slowly then all at once

Do you ever get in a funk and not even fully realize you're in it?  Yesterday I received a note from a dear friend (who is really more like family) reminding me that 3 years ago to the day we were in Hawaii for a special service commemorating the passing of another dear, dear friend of ours.  A wave of emotion and so many memories swept over me all at once.  That was a particularly special time, and trip, simultaneously filled with so much joy and sadness words really can't describe.

Just the other day I mentioned that I've been experiencing some sort of wardrobe crisis.  I chalked it up to boredom, maybe too much stuff or not being able to focus on the right stuff to pull things together; possibly the rainy, cool weather of the past couple of weeks.  Yet inside I knew it didn't add up - I lived in Washington State with buckets of rain for several years and those were some of the happiest days of my life - days that were not void of fun outfits.  This afternoon when I mentioned the passing of my friend to the Chef it suddenly dawned on me that it being this time of the year is probably the reason for my grey days.  The heart is an interesting thing.  As much as we think we've moved on from something in our mind - it is our heart that ultimately determines how far we've gone.  I guess I've still got a ways to go.

Tonight when I looked at pictures from that trip I remembered a different me - a more peaceful me.  My posts have been pretty somber lately.  Here's an attempt to turn the tide, even a little.

Kauai - October 2007

Here's to brighter days ahead.  Have a great weekend and Happy Halloween, everyone.

Losing It - My Balance That Is

Is it possible to have a mid-wardrobe crisis?  I'm still in the LOST version of closet life (no not that closet, the one that holds my stuff) and have thought more than once that maybe this is like a mid-life crisis only of the apparel kind.  Hmmmm.  The fog did lift temporarily when I heard the magic delivery man scream out early this morning, "UPS FRONT DOOR!".  I, in turn, screamed, "CHEF, UPS FRONT DOOR!!" in a zombie-like state from my bed.  What?!  It was early (read before 10am), and I have no business scaring anyone who is gainfully employed with the way I look prior to noon.  Halloween's on Sunday.

It all started when I saw her wearing them here.  Carey is probably my favorite blogger out there - she and her husband, Rob, have the most witty, entertaining posts with the best outfit and cat pictures evah!  And you know how I am about the cats, people!  When I saw her in these shoes it was a like the light bulb went on and whispered, "must-have" ever so softly.  Since then I have been fighting the ol' Jessica Simpson Dany's tooth and nail with excuses like, "but they're Jessica Simpson!" (so rude yes, I know), "I'll trip and kill myself in those mothers - no can do!", and "what if I crack my head open?? I'm pretty sure my insurance won't cover that."  Last week I found them on sale and must have purchased them in a white out (just like Dr. Drew says Amber on Teen Mom has when she beats Gary's a** and can't really remember it) because suddenly a UPS shipment notification showed up in my email and there was no turning back.  Thank heaven.

Eight Sixty Faux Fur Vest, Loomstate for Target Tunic, 

Gap Wideleg Denim, Jessica Simpson Dany Platforms

{Free People, PANYC, Motif 56 leather bracelets}

I wasn't kidding when I said hippie mania has taken over my thoughts.

Sadly you can barely see these huge platform babies, but I trust you've seen them
on everyone else and you will be seeing them again here.
  *quintessential late bloomer*

The wood veneers on the platform remind me of the wood paneled wall my grandparents (and then my parents) had on the length of their/our living room when I was growing up.  Suddenly I was 10 years old again.  It was Saturday afternoon and my mom was bringing pomegranates to me and my brother as we prepped for an hour of Stampede and WWF Wrestling where Davey Boy Smith and the Dynamite Kid flung themselves off ropes and beat everyone to a bloody pulp while Macho Man Randy Savage decided whether Elizabeth could be in his corner or not.  Those were the days.  Shoes - good for the memory and the soul.

Ternak burung kenari untuk pemula

 Dalam beternak kenari ada beberapa factor yang harus diperhatikan yaitu usia kenari, jenis kelamin, sarana penunjang ternak dan ilmu tentang ternak.

Usia Kenari

Usia menjadi factor penentu berhasil atau tidaknya dalam beternak kenari, usia yang terbaik dalam beternak adalah jangan terlalu muda atau jangan terlalu tua. Kenari siap ternak minimal 6 bulan untuk kenari betina dan 8 bulan untuk kenari jantan, tetapi untuk kenari besar seperti Yorkshire dan turunannya sedikit lambat birahi minimal usia 1 tahun.

Jenis kelamin

 Anda sebagai peternak harus menguasai ciri-ciri kenari jantan atau betina, dalam menentukan jenis kelamin kenari cukup sulit bagi pemula tetapi bagi hobis senior sangat mudah menentukannya mereka cukup melihat dari postur tubuh kenari walaupun dalam kasus tertentu Kadang-kadang ada kenari yang sangat sulit ditentukan jenis kelaminnya.

Adapun cirinya yaitu :

• Kenari jantan diusia muda ± umur 1.5 keatas sudah mulai belajar bunyi / ngriwik.
• Ukuan tubuh / bodi jantan cenderung ramping (memanjang), leher agak panjang, jika betina bodi kelihatan agak bulat.
• Anus jantan bila dilihat ( dengan cara ditiup agar bulu disekitar tidak menghalangi) menonjol tegak lurus /vertikal, jika betina sebaliknya / horisontal.
• Jantan dewasa berbunyi nyaring dan nge roll.

Sarana Penunjang dalam beternak.

Kadang-kadang kita dalam beternak tidak terlalu memperhatikan hal-hal kecil seperti posisi kandang ternak, lingkungan kandang ternak dan saran penunjangnya. Jika hal-hal tersebut kurang diperhatikan akan mengakibatkan kekesalan di kemudian hari. Contohnya pada saat penempatan kandang ternak kita tidak memperhatikan feng shui (he..he.. maaf becanda) lingkungan di sekitar kandang ternak. Penempatan yang terbaik yaitu sangkar atau kandang ternak menempel ke dinding disamping kiri dan kanan sangkar ditutup. Sangkar ternak di tempatkan di daerah yang bebas dari gangguan serangga atau binatang lainnya seperti tikus, cicak dll.

Untuk menghindari dari serangan serangga seperti semut daerah sekeliling sangkar yang menempek ke tembok di kelilingi dengan kapur bagus (kapur ajaib). Jika kandang ternak besar menggunakan kaki maka kaki-kakinya diolesi oli. Sedangkan pengganggu utama selain semut yaitu tikus, tikus sebetulnya hanya mengambil makanan kenari hanya kalau melihat kenari lengah ya di hajar juga dan kejadian ini sering sekali dialami oleh hobis. Dengan penempatan sangkar di dinding diharapkan bisa meminimalkan serangan tikus hanya kadang-kadang tikus juga pintar mencari celah untuk itu anda harus hati-hati dalam penempatan kandang yang terbaik menggunakan kandang aluminium. 

Proses penjodohan

 Jika anda sudah mempunyai sepasang kenari dengan usia siap ternak proses selanjutkan yaitu proses penjodohan. Proses penjodohan yaitu kenari jantan dan betina di tempatkan pada sangkar yang berbeda, dan kedua sangkar tersebut ditempatkan saling berdekatan. Dalam hal ini banyak new comer (peternak pemula) yang tidak sabar menjalani proses penjodohan mereka langsung masukan jantan dan betina kedalam satu kandang.

Dengan adanya proses penjodohan anda akan mengetahui kesiapan kenari tersebut, jika belum jodoh langsung dimasukan ke dalam satu sangkar akibatnya kedua kenari tersebut bisa berantem. Apabila terjadi perkelahian diantara keduanya dan salah satu kenari ada yang kalah maka waktu penjodohan akan lama lagi, terutama jika yang kalah kenari jantan proses penjodohan semakin lama karena anda harus mengkondisikan si jantan agar berani mendekati betinanya. Ada beberapa tip untuk meningkatkan birahi yaitu :

Kenari di beri makanan yang bergizi tinggi seperti telor puyuh, multivitamin dll, Dijemur setiap pagi. Pada saat menjemur dan proses penjodohan sangkar jantan dan betina digandengkan terus menerus, kalau ada jantan lain sekali-kali dipanas-panasin dengan menggunakan jantan lain. Disangkar tempat betina disediakan sangkar berikut isinya. Jangan lupa berdo’a agar kenari yang diternak bisa cepat jodoh dan menghasilkan anak yang berkualitas.

Proses Ternak.

Proses selanjutnya yaitu menyatukan kedua kenari tersebut. Adapun cirri-ciri kenari siap ternak (sudah jodoh) yaitu :

pada saat jantan didekatkan dengan betina sijantan akan mengejar/menabrak sangkar dengan bunyi yang kenceng dan betinanya menggelepar-geleparkan sayapnya tanda minta kawin.

Pada saat sore hari atau menjelang tidur kenari betina dan jantan tidur berdekatan.

Sewaktu-waktu antara kenari betina dan jantan saling meloloh makanan.

Jika didalam sangkar betina di dikasih sarang beserta isinya, kenari betina akan menyusun atau merapihkan isi sarang, jika isi sarang sudah disusun biasanya betina siap ternak.

Dalam menyatukan kedua kenari tidak ada aturan waktu yang baku anda boleh kapan saja menyatukannya, hanya pengalaman saya waktu yang terbaik yaitu sore hari. Dengan menyatukan sore hari diharapkan pada malam hari keduanya sudah rukun sehingga pagi harinya sudah jodoh. Karena sudah mengalami masa penjodohan maka pada saat penyatuan tidak terlalu riskan berantem tetapi kita harus terus memantau karena takutnya terjadi berantem.

Setelah keduanya rukun coba perhatikan isi sarang kalau isi sarang kotor maka ganti isi sarang tersebut dan sebagian isi sarang simpan di dasar sangkar biasanya isi sarang didasar sangkar akan dipindah ke dalam sarang. Untuk memperhalus sarang kenari betina biasanya suka mencabuti bulu halus jantannya atau bulu halus dari kenari betina, biasanya jika di dalam sarang sudah ada bulu-bulu halus tandanya tidak lama lagi induk betina akan bertelor. Untuk mempercepat proses bertelor dan mengurangi mencabuti bulu halus  kedalam sangkar bisa dimasukkan kapas secukupnya.

Ternak burung kenari untuk pemula

 Dalam beternak kenari ada beberapa factor yang harus diperhatikan yaitu usia kenari, jenis kelamin, sarana penunjang ternak dan ilmu tentang ternak.

Usia Kenari

Usia menjadi factor penentu berhasil atau tidaknya dalam beternak kenari, usia yang terbaik dalam beternak adalah jangan terlalu muda atau jangan terlalu tua. Kenari siap ternak minimal 6 bulan untuk kenari betina dan 8 bulan untuk kenari jantan, tetapi untuk kenari besar seperti Yorkshire dan turunannya sedikit lambat birahi minimal usia 1 tahun.

Jenis kelamin

 Anda sebagai peternak harus menguasai ciri-ciri kenari jantan atau betina, dalam menentukan jenis kelamin kenari cukup sulit bagi pemula tetapi bagi hobis senior sangat mudah menentukannya mereka cukup melihat dari postur tubuh kenari walaupun dalam kasus tertentu Kadang-kadang ada kenari yang sangat sulit ditentukan jenis kelaminnya.

Adapun cirinya yaitu :

• Kenari jantan diusia muda ± umur 1.5 keatas sudah mulai belajar bunyi / ngriwik.
• Ukuan tubuh / bodi jantan cenderung ramping (memanjang), leher agak panjang, jika betina bodi kelihatan agak bulat.
• Anus jantan bila dilihat ( dengan cara ditiup agar bulu disekitar tidak menghalangi) menonjol tegak lurus /vertikal, jika betina sebaliknya / horisontal.
• Jantan dewasa berbunyi nyaring dan nge roll.

Sarana Penunjang dalam beternak.

Kadang-kadang kita dalam beternak tidak terlalu memperhatikan hal-hal kecil seperti posisi kandang ternak, lingkungan kandang ternak dan saran penunjangnya. Jika hal-hal tersebut kurang diperhatikan akan mengakibatkan kekesalan di kemudian hari. Contohnya pada saat penempatan kandang ternak kita tidak memperhatikan feng shui (he..he.. maaf becanda) lingkungan di sekitar kandang ternak. Penempatan yang terbaik yaitu sangkar atau kandang ternak menempel ke dinding disamping kiri dan kanan sangkar ditutup. Sangkar ternak di tempatkan di daerah yang bebas dari gangguan serangga atau binatang lainnya seperti tikus, cicak dll.

Untuk menghindari dari serangan serangga seperti semut daerah sekeliling sangkar yang menempek ke tembok di kelilingi dengan kapur bagus (kapur ajaib). Jika kandang ternak besar menggunakan kaki maka kaki-kakinya diolesi oli. Sedangkan pengganggu utama selain semut yaitu tikus, tikus sebetulnya hanya mengambil makanan kenari hanya kalau melihat kenari lengah ya di hajar juga dan kejadian ini sering sekali dialami oleh hobis. Dengan penempatan sangkar di dinding diharapkan bisa meminimalkan serangan tikus hanya kadang-kadang tikus juga pintar mencari celah untuk itu anda harus hati-hati dalam penempatan kandang yang terbaik menggunakan kandang aluminium. 

Proses penjodohan

 Jika anda sudah mempunyai sepasang kenari dengan usia siap ternak proses selanjutkan yaitu proses penjodohan. Proses penjodohan yaitu kenari jantan dan betina di tempatkan pada sangkar yang berbeda, dan kedua sangkar tersebut ditempatkan saling berdekatan. Dalam hal ini banyak new comer (peternak pemula) yang tidak sabar menjalani proses penjodohan mereka langsung masukan jantan dan betina kedalam satu kandang.

Dengan adanya proses penjodohan anda akan mengetahui kesiapan kenari tersebut, jika belum jodoh langsung dimasukan ke dalam satu sangkar akibatnya kedua kenari tersebut bisa berantem. Apabila terjadi perkelahian diantara keduanya dan salah satu kenari ada yang kalah maka waktu penjodohan akan lama lagi, terutama jika yang kalah kenari jantan proses penjodohan semakin lama karena anda harus mengkondisikan si jantan agar berani mendekati betinanya. Ada beberapa tip untuk meningkatkan birahi yaitu :

Kenari di beri makanan yang bergizi tinggi seperti telor puyuh, multivitamin dll, Dijemur setiap pagi. Pada saat menjemur dan proses penjodohan sangkar jantan dan betina digandengkan terus menerus, kalau ada jantan lain sekali-kali dipanas-panasin dengan menggunakan jantan lain. Disangkar tempat betina disediakan sangkar berikut isinya. Jangan lupa berdo’a agar kenari yang diternak bisa cepat jodoh dan menghasilkan anak yang berkualitas.

Proses Ternak.

Proses selanjutnya yaitu menyatukan kedua kenari tersebut. Adapun cirri-ciri kenari siap ternak (sudah jodoh) yaitu :

pada saat jantan didekatkan dengan betina sijantan akan mengejar/menabrak sangkar dengan bunyi yang kenceng dan betinanya menggelepar-geleparkan sayapnya tanda minta kawin.

Pada saat sore hari atau menjelang tidur kenari betina dan jantan tidur berdekatan.

Sewaktu-waktu antara kenari betina dan jantan saling meloloh makanan.

Jika didalam sangkar betina di dikasih sarang beserta isinya, kenari betina akan menyusun atau merapihkan isi sarang, jika isi sarang sudah disusun biasanya betina siap ternak.

Dalam menyatukan kedua kenari tidak ada aturan waktu yang baku anda boleh kapan saja menyatukannya, hanya pengalaman saya waktu yang terbaik yaitu sore hari. Dengan menyatukan sore hari diharapkan pada malam hari keduanya sudah rukun sehingga pagi harinya sudah jodoh. Karena sudah mengalami masa penjodohan maka pada saat penyatuan tidak terlalu riskan berantem tetapi kita harus terus memantau karena takutnya terjadi berantem.

Setelah keduanya rukun coba perhatikan isi sarang kalau isi sarang kotor maka ganti isi sarang tersebut dan sebagian isi sarang simpan di dasar sangkar biasanya isi sarang didasar sangkar akan dipindah ke dalam sarang. Untuk memperhalus sarang kenari betina biasanya suka mencabuti bulu halus jantannya atau bulu halus dari kenari betina, biasanya jika di dalam sarang sudah ada bulu-bulu halus tandanya tidak lama lagi induk betina akan bertelor. Untuk mempercepat proses bertelor dan mengurangi mencabuti bulu halus  kedalam sangkar bisa dimasukkan kapas secukupnya.

Revelations From a Rooftop

I've got a confession to make:  I am absolutely uninspired by my wardrobe at present.  Whenever I think about an outfit post I enter the closet, become depressed, turn and walk out.  The solution is not buying more things to make an outfit.  Of that I am certain.  It doesn't take much to walk through Saks, Barneys or Bloomingdales (*or insert any retailer here*), buy a bunch of labels and put an outfit together - let's face it - it's label land.  It's just that, well, all of that has suddenly become very bland to me.  I think I'm having an existential closet crisis. 

Last week, after staring at Olivia Palermo's $1200 $895 (red alert friends!  I just got a note regarding price reduction!) Daryl K leather pants (Daryl K are you out there?  Carrie loves your pants and is a total hypocrite after her above statement, but still means every word) I decided that I, too, must find my way into something similar.  This led, of course, to a significantly less expensive pair at H&M - which I love nonetheless.  It took everything in me not to throw then on with a fave Tank Farm T, but I wasn't going to a metal concert or a biker bar.  Maybe next time. 

James Perse Cotton/Cashmere - Sweater Coat, T by Alexander Wang, H&M - Pants,
Elizabeth and James - Boss Haircalf Western Booties 

Suffice it to say this won't be the last you see of these booties.
I envision them with skinny denim and a plaid flannel - due to wardrobe block
I haven't gotten beyond that part.  sigh

James Perse really does have some of the finest craftsmanship out there.
This sweater coat is one of my favorite things.

Free People Necklace.  Perfect mixture of clunky and junky with a feminine touch.

See even though I do love this outfit, something in me is just missing a bit more pizazz - a bit more creativity and off-the-wallness.  I'm feeling rather labeled out these days.  It's actually making me tired...has someone slipped something into my tea?

I feel a hippie phase coming on.

My Fellow Travelers to PNG

Before we launch into the Papua New Guinea birding trip posts in earnest, I feel it might be helpful to introduce you to the folks on the trip—six Brits, one Canadian, and one American. Above is a shot I took of our group eating lunch in Tabubil. So here, in brief, are my fellow travelers:

The trip's organizer was Tim Appleton, MBE, one of the co-founders of the world's largest birding event The British Birdwatching Fair held annually at the Rutland Water Preserve in England. Tim has more stamps on his passport than the post office has for sale. And he's a jolly good fellow, despite having the initials MBE following his name (bestowed upon him for his good deeds in conservation by the Queen). We were required by the laws of the Commonwealth to refer to Tim as "His Lordship" during the trip.


Author, reformed twitcher, and world-class conversationalist Mark Cocker is perhaps best known for his many popular books on birds and nature, including Crow Country, Birds Britannica, and one of my favorites Birders: Tales of a Tribe. His new project is called Birds and People, which he's currently researching and writing. Mark saw it as his duty to interview nearly everyone we met, usually starting with the question: "Do you know anyone who does not chew betel nut?"


Ray Tipper is a talented bird photographer and a tour leader for Avian Adventures. He lives in Portugal, but lived for many years in Hong Kong. His deep knowledge of Asian bird life—especially shorebirds—makes him a valuable travel companion. Even more endearing is Ray's willingness to laugh at all of my silly jokes.


Matt Merritt is the features editor at Bird Watching magazine in the UK. He is a quiet fellow, and a deep thinker (the smoke in the above photo is actually being generated by Matt's mind). Matt maintains the Polyolbion blog, which is always interesting and readable. He is also a fine poet —you can read some of his work here.


Chris Collins was perhaps the birder on our trip with the most actual experience in the Central Pacific. He has led many extensive pelagic trips for WildWings. Chris came loaded with audio gear and bird song recordings, which netted us quite a few species we might otherwise have missed. He also single-handedly supported local artisans by buying their fine works of art.


Gavin Bieber (secretly Canadian) was the only other North American on the trip, which was great because he and I had no language barrier to overcome. Gavin leads birding tours for WINGS, and though he'd never been to PNG, he'd done so much homework in preparation for this trip that he knew more than any of us about PNG's birdlife.


Barry Trevis leads tours for Ramblers Worldwide Holidays. He's traveled extensively both as a guide and just for the heck of it, and he has the stories to prove it. At one point, when the birding was slow, Barry and I started quoting lines from our favorite movies. His imitations of Bruce Lee were totally hilarious. "Ahh, Mr. Braithwaite! Some tea?"


That's me (Bill of the Birds) with the gang, birding on the mountainside at Nick's Place on New Britain. Photo by Tim Appleton.

And that's the band of birders that participated in the fam trip to Papua New Guinea from September 24 to October 12, 2010.

Exit Strategies

It's been a long day and night.  I'm sitting here at 11p on Monday listening to The Breakfast Club play in the background, laughing every so often and then feeling a stab of guilt when I do.  I have a friend going through the fire at his job and it makes me sad.  I've known him for over 10 years, watched him rigorously apply himself - wringing every bit of knowledge he could out of two graduate degrees and countless hours of study all the while working to pay his way.  He's been at his job for 3 years and just so happens to be employed by a corporate robot who doesn't have the first clue about people, what it takes to work with them, or how much my friend has done to build the division he is in charge of - and friends let me assure you - he has gone above and beyond what is required of him. 

So when I hear scenarios/lines like (here's a couple mild ones - I'll spare you the ugly): 

-My friend was at the airport leaving on his business trip to a remote part of the Middle East where he would not have internet access for a week, and X was emailing him (as the airline attendant asked him to turn off his phone) demanding that he have certain irrelevant figures regarding the American side of the business emailed to him on 3 separate days my friend would not have internet access - which X knew good and well.

-"While I was overseas on business X fired one of my people and threw them out of the building without consulting me at all."  When I asked what the person did and discovered he just held a different belief on how something really insignificant to the business could be done and that there hadn't even been discussion over it, just an immediate termination I felt ill.

I've worked in business long enough to know that this is what the corporate big boys and girls refer to as "coaching someone out of their position" aka making someone question their work ability, destroying any desire they may have to do their job well, and bullying.  The "coaching someone out of their position" technique is used by people who don't have the human decency aka "balls" to tell someone they don't want to work with them anymore.  More often than not this type of person is very threatened by the person they bully out and/or cannot control them into becoming a clone.   Pardon me while I gag.   

At times like these I can't help but be tremendously grateful that I wake up and work from home every single day.  As much as times are lean right now, I don't have to deal with the additional stress of a controlling employer.  (Thank God!!)

 Instead this is my alarm clock.

And  my Assistant.  Sure my desk is a little messy, but I eat chocolate 

bars and leave the wrappers strewn about with zero micromanagement.

And the most inter-office drama I deal with is cat hair on the lamp shade 

while the Chef sides with the cat.

The only gossip I overhear is the Chef saying to the cat:  

"You're making fur lampshades now, aren't you?

  That's your specialty.  You're going to run Jonathan Adler right out of business." 

True story

Sure my job might have looney-tune sidebars, but at least I'm not working with people who are certifiable.

Control freaks scare me.  

I hope none of you ever have to endure this kind of treatment - or be trained to believe this is the way to conduct business in a professional manner.  Honesty will always go a lot farther - everyone appreciates and deserves it.

*I'll go back to talking about clothes tomorrow.*

Birding Papua New Guinea Day 1

Coming in to PNG by air, we could see coral reefs in the blue Pacific.

We flew all night from Singapore to Port Moresby, PNG, with a short stop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (no we did not see any "kuala" bears). Once at the Port Moresby airport, we cleared customs, changed some money, gathered our bags, and hustled over to the domestic terminal for another flight from Port Moresby to Tari in the Southern Highlands Province. We thought our schedule was very tight and did not want to miss the Tari flight. Once through the domestic terminal security checkpoint, we found out that our flight to Tari was postponed for four hours. We were stuck with no chance of going outside to spend the time birding. It was about 9 am.

Waiting out the flight delay in the domestic flights terminal.

So we made the most of our time, talking about our most-wanted birds, getting to know each other, comparing notes on which malaria drugs we were taking. At the tarmac end of the building, there were some large windows through which we were able to spot a few species, including Pacific swallow, Brahminy kite, whistling kite, black kite, Eurasian tree sparrow, and purple swamphen.

The flight was on a small commuter plane and lasted 1.5 hours. As we landed on the gravel airstrip in Tari our group confused our fellow fliers with shouted bird identifications: "Cattle egret on the left!" "Another swamphen!" "I think I have a harrier! Is it a swamp harrier!"

Landing in Tari. Locals lined the fence in the background.

Lining the fence around the airfield were hundreds and hundreds of local people. It was a Saturday and much of the local population was in Tari for the markets.

Market day in Tari.

And clearly the arrival of a plane was something worth watching. There were equal amounts of curious staring going on between our group and the locals.

A Huli man in traditional garb. Most everyone carries a bilam (woven bag), machete, and umbrella.

We met Benson, our guide from Ambua Lodge, and a driver. At the completion of the 45 minute drive to the lodge, I calculated how long I'd been traveling. Here's what I wrote in my journal notebook:

Finally arriving at Ambua Lodge in the rain. It's 4:11 p.m. local time (+14 hours from Ohio) and, if my calculations are correct, I've been traveling for 37 hours—almost a full work week!—to get here! Also am getting a sinus infection from all the airplane air... SO dang tired!

We slogged our way to our cabins (quite nice thatched roof buildings with all the mod cons and a great view of the misty. rain-soaked valley), fought the urge to collapse into sleep and reassembled at Ambua's central building. Huddling under the roof of an open-sided veranda, we did our first non-airport birding of the trip. Despite the rain we spotted New Guinea (or great) wood swallow, yellow-billed lorikeet, glossy swiftlet, mountain swiftlet, Willie wagtail (seriously!), and yellow-browed melidectes (a type of honeyeater).

Birding in the rain our first afternoon at Ambua Lodge.

After a dinner which was good but I can't remember a thing about, we went out owling with Benson our guide. Though the hour was not late (in the tropics dawn and dusk both come very near to 6 o'clock) we were all very tired. Still, no one wanted to wimp out on the first night and this was our best chance at a bird called a mountain owlet nightjar.

My notes remind me that we heard this species, but we could not call it into view. Mostly I remember the exhilarating sensation of falling as I stood in the darkness straining to hear anything birdlike. It was cold and misting. The sensation of falling was quite real—because I was falling asleep on my feet. Fortunately I caught myself before I fell face-first onto the muddy gravel road.

Half an hour later I fell face-first onto my bed and dropped into a deep sleep. Then, seemingly eight seconds later, the alarm went off.

It was 4:15 a.m. Time to go birding!

One Day of Birding in Singapore

I was recently invited to be part of a birding familiarization trip to Papua New Guinea (PNG) sponsored by The PNG Tourism Board. I had turned down the original invitation (with a great deal of disappointment) because I had a few prior commitments during the three weeks of the fam trip. However, when most of these scheduling conflicts magically evaporated, I crossed my fingers and inquired about space. Glory be! I got back on the trip and began immediate preparations for it.

The only catch was that the participants had to get themselves to Singapore's Changi Airport for the start of the trip. Not only was this logistically hard, it was a tad expensive and a major time eater. (Am I whining now? Please tell me if I start to whine). In order to be at Changi for the 9:30 pm flight on September 23 from Singapore to Port Moresby, PNG (on Air Niugini—note cool spelling), I had to leave Ohio on the afternoon of September 21. It was a long haul, but I made it (thanks in no small part to an entire season of "The Office" which I watched on my iPad, laughing so heartily that I got shushed by a flight attendant).

I arrived in Singapore at 3 am on September 23, slept a few hours, showered, and decided to see about doing some birding since I had a whole day to wait. I'd made previous plans to meet two of the other guys on the trip for a few hours of Singapore birding, but the logistics 'debbils' worked against us and we missed connections. I left my hotel in a taxi, bound for the Jurong Bird Park on the other end of town.

I can hear you asking: Why a bird park? Aren't all the birds in cages at a bird park?

Why yes, many birds ARE in cages in a bird park. But good habitat in places like parks and zoos often also attracts wild birds, and this was my hope. Furthermore, there would be captive examples of birds I hoped to see in PNG, so I could view them as a living field guide of sorts.

Aside: I should mention here that I undertook this trip to PNG without access to a field guide to the birds of PNG. The current PNG field guide has been out of print for so long that used copies are selling on Amazon for many hundreds of dollars. Thus, the bird park was going to have to serve as my preparation for the birds I might see.

Stepping out of the cool taxi into the close, humid air of the bird park, I could hear wild bird calls mixing with the cries of bird park captives. I paid my entry fee and walked into the park. Scores of tourists thronged around the entrance and food court, paying to have their photos taken with captive scarlet macaws. Many of the park visitors turned to look at me. I initially thought it was because I was at least a foot taller than anyone else. Now I realize it may have been due to the fact that I was chewing on a piece of chewing gum—which, apparently, is against the law in Singapore.

Blissfully ignorant of the local mastication laws, I walked into a dark building and added the first two species to my Singapore bird list: snowy owl and great gray owl.
Wait, what?

Yes, these were the first two species I actually saw well enough to identify in Singapore. I also felt really sorry for them, being so far from home.

Finding my way outside the "Owls of the World" exhibit, I began to encounter actual wild birds. Tiny flitting sprites danced through the treetops. I had binoculars but no field guide, so I took notes of the field marks hoping for later access to an identification resource. I recognized a bulbul, two mynas, a ladder-backed, brownish woodpecker, a small dark heron, a night-heron of some kind, a fork-tailed dark swallow, some large white storks, a common sandpiper, a dark-brown teal-like duck, a wood rail of some kind... and then I saw my first HOLY MACKEREL (though my wording may have been slightly different) bird of the trip: a huge lemon-yellow bird with a coral bill and a black mask.

I snapped a photo of the bird with my Canon G11 digital camera. I thought it had to be a kookaburra or kingfisher of some kind. Whatever it was it was HUGE and bright. It felt like the birding portion of the trip had finally begun.

I moved on through the park, seeking out captive representatives of some of the bird species I hoped to see in Papua New Guinea.
The Victoria crowned pigeon was one of the endemic PNG species targeted for our trip. Big as a turkey but a million times more beautiful these birds caused me to stop and stare outside their enclosure. The wonders of evolution...

Next I sought out the birds of paradise. If there is one family of birds that is identified with Papua New Guinea it's the birds of paradise. Most of the 40 species (divided into 12 genera) of BOP are found in PNG. Our trip would be focusing on seeing as many BOPs as possible, so I wanted to drop an eyeball on a few of these creatures to get a sense of their size, shape, and color. The only ones showing well were a gang of lesser birds-of-paradise. I watched a male dance across a feeding tray, trying to impress two rather bored-looking females.

Another male joined in. Like many caged animals, these birds looked slightly ragged and their behavior seemed overly repetitive. I quickly moved away, saying a quiet incantation that I'd get to see the real thing in a few days.

Next came a stupendous creature: a cassowary. Huge and weird are the first two words that leap to mind when viewing a cassowary. The bird park had several captive cassowaries roaming around inside a large, open air enclosure. Everywhere you look on a cassowary, there is something amazing to see from the horn on top of the head, to the bluish skin on the neck, the huge eyes, the neck pouch, the hairlike feathers on the body, and the large and powerful legs with clawed feet.

I stood and admired the cassowary, again, hoping I'd see one in the wild soon.

I wandered back to the park's entrance and stopped in a gift shop to purchase a laminated guide to common city and garden birds of Singapore. Using this handy guide, I ID'd many of my mystery birds from my visual memory and my scribbled notes. Here are some of the species I was able to nail down: yellow-vented bulbul, spotted dove, Pacific swallow, Sunda pygmy woodpecker, white-fronted wood rail, black-naped oriole (my holy mackerel bird!), yellow-billed stork (see top of this page), Javan myna, common myna, Asian glossy starling, yellow-rumped flycatcher, and Eurasian tree sparrow. Plus my old familiars: black-crowned night-heron and cattle egret. There were a bunch of small, olive-drab birds that went unidentified.

And then it was time to head back to the airport hotel to prepare for the flight to Port Moresby, PNG. On my way out of the bird park, a sign caused me to do a double take. Can you see what's wrong with this picture?



Back at the Changi Airport I met up with our entire group—some of whom were old friends—and we settled in to wait for the flight, which would be overnight, with a stop in Malaysia. Sadly it was the middle of the night when we stopped there, otherwise I might have added snowy owl and great gray owl to my Malaysia bird list, too!

Winner of the Melinda Maria Giveaway is...

by Random Number Generator...Connie from SogniESorrisi

Link Oxidized Ring

Connie - I'll send you an email to get your ring size, stone color preference and mailing address. 

A special thanks to everyone who entered!

Melinda's jewelry is wonderful and you can see it on full display at her site:  Melinda Maria - the pieces are incredibly unique and versatile.  It's candy for the eye!

TEKNIK DAN METODE MEMASTER BURUNG PLECI

PEMASTERAN BURUNG PLECI 

"PEMASTERAN" Apa arti Pemasteran?

Dan apa tujuan Pemasteran pada burung Pleci?

Pemasteran burung Pleci adalah proses melatih untuk menirukan atau mendoktrin burung Pleci dengan suara-suara lain, agar dapat merekam dan menirukan suara-suara lain yang kita perdengarkan. Suara-suara lain tersebut antara lain suara burung sejenis , suara burung lain dan suara-suara lain yang kita inginkan. Tujuan utama Pemasteran atau Memaster burung Pleci adalah supaya variasi lagu pada burung Pleci yang kita miliki dapat lebih banyak dan menjadi beragam.

TEKNIK DAN METODE MEMASTER (PEMASTERAN) BURUNG PLECI

Sangat banyak metode dan cara-cara yang dapat dilakukan di dalam proses pemasteran burung Pleci. Dan juga banyak sekali berkembang mitos- mitos yang keliru dalam prakteknya dilapangan. Salah satu mitos aneh yang berkembang, yaitu burung yang akan di master harus melihat burung masternya, agar burung yang dimaster dapat menirukan gaya bunyi dan cara membuka mulut burung master tersebut. Mitos lainnya yaitu proses pemasteran burung Pleci harus menunggu burung dalam keadaan ganti bulu atau mabung. Sebenarnya; Pemasteran dapat kita lakukan tidak harus menunggu burung Pleci dalam keadaan mabung atau berganti bulu. Burung Pleci dalam keadaan normal, bahkan dalam keadaan top form pun juga dapat dilakukan pemasteran. Ada Mitos yang mengatakan pemasteran burung harus menunggu masa burung mabung. Alasannya karena; Pada saat mabung, burung Pleci cenderung untuk banyak diam dan sangat jarang sekali berkicau. Burung yang banyak diam pada masa mabung tersebut, cenderung untuk lebih banyak menggunakan waktunya untuk menyimak dan mengolah suara-suara yang ada disekelilingnya .Apabila suara yang di dengarnya sesuai dengan tipikal karakter suaranya, maka akan direkam dan ditirukan. Untuk dapat melakukan proses pemasteran burung Pleci dengan optimal, kita harus memperhatikan beberapa hal penting, hal penting tersebut adalah:

1. Waktu Efektif Pemasteran

2. Mengkondisikan Burung yang akan di Master Waktu efektif dalam proses pemasteran adalah pada waktu burung istirahat, siang hari di dalam rumah (sehabis mandi dan jemur) dan malam hari menjelang pagi (jam 22.00 -06.00) .

Walaupun pemasteran sudah kita lakukan pada waktu-waktu efektif pemasteran, ada hal lain yang harus kita perhatikan. Yaitu mengkondisikan burung yang akan di master. Ini merupakan faktor penting keberhasilan di dalam proses pemasteran. Mengkondisikan disini memiliki arti membuat suasana dan kondisi burung tersebut beristirahat dan membuat suasana menjadi tenang. Yang harus dilakukan adalah: mengkrodong burung dan menjauhkan burung yang akan di master dengan burung sejenis atau burung lain. Fungsi mengkrodong burung disini, bertujuan menipu burung tersebut dengan membatasi pandangannya agar diam dan beristirahat dengan tenang sehingga waktunya akan digunakan untuk mendengar suara-suara yang ada di sekitarnya. Setelah kita menentukan waktu efektif dan mengkondisikan burung yang akan di master, suara-suara master hendaknya diperdengarkan dengan volume kecil saja tetapi sangat jelas terdengar. Jauhkan penempatan burung master dan sumber suara master dengan burung yang akan di master. Suara burung master yang terlalu besar dan jarak yang terlalu berdekatan dengan burung yang akan di master, berpotensi tidak akan direkam oleh burung yang akan di master. Banyak kasus juga, hal ini berpotensi dapat membuat burung yang akan di master menjadi jatuh mental dan stress.

Suara master yang kita rekomentasikan untuk burung Pleci adalah suara-suara master yang berkarakter roll tembak dengan variasi speed yang variatif dengan amplitudo intonasi panjang yang dinamis. 

Contoh suara master (burung master) yang direkomendasikan (sangat baik) untuk burung Pleci adalah:

Semua jenis burung Kolibri.

• Burung Gelatik Wingko.
• Trecetan burung Gereja.
• Semua jenis burung Finch (Kenari , Goldfinch, Blackthroat, Herda Sanger, Mozambik, Siskin, dll)
• Semua jenis burung Pelatuk.
• Semua jenis burung Ciblek.
• Semua jenis burung Perenjak.
• Semua jenis burung Flycather.
• Semua jenis Jay (Cililin , Blue Jay, Black Jay, dll)
• Burung Cucak Jenggot / Kapas Tembak.
• Dan lain-lain .

Dari semua jenis burung tsb yg paling mudah di tangkap burung pleci adalah suara burung kenari dan burung mozambik.

Ada beberapa hal penting yang harus diperhatikan agar pemasteran dapat berhasil dengan optimal:

USIA BURUNG. 

Sebaiknya burung Pleci mulai dimaster sejak usia dini, yaitu mulai usia 25 hari atau usia 1 bulan. Ini penting karena diyakini pada usia tersebut Auditory Memory burung Pleci tersebut masih kosong atau Auditory Memory belum banyak menyimpan suara-suara yang ada disekitarnya. Proses pemasteran terus berlangsung dengan terpola dan intensif sampai burung tersebut berusia 8-9 bulan.

LINGKUNGAN YANG KONDUSIF. 

Usahakan pada masa pemasteran berlangsung, tidak ada suara-suara yang TIDAK diinginkan disekitar burung Pleci yang sedang dimaster tersebut.

LAGU MASTER YANG TEPAT. 

Sebaiknya usahakan doktrin lagu (suara master/burung master) yang dijadikan master sebaiknya similiar (memiliki karakter sang sama) dengan karakter dasar suara burung Pleci.

TINGKATKAN KECERDASAN BURUNG. 

Untuk dapat menyerap suara master dengan baik, dibutuhkan kecerdasan burung yang optimal juga. Berikan nutrisi yang baik dan pola perawatan yang tepat. Semakin besar HVC di otak burung, maka burung akan semakin cerdas.

WAKTU PEMASTERAN TEPAT. 

Pemasteran burung Pleci sama halnya dengan proses doktrin. Artinya semakin sering didengar maka akan direkam dan ditirukan. Idealnya pemasteran dilakukan minimal 4 jam setiap hari. Waktu yang tepat dan waktu efektif untuk pemasteran burung Pleci adalah malam hari sampai pagi hari. Pagi sampai sore juga baik asal suasana sekitar burung mendukung.

LAKUKAN FEEDBACK. 

Perdengarkan kembali suara-suara master yang sudah pernah diperdengarkan kepada burung Pleci yang dimaster tersebut secara berkala. Tujuannya agar lagu burung Pleci tersebut tetap terjaga dan Auditory Memory burung semakin baik.

THERAPY DENGAN AIR MENGALIR 

Seperti diketahui burung pleci hidup nya senang di dekat sungai atau air mengalir, untuk mandi maupun mencari makan. Untuk burung pleci yang kita pelihara dapat di therapy di dekat suara air mengalirsehingga dapat membuat rilex dan tidak mudah stress, bahkan bisa mempercepat untuk buka paruh, ngalas maupun ngeroll, misal nya bagi yg punya aquarium dpt di gantang dekat aquarium, atau di dekat kamar mandi dengan suara kran air yg mengalir.