Villagers make a living from singing birds<\/p>\n
Agus Maryono and Mamock Ng, The Jakarta Post, Purwokerto, Central Java<\/p>\n
The chirping from various birds perched on a big tree formed a
\nmelodious chorus, undisturbed by the tiptoeing of a boy behind a
\nnearby tree beside the Serayu River in Banyumas, Central Java.<\/p>\n
Motionless, he stared up at the birds.<\/p>\n
"I'm afraid the birds that are already close to the cage will
\nfly away if they see someone below them. I'll lose my catch,"
\nsaid Teguh Supriyanto, 13, who wore a nasty expression when The
\nJakarta Post approached.<\/p>\n
What was he doing there? Why was he spending hours in such a
\nplace?<\/p>\n
Teguh, who dropped out of school in his fifth year, is one of
\ndozens of people who make a living by catching singing birds
\nalong the river bank.<\/p>\n
Though the bird makes big buck, it is unclear as to why such
\nactivities are allowed in this area.<\/p>\n
Like many other bird-catchers in the area, Teguh uses simple
\nequipment: A small cage with a singing bird as the bait inside,
\nand some tree sap. The sap is taken from certain kinds of tree,
\nsuch as the jackfruit or benda, which produces sticky liquid like
\nglue.<\/p>\n
"This is a trap," Teguh explained.<\/p>\n
The way he caught the birds is quite unique, and so simple
\nthat it requires no expertise. What it takes is only extra
\npatience, of the type needed when going fishing.<\/p>\n
After finding the right location, usually in a wood or in a
\nyard with many trees that have become the home of singing birds,
\nTeguh would choose a tree from which to hang his cage with a bird
\ninside. After the cage was hung, he would smear the branches near
\nthe cage with some tree sap.<\/p>\n
"Then, you just wait underneath the tree," he said.<\/p>\n
He put a bird in the cage to attract other birds so that they
\nwould come closer and get caught in the trap.<\/p>\n
"Listening to the chirping of the bird, others that were
\nperching on the tree would probably approach the cage. Once they
\nhad perched on a branch already smeared with some tree sap, they
\nwould get stuck."<\/p>\n
Once a bird was caught, Teguh would immediately climb the tree
\nto get it. He would clean it with water or cooking oil, being
\ncareful not to squash the bird.<\/p>\n
"I must be careful to try and avoid the feathers touching the
\nsap because if they get damaged, the price drops," added Teguh,
\nwho would sell his catch at a bird market in Purwokerto.<\/p>\n
He said that the type of bird he caught depended on market
\ndemand. The kind of bird placed in the cage as bait needed to be
\nof the same type as the bird he wanted to catch.<\/p>\n
"If there is an order for a kutilang (thrush), I'll put a
\nkutilang in the cage and I'll look for a spot where many kutilang
\nare found," he said.<\/p>\n
Teguh said he had been interested in birds since kindergarten.
\nAt that time, he said, he would play with many birds, not just
\nsinging birds.<\/p>\n
He became serious in birds and they became a commodity for his
\nbusiness three years ago. Despite his long experience, Teguh said
\nthat he was not always able to catch them. If he was lucky, he
\nwould get up to three birds, but on a slow day, he would go
\nhome empty-handed, even though there were many birds around.<\/p>\n
"On a bad day, none of the birds would get close to the cage,"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
If that happened, he would have to find another place to set
\nhis bait.<\/p>\n
"It turns out that the birds realize after a while that the
\none I've put in the cage is just bait to trap them. That's why,
\nover an entire day, no bird dares to draw near. I have to find a
\nanother location, because otherwise I'm sure that no bird would
\napproach the cage," he said.<\/p>\n
He would then ride his bicycle up and down the hills, over a
\ndistance of dozens of kilometers, to seek a new location.<\/p>\n
The birds can command an average price of Rp 3,000 to Rp
\n10,000. Teguh said they were cheap because the birds were wild
\nand not easy to tame. The species vary, such as precit, kutilang,
\ngolden kutilang, krocokan, krocokan jenggot and perkutut
\n(turtle doves). But he said that once he was able to sell a
\nbranjangan for Rp 40,000.<\/p>\n
The merchandise is sold once a week, depending on market day.<\/p>\n
"I earn about Rp 20,000 a week, which is reduced by the
\ntransportation fare from my house to the market," said Teguh, who
\nwould give all the money to his parents, both agricultural
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
Another bird-catcher, Sutarmin, 34, is a resident of Patikraja
\nvillage. Unlike Teguh, however, he uses an old fishing net
\ninstead of tree sap.<\/p>\n
"I usually catch tekukur (small wood pigeons) in the fields,"
\nsaid Sutarmin, who sells the birds at Rp 10,000 apiece.<\/p>\n
He said that some people who wanted to keep the birds might
\nfind it difficult to tame them.<\/p>\n
"But if you know the secret, it's quite easy," he said. The
\nsecret, according to him, was to give the birds sweet tea every
\nday.<\/p>\n
"I don't know why, but you can prove it yourself."<\/p>\n
Sutarmin said that in a week he could sell more than 10 birds.<\/p>\n
"Not bad. It's better than becoming a porter. I can make a
\nliving from birds," said the man, adding that his earnings were
\nenough to feed his family.<\/p>",
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