“On February 2010, an opportunistic survey of bird markets in Bali, Indonesia was conducted. Localities visited include Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak and Ubud. Denpasar is the capital of Bali island and is basically an old market town dotted with many temples, street shops and beautiful houses.

“It also boasts a thriving bird market that has become a centre for wildlife trading on the island. Satria bird market serves as a one stop mega-mall for pets, pet supplies as well as game meat. The image on the left shows a row of shops selling pets and pet supplies. Bird keeping is a deeply entrenched tradition in the Indonesian culture. It was observed that shops in the bird market do not discriminate what they buy and sell. Species noted in trade at the market can be found in the Annex 1. Species sold were almost identical in most shops.

“Many bird species in Indonesia are protected. Most are confined to the various islands scattered along the archipelago. Yet they are still sighted in major bird markets throughout Indonesia. Species like the crested jay (above left), green magpie, Asian fairy bluebird, greater leafbird, straw-headed bulbul (above right), pin-tailed parrotfinch and tawny-breasted parrotfinch (above middle) are few of the non-Bali resident species traded at Satria bird market in Denpasar, Bali. When asked, the shop owners claimed the birds either arrived from Java or Sumatra, two of Indonesia’s main islands.

Some shops are rather well established within the market. The image above (left) shows a typical bird shop at the market with cages and perches for the birds. This shop has more than 15 species of birds offered for sale. Most notable in the picture above are the moustache parakeet, Asian pied starling, Java sparrow and peach-faced lovebird. The image above (right) shows a dealer offering a collared scops owl for sale. When the movie Harry Potter was first released in Indonesia, it was reported that demand for owl species had gone up (Chris Shepherd, pers.comm.to Haniman Boniran, 2004) The owls here are kept in paper bags with holes punctured through for ventilation. The reasons they are kept that way are to keep the nocturnal species calm and subsequently reduce the chances of stress related deaths. Furthermore, the dealer does not have a physical store. These are itinerant dealers who move around from one spot to another, peddling their goods. This particular dealer sells not only owls but also other species including long-tailed shrikes.

“Mammalian species like bats, civets and macaques tend to be sold as food. Adult flying foxes (above right-bottom = crimson flying-fox) and macaques are poor candidates for tame, loving pets. According to a TRAFFIC report in 2005, some of these animals are sold for medicinal purposes. They are either sold alive or, upon request, can be slaughtered on the spot (Nijman, 2005). The shop owner claimed that the macaques came from Sumatra. This shop essentially sells monkeys and flying foxes with a few water fowl species as well as helmeted guinea fowls and turkeys.

“Besides long-tailed macaques (above left; juveniles above right-top), tree shrews (below left), squirrels, civets (below right) as well as green iguanas are common non-avian species sold at Satria bird market. The flying fox, long-tailed macaque and the green iguana, a South American species, are listed on the appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, CITES. Not only are they protected internationally from trade exploitation, there are also domestic legislations prohibiting the poaching and trading of these species within Indonesia.

“In 1999 when India banned the commercial export of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) for use in medical research, Indonesia became one of the largest exporters of long-tailed macaques to medical facilities around the world. Mauritius, Solomon Islands and the Philippines followed suit.

“These two signage table out the law protecting local flora and fauna in Indonesia (above). They are located at the central square of the bird market visible to vendors. Unfortunately, wildlife protection is a still a challenge for many producer countries. Lack of man power, economic pressures and politicians’ will, rather than political will, are just some of the reasons illegal wildlife trading is rampant. Arguably, it provides income for the locals but when opportunistic trapping becomes commercialized, the authorities will need to contain it. Unmanaged tapping of resources of any kind for that matter, will result in premature depletion which will subsequently affect both species. Sustainable harvesting is very much recommended if wildlife is to be utilized as an economic commodity. However, given the vastness and complexities of the many domestic issues plaguing producer countries such as Indonesia, it seems inevitable that wildlife trade is the least of priorities on the country’s agenda. Despite this Indonesia has to be commended for her efforts in trying to curb further expansion of illegal wildlife trade. A decade ago, Bali mynahs, Siamangs, gibbons, orang-utans and various species of raptors were common sights in these bird markets across Bali. Today the situation is slightly better.”

Above: left, barbets (Megalaima spp. fledglings); middle,short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis); right, pin-tailed parrotfinch (Erythrura prasina)

Above: left, long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach); middle, black-naped fruit-dove (Ptilinopus melanospila); right, white-bellied hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris).

Annex 1.
1. Collared Scops owl (Otus bakkamoena lempiji)
2. Malayan flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus)
3. Pin-tailed parrotfinch (Erythrura prasina)
4. Tawny-breasted parrotfinch (Erythrura hyperytha)
5. Tree shrews (Tupaia glis)
6. Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis)
7. Civet (Viverrid sp.)
8. Long-tailed shrike (Lanius schach)
9. Java sparrow ( Padda oryzivora)
10. Barbets (Megalaima spp.)
11. Asian pied starling (Sturnus contra) uncommon resident in Java and Bali according to Strange, 2001)
12. Green iguana ( Iguana iguana)
13. Short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus brachyotis)
14. Black-naped fruit-dove (Ptilinopus melanospila)
15. Asian fairy bluebird (Irina puella)
16. Black-naped oriole (Oriolus chinensis)
17. Greater leafbird (Chloropsis sonnerati)
18. Moustached parakeet (Psittacula alexandri)
19. Hill mynah (Gracula religiosa)
20. Straw-headed Bulbul (Pycononotus zeylanicus)
21. Crested Jay (Platylophus galericulatus)
22. Asian glossy starling (Aplonis panayensis)
23. Oriental white-eye (Zosterops palpebrosus)
24. Jungle fowl (Gallus spp.)
25. Water fowl (Anas spp. & Anser spp.)
26. Peach-faced lovebird (Agapornis rosiecollis)
27. Black-capped lory (Lorius lory)
28. Rainbow lory (Trichoglossus haematodus)
29. Orange-headed thrush (Zoothera citrina)
30. Munias ( Lonchura spp.)
31. Bulbuls ( Pycnonotus spp.)
32. Spotted-necked dove (Streptopelia chinensis)
33. Peaceful dove (Geopelia striata)
34. Common mynah (Acridotheres tristis)
35. Javan mynah (Acridotheres javanicus)
36. White bellied hedgehog (Atelerix albiventris)
37. Canary (Serinus canaria)

Haniman Boniran
Singapore
9th March 2010

Images by Haniman Boniran.

References:
1. MacKinnon, J. (1988). Field Guide to the Birds of Java and Bali. Gadjah Mada University Press, Indonesia.
2. Nijman, Vincent (2005). In Full Swing: An Assessment of trade in Orang-utans and Gibbons on Java and Bali, Indonesia TRAFFIC Southeast Asia.
3. Nowak, Ronald.M. (1991). Walker’s Mammal of the World – 5th Eds Vol. 1 The John Hopkins University Press, London.
4. Strange, M. (2001). A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia Periplus Editions (HK) Ltd., Hong Kong.

“I was on my usual butterfly photography outing today when I encountered this rather friendly Scaly-breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata). It allowed me to get up to about a foot or even closer to it. All the while it was feeding on grass seeds. Very odd, though, as these munias always give me a wide berth whenever I am around that location. Is it injured?

“But when I got up after shooting it, and made a bit of noise, it took off with a few ‘chirps’ to the trees.

“This was taken with the D3 and a Tamron 180mm macro lens! And for at least a couple of the shots, I was really at macro distance! One of those times when a macro lens can be used to shoot a bird close up.”

Recently fledged juvenile birds usually allow us to approach closer than adults before they fly off. They have yet to learn to be aware of us humans. However, Sin Khoon pointed out that there are no tail feathers in his photograph (above). In this case it is possible that the munia could be a recently released captive made for religious credits. But then Vesak Day was not around then…

Check HERE for other tail-less munias found during Vesak day.

Khew Sin Khoon
Singapore
30th November 2009

“It is a marvel what photographic images can capture. Often, moments that are too quick or sudden for our eyes could be captured unwittingly in our pictures. Some of these images could throw up clues or details that can be studied later and in the luxury of time.

“Closer scrutiny of images of the White-Bellied Sea Eagle (Haliaeetus leucogaster) posted earlier (that was being mobbed by crows) revealed that, at one stage, regurgitating (or was it vomiting?) took place. Attached are cropped images showing the sequence of the eagle’s regurgitation that may be of interest.

“Before the regurgitation of some fluid-like substance, the eagle was in an awkward stance with its neck stretched and hunched (above).

“In the images above, some thread-like fluid could be seen falling out from its beak onto the structure of the TV antenna. If you look closely, the substance in the image on the right resembles a fishing line.

“The “fishing line” is also visible in the image on the left, clinging on and dripping from the dark rectangular bar.

“Surprisingly, during the period of regurgitation, a moment of respite occurred for the eagle when the crows were watching its behaviour instead of taking that opportune time to gain the upper hand.”

Kwong Wai Chong
Singapore
26th November 2009

Note: Is it possible that the eagle earlier ate a fish with part of the line still attached to it? If so, there must be a hook somewhere…

“I had the opportunity to travel from October to November this year, to Nagaland – one of the seven-sister states in North East India. The other states are Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura. They form part of the East Himalayan region, which extends from Sikkim eastwards and embraces the Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal. The location of the region is strategically important as it has international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan, China and Myanmar. The area is characterised by rich bio-diversity, heavy precipitation and high seismic activity. It is endowed with forest wealth and is ideally suited to produce a whole range of plantation crops, spices, fruits and vegetables and flowers and herbs. The rich natural beauty, serenity and exotic flora and fauna of the area are invaluable resources for the development of eco-tourism.

“Unfortunately, this story is about the indiscriminate killing of the Red-legged or Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis). It is one of the most elegant, beautiful, dignified-looking birds I have ever seen. According to Salim Ali’s Book of Indian Birds, the Amur Falcon is a passage migrant in North and North East India, appearing once a year from mid-October to mid-December, presumably on autumn passage to East and South Africa.

“The size is comparable to a pigeon. The male is slate-grey above, ash grey below but for rusty red-vent thighs and under-tail coverts (left, top); distinct orbital area, cere and legs. Females are entirely different: slaty grey barred with black; hindneck with whitish nuchal collar. Pale rusty white below, spotted with black on upper breast, bars on lower breast and flanks. I thought they were two different species of falcon. [The juvenile is as shown in left, bottom.]

“They are often recorded in immense numbers in flocks often milling around at sunset before roosting on trees. Salim Ali writes, “they are said to be eaten in Cachar and East Africa”. I found out first-hand that they are also eaten in Nagaland.

“I saw them flying in circles high above in the sky, and strung on high electrical cables in the Doyang Dam area in the Wokha district. The Doyang Hydroelectric project produces a significant amount of power to the central districts of Nagaland.

“The two specimens that I photographed were captive, awaiting their fate, kept in a traditional “machang” or viewing pavilion next to the village pastor’s house. I asked the local hosts about these birds, and was told that there were seasonal migratory birds. They would come by the tens of thousands every year, for a few months, and then disappear. However, during these months, the local people would catch them with nets after observing their flight paths. Some people I spoke to said that other people would give them live birds by the hundreds as gifts for food. One family said they tried letting the birds go free, but they would return to their cages for food. To avoid them being caught again, this family transported the birds to a remote area to be freed. In another home, I saw the distinctive white and black streaked feathers strewn on the ground near where food is prepared in the compound.

[Above left is a juvenile Amur Falcon all tied up to be subsequently eaten, same as with the squirrels on the right.]

“There is no shortage of food in Nagaland – they are farmers by tradition, growing padi, potatoes, yam, fruit and vegetables on the hilly slopes, and rearing domesticated animals for meat. It seems that the tribal tradition of capturing wildlife for food remains an active past-time among some segments of the population up till today. I fear for the survival of the Amur Falcon and other wildlife, if they are still being hunted down indiscriminately for sport and recreation. I have spoken to Naga people who are my friends about conservation and wildlife protection. I pleaded with the youngster who had captured the two birds in these photos, to let them go. He politely gave me his word that he would do so. However, I fear that not enough is being done to change the traditional forms of “enjoying” wildlife in these parts. There is one unmistakable observation in Nagaland – in the rural parts that I visited: the absence of any bird life. The flowering plants and trees are there, the forest edge is usually not far away, yet early mornings and evenings are not filled with birdsong and colors. When I do see them, I fear for their safety and freedom.”

Joyce S Y Tan
23rd November 2009

On 15th August 2009, Ben Lee sent in an images of a Barn Owl (Tyto alba) hanging from a discarded fishing line (above left): “A real pitiful sight of a Barn Owl killed as it was trapped by a fishing line in a tree near Punggol Jetty recently. Understand that it was alive for a long while but many people who saw it do not know who to call for help and ended up leaving the poor bird dangling till its last breath.

“Hope those who are into fishing be more accountable and aware of the danger of discarding fishing line or nets left in a tree as it may trap and endanger many wild birds and other wildlife as well.”

On 20th August, barely a week later, Ben sent in another image of a Little Heron (Butorides striatus), similarly strangled, with a note: “Another pitiful sight of a Little Heron hung by the neck till death by a discarded fishing line left on a tree. Picture (above right) shows a decomposed skeletal remain, still with feather. Hope fishing enthusiasts will be more responsible in discarding their disused or unwanted fishing lines or net.”

These two are the fifth and sixth birds strangled by discarded fishing lines we have posted so far - see below.

Images provided by Ben Lee of Nature Trekker Singapore