philippines) and are occasionally seen at Cartimar and are beautiful but almost no one has the skill to keep let alone breed such animals. As you will read in another post today I've just started a soft-bill collection (1 piece) but it is as welcome as a white elephant! The buy and release may work if you're in the right area but at $220 for a pair of smuggled Indonesian lorries I'm just looking.

G'day RE Mike Fiddler DVD I bought one originally to support the save the gouldian fund as I do at times, although Ive been breeding finches for many years I picked up many hints from DVD one of the best was Vircon S up until then I was a 1% bleach person on my sprouted seed although I never lost any birds that I could blame on sprouted seed I was always concerned, well worth the money just for the peace of mind. I don't know if any one else douse but I soak my water containers and soft food containers in a bucket of diluted Vircon S periodically Just to be safe.

Have to say what a great DVD this is.

We both enjoyed it thoroughly.

But more importantly learnt quite a bit from it.

Thank you to Mike Fidler and Birds R Us.

What found most interesting about the DVD, is ecosystem in the cage bottoms.
Birds R Us = Just Birds and Reptiles = Pet One??? The place seems to have different name when I pass it in Cessnock. Just wondering.