Archive for April, 2006
gatra.com
BISNIS yang satu ini tidak terimbas krisis moneter. Makin naik nilai dolar malah makin untung, karena tidak ada bahan yang perlu diimpor. Dan di sektor ini Indonesia merupakan penghasil nomor satu di dunia. “Produksi sarang burung walet di Indonesia setiap tahun diperkirakan mencapai 120 ton,” kata Rosich Amsyari dari Asosiasi Peternak dan Pengusaha Sarang Walet Indonesia (APPSWI) di Semarang, hari ini.
Sarang yang dihasilkan oleh lidah burung tersebut, lebih banyak dikonsumsi oleh masyarakat di kawasan Asia. Yang meliputi Cina, Hongkong, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, dan Singapura.
Menurut Amsyari, tingginya produksi sarang burung walet di Indonesia disebabkan suksesnya kegiatan budidaya komoditas tersebut oleh para peternak walet.
Jenis burung walet (collocalia fuciphaga) dapat ditemukan di negara-negara lain khususnya di Asia dengan iklim tropis. “Namun budidaya walet sampai sekarang hanya dilakukan di Indonesia,” katanya.
“Sarang burung walet banyak dihasilkan dari rumah maupun gua. Sebagian besar masih dikelola secara tradisional dan belum dilakukan secara profesional,” katanya pada “Seminar dan Temu Usaha Sektor Agribisnis”.
Akhir-akhir ini produksi dan populasi sarang burung walet di gua semakin berkurang. Naik-turunnya produksi sarang burung walet ada beberapa faktor yang dominan, yakni keadaan iklim (cuaca) yang tidak stabil, sistem budidaya, cara pengutan, dan sistem pengamanan lokasi dari aksi pencurian.
Ia mengatakan, pengusahaan sarang burung walet bukan merupakan pekerjaan yang mudah, karena memerlukan modal dan investasi yang tidak sedikit untuk pembangunan rumah walet.
“Setelah rumah walet mulai menghasilkan masih pula diperlukan pemantauan dan perawatan terhadap koloni burung walet,” katanya.
Dia mengatakan, pengusahaan rumah walet dapat dilakukan melalui pembuatan rumah baru atau modifikasi rumah tua yang telah ada sesuai pola yang ditentukan.
Amsyari mengatakan, pembuatan modifikasi rumah tua yang sedang dihuni burung walet perlu dilakukan secara hati-hati, karena jika tidak memilih waktu yang tepat walet akan kabur ke tempat lain.
“Pembuatan rumah walet baru bisa ditentukan kriteria dan syarat yang harus dilaksanakan, sehingga diharapkan dalam waktu tidak lama walet bisa menempatinya,” kata Amsyari. [Dh, Ant]
April 17th, 2006
DW Winkler and FH Sheldon
.pnas.org
Nest construction is more diverse in the Hirundinidae than in any other family of oscine birds. To explore the evolution of this diversity, we superimposed nest data on a DNA-hybridization phylogeny of 17 swallow species. Nest construction is tightly linked to the inferred evolutionary history. Burrowing appears to be the primitive nesting mode, and burrowing ancestors gave rise to cavity-adopting and mud-nesting clades. Obligate cavity adoption is mostly confined to a monophyletic clade in the New World, and the diversification of obligate nest adopters appears to be tied to the richness of forest habitats and recent active mountain building there. Construction of mud nests originated only once in the history of the group, and mud-nesters have diversified principally in Africa, where a drier climatic history has favored their mode of nesting. The use of pure mud to construct a hanging nest is unique among all birds, and we infer that mud nests have increased in complexity during evolution from simple mud cups to fully enclosed retort-shaped nests. This increased complexity appears to have been the critical precursor for the evolution of high-density colonial mud-nesters.
April 13th, 2006
.jphpk.gov.my
By WILSON HENRY
IT is no problem when swiftlets build their nests in the caves of Sarawak or other places, but when they build their nests in buildings in town, it is.
Actually, the problem is not with the birds but with the people who convert buildings in urban areas into swiftlet “farms” to harvest the nests.
Local authority guidelines do not provide for structures in urban centres to be converted into swiftlet houses.
It’s the same as wanting to operate a chicken farm next to your house or office. You will not get a licence from the local authority for the farm.
But it is only with this local authority licence can the swiflet farm operators apply for other permits issued by Perhilitan, the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.
The Perhilitan permits are for harvesting, and to trade and import or export bird’s nests.
“Before we issue any permit, we need to make sure that they have a licence to use their premises for the purpose from the local authority”, explains Misliah Mohamad Basir, director of Perhilitan’s law enforcement division.
And she makes a stunning revelation: Perhilitan has not issued any licence to traders since 2003 which can only mean that some 10,000 swiftlet nest farmers are currently operating illegally.
It is no easy task obtaining a local authority licence. Among the laws and regulations to adhere to are the Uniform Building By-Laws 1986, the Destruction of Disease Bearing Insects Act 1975, and Health Department regulations as well as local town council guidelines.
“Bird’s nest traders have to apply for permits from several departments before they can operate swiftlet nesting houses”, says Misliah.
“It is not to say that swiftlet nest farmers have not applied for our permits. They have, but we can’t issue our permits until they can get a licence for their premises from the local authorities”.
However, Hajah Norizam, chief clerk at the Selayang Town Council’s Licensing Department, said her office has not received a single application for a licence to operate a bird’s nest farm, although Rawang, which is in the Selayang district, has a number of buildings converted into swiftlet “farms”.
Swiftlet “farms” have sprouted in small towns such as Nibong Tebal in Penang, and Sitiawan and Taiping in Perak. Various towns in other states like Malacca, Johor and Terengganu also host such operations.
Swiftlet farmers simulate the conditions of a cave in their buildings by installing humidifiers and boarding up vents and windows, leaving only small holes for the swiftlets to enter and exit.
This alone must be in contravention of local regulations, and Misliah said: “We do get complaints from people living near swiftlet farms about noise levels and about cleanliness”.
April 12th, 2006
Posted by Dan Barringer
natlands.typepad.com
In addition to being a popular magazine article title, book subject, and even perhaps a video game (?!) the title of this entry also describes the reality that surrounds us.
This dryad saddle fungus (Polyporus squamosus) I photographed on a dead tree this spring. Often referred to as shelf fungus, this fruiting body of fungus appears on wounded areas of living trees and on dead snags and stumps.
We have plenty of these bird’s nest fungi, easily seen growing on the mulch in the gardens. There are a few different species. This one is probably Crucibulum levis. The “eggs” are spore cases that help the fungus disperse. We also have right now the streaked bird’s nest (Cyanthus striatus) that has a scalloped rim and grooved inside walls with dark spore cases. These fungi help break down the mulch and add nutrients to the soil.
We also have some of the artillery fungi, those that feed on decaying wood chips (as opposed to bark mulch) and fling their sticky spore cases onto the side of the house, parked cars, etc. (They seem to favor light surfaces.) Though they’re a bit of a pest they clean up pretty easily. Use bark mulches instead of wood chips in garden beds to reduce the problem.
And this last one showed up in the lawn the other day. I’m not going to venture to guess which species this is. Instead I’ll use this opportunity to note that mushroom identification can be very difficult, and that the field guide is as full of poisonous mushrooms as edible ones.
April 11th, 2006
wildasia.net/main/article
contributed by Reza Azmi
Gomantong Hill is the largest limestone outcrop in the Lower Kinabatangan area, and contains at least nine caves. For centuries, the Gomantong Caves have been renowned for the valuable edible birds’ nests made by two of the four species of swiftlets that roost in the caves. During the harvesting months, visitors may be able to witness the birds’ nest collectors in action. This is an age-old tradition and the trade history of bird nest spans several hundreds of years.
The birds’ nests harvesters are individuals who have nerves of steel and skills honed through years of experience. Dangling precariously from the narrow network of ladders is not a task for the faint hearted! It is not surprising that there are only a few experienced individuals who are very much in demand by people and communities that hold the Governments harvesting licenses. Edible birds’ nests are protected under the Birds Nest Ordinance and the Forest Enactment. Heavy fines and penalties are imposed on unlicensed collectors.
Birds’ nest harvesters usually stay in huts close to the entrances of the caves. Their responsibilities are two-fold - they must harvest the nests according to a biologically sustainable schedule (imposed by the Wildlife Department), and they must also protect the nests from being stolen. The failure to adequately carry out either of these roles could have devastating effects on the swiftlet population and subsequent harvests.
Swiftlets have a slow breeding cycle, and usually lay not more that two eggs each season. Generally, two collections are made. The first takes place early in the breeding season before the swiftlets lay their eggs. The birds then make another nest in which they finally lay their eggs. After the young have fledged, the second collection is made. Care must be taken to assure that the nests are collected only after the young swiftlets have abandoned these nests.
Breeding seasons are particular to different species and the different caves in which the birds roost. At Gomantong Caves, the two edible swiftlet species have different breeding times. For the black-nest swiftlet, the first collection should take place no later than April or May, otherwise the birds will not have time to build another nest. The second harvest then takes place in September and October. The more valuable white-nest swiftlet nests are initially collected in February, and again in June and July. The breeding patterns of the birds are not rigid and must be closely monitored to accommodate any observable changes in their reproductive behaviour.
Tools of the trade
The birds’ nest harvesters who are called tukang pemungut still employ time-tested techniques that have been used for hundreds of years. The main prop is the gugulug, a ladder made from coils of rattan rotan saga (Calamus caesius) and hardened belian (Eusideroxylon zwageri or Borneon Ironwood) which may be up to 150 metres in length.
The pietau, is another ladder which usually consist of a rigid bamboo pole about 25 metres long. Rungs are fastened across the bamboo as steps, and additional rattan cords are tied around it to offer some security to the climber. Harvesters use a sesungkit to remove the nests, which are just out of reach. It is a thin hand-held stick of bamboo or light hardwood, which has four sharp steel or bamboo points to dislodge the nests from the cave surface.
The harvester must assess the best combination of these props to be used, based on experience and the location of the nests. When collected, the nests are placed in the ambong, a woven basket that is then lowered to assistants who empty the nests into a large sack.
Other activities
Besides observing the exciting display of skill and courage by the birds’ nest harvesters, another activity for keen naturalists would be to watch the spectacular display of over 2 million or so resident bats as they spiral out for their evening feed. This usually occurs between 5.15 - 6.15pm, but rain sometimes delays or “cancels” this show-time. At the same time as the bats leave, the swiftlets are usually beginning to make their way back to the caves after a day’s foraging. The changing of ’shifts’ between the bats and birds makes quite a fascinating scene! Look out for the Bat Hawks that are not offer far from the scene, as they prey specifically on the bats as they leave their roost.
Getting there
It is possible to drive all the way to the Information Centre at the foot of the Gomantong hill. You can also take any of the Sandakan-Sukau buses that will drop you off at the junction to the caves. But be warned, it is about 6 km (3.72 miles) to the caves, so you might want to charter the whole bus for convenience or pay him a little extra to get dropped off at the information centre. If you are already in Sukau, make arrangements with the local bus transport for a day trip to the caves or a stop over on the way back to Sandakan.
Permits
Do check with the Wildlife Department in Sandakan for harvesting times. Otherwise, opening times for the Gomantong Information Centre are as follows:
Monday-Thursday (8am-12.45pm & 2-4.15pm);
Friday (8am-11.35am & 2-4.15pm); and
Saturday (8am-12.45pm).
Entry permits are not required except during harvesting times. Please check with the Wildlife Department for the entry permits before you go.
The entrance gate will be kept opened till the last visitor of the day leaves so please inform the Wildlife Department staff on duty if you intend to leave later than the stipulated opening times.
April 7th, 2006
ecologyasia.com/news-archives
KUCHING: Sarawak has recorded a sharp increase in the population of wild swiftlets following the implementation of a sustainable management plan by the Forest Department for the harvesting of bird’s nest.
Researcher Dr Lim Chan Koon said the number of white-nest swiftlets in a cave in middle Baram, northern Sarawak, had shot up to 6,284 from 2,796 in 1997.
Dr Lim, who started the research on the breeding of swiftlets there five years ago, said that in another cave in Bukit Sarang, the swiftlet population had jumped to 660 from 396 in 2000.
Giving a talk on Sustainable Exploitation of a Natural Resource – Edible Bird’s Nest at the Malaysian Chemical Congress here, he said that under the first sustainable management plan introduced in 1998, no harvest of the product between January and April was allowed.
A second plan adopted two years later imposed a collection ban for any four continuous months, following which monthly harvests were permitted.
The four-month break allowed one complete breeding cycle of the swiftlets, including 30 days for nest-building, 25 days for incubation and between 45 and 49 days for the hatchings to grow until they leave the nest.
Dr Lim said uncontrolled and indiscriminate harvesting of bird’s nests over the years had caused a drastic decline in nest production and the wild swiftlets population in the Niah Cave.
“The swiftlet population there dropped from 1.7 million in 1935 to 200,000 in 1996 and 65,000 this year,” he added.
To arrest the sharp decline, the Forest Department imposed a four-month ban early this year on the collection of bird’s nest there.
The Niah Cave was once the state’s largest producer of black nests, with annual yields measured in tonnes.
Dr Lim said the government carried out two year-long comprehensive studies of the breeding of the black-nest and white-nest swiftlets in 1997 and 2000.
Of the five species of swiflets found in Sarawak, only three – black, white and glossy swiftlets – produce nests of commercial value.
Dr Lim said freshly collected white nests were worth between RM5,000 and RM7,000 per kilo in 1994.
He said commercial swiftlet farming in Sarawak had started where buildings with a cave-like environment were put up.
April 6th, 2006
bayanihan.org/html/article
PUERTO PRINCESA CITY - Armed elements of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) and the Philippine Navy (PN), together with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD), raided the Elephant Island here Saturday and arrested about 70 edible bird’s nest gatherers and watchers.
The 70 gatherers and watchers were taken to a Philippine Navy boat and brought to Puerto Princesa City. They were charged with violating forestry laws.
Elephant Island is one of the islands in Taytay with caves where expensive edible bird’s nests can be gathered.
The nest from a bird locally known Balinsasayaw is popular in Chinese restaurants, especially overseas.
The gatherers, however, said the raiders harassed them by firing at them upon reaching the island without warning.
Small boats owned by the gatherers bore bullet holes allegedly from the firearms of the CIDG and the Navy men, according to Mayor Roberto Rodriguez of Taytay town in Palawan.
Rodriguez said the act was uncalled for if the agencies were implementing Republic Act 9072 or the National Caves and Cave Resources Management and Protection Act.
“It is clear that they harassed these poor people. We are being bullied here. It is a big insult,” he said.
Because of RA 9072, the management of the caves was transferred from local government units to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, except for Palawan.
According to PCSD, it was just implementing RA 9072 as mandated by the new law.
It said it sought the help of the CIDG and the Navy.
But Rodriguez said PCSD has no right to encroach on the island because it was under the jurisdiction of the municipality. Taytay derives about P2.5 million a year from edible bird’s nest gathering permits.
“We don’t want it to be turned over to PCSD because we also have a power and right (to it) under the Local Government Code,” Rodriguez said.
Before the raid, Rodriguez and other municipal mayors appealed to PCSD to defer the enforcement of the implementing rules and regulations of RA 9072.
He argued that the law would take away income from the LGUs.
The League of Municipalities in Palawan also opposed the implementation by PCSD through a position paper it submitted to PCSD.
“If there are agencies more concerned with the protection of the caves, these are the local government units,” Rodriguez said. The PCSD said it had given Taytay town enough time to follow the law but it received information that gathering of edible bird’s nest was still continuing on the island so they were forced to act swiftly.
PCSD also confiscated from the gatherers a chainsaw and 11 motorized banca (canoes).
April 5th, 2006
sciencedaily.com
In the classic debate of nature versus nurture, University of Tulsa researchers Charles and Mary Brown have scored one for heredity — at least when it comes to cliff swallows.
The Browns say their study shows that genes guide cliff swallows when they select the size of colony in which to live. They say this the first report of heredity influencing an animal’s choice of a social system.
The study, “Heritable Basis for Choice of Group Size in a Colonial Bird,” appears in the Dec. 19 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
“We clearly found that individuals have a genetic basis as to where they choose to live,” says Charles Brown, a biology professor who has studied cliff swallows along the Platte River in Nebraska for 19 years.
In 1997 and 1998 the Browns switched nearly 2,000 very young birds from nests in big colonies to nests in small colonies, and vice versa. The two biologists discovered that when these birds returned about nine months later to settle into their own nests and start their own families, they chose the same colony size as that in which they were born.
“Our study suggests that there is a genetic difference between birds that choose to live in large groups versus birds that choose to live in small colonies,” he says.
The cliff swallows in their study area nest in colonies that range in size from two nests to more than 3,000 nests. Mud nests are usually found on bridges and cliffs.
Each summer Charles Brown and his wife, Mary, a research associate in TU’s biological sciences department, band birds and recapture previously banded swallows for many reasons: to determine life span, migration patterns, sex and health. Since 1982 they have banded about 120,000 birds.
For this study, they moved birds that were five days old, placing identification bands on their legs and exchanging half the brood in a nest in a big colony with half the brood in a nest in a small colony. A cliff swallow nest usually has from two to five hatchlings. The parents raised the foster hatchlings along with the other chicks.
Baby cliff swallows hatch in June. Later in the fall they migrate to South America and return north in May. Brown says 36 percent of the 1,968 birds that were banded were caught in the study area where they were born. The Browns had already observed that among the birds that were part of their routine yearly study, offspring tended to select colony sizes similar to those of their parents.
Birds were caught using mist nets, and the Browns recorded the nest preference of the cliff swallows which they had switched between colonies as babies in 1997-98. “Then we were able to see which size colony they settled in and compare their choice to the colony in which they were raised and to the colony in which they were born,” says Brown.
They found that birds born and raised in a large colony return to a large colony, and birds born in a large colony — but raised in a small colony — also return to a large colony.
Similarly, birds born and raised in a small colony return to a small colony, and birds born in a small colony — but raised in a large colony — also return to a small colony.
“They return to where they were born irrespective of when they were raised,” says Brown. “They are picking the colonies that their parents picked; so it is not environment, it is genes that appear to be dictating their choice.”
He says the hatchling exchange approach rules out environmental effects, such as sites with better food sources or nesting materials, that one might assume bear on a bird’s decision.
The Browns, authors of the book “Coloniality in the Cliff Swallow: The Effect of Group Size on Social Behavior,” say the benefits and drawbacks of living in groups are well understood, but they wanted to begin to find the underlying basis for the birds’ selection of a large or a small aggregation.
April 4th, 2006
g.webring.com
Bird’s Nest is rare and so expensive that only wealthy people can consume it. Many people know that it’s a “cold food” because it has a cooling effect when you consume it. In Chinese they called it “Yin”.
Bird’s nest is produced by swiftlets. These birds are from the same family as the common swallow, but they are smaller in size, averaging only 9mm in length, while swallows can grow up to 17mm. Another difference is that the tails of swiflets are shorter with feathers that are rectangular in shape, while swallows have a longer tail and feathers that shaped like scissors.
Swiflets are found predominantly in South East Asia, in countries like Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. Small colonies of swiflets may also be found in some remote areas of India and Sri Lanka.
There are 2 different kinds of Bird’s Nest one is the “Cave Bird’s Nest” and the other is “House Bird’s Nest”. It is very difficult to find the “Cave Bird’s Nest”, because it is generally found in cliffs, overhanging crags and steep deep cliffs. So it is very difficult to get it. Whilst the “House Bird’s Nest” can be harvested easily from the roof of houses.
Although we can reach them easily, it needs to undergo a long laborious cleaning process. Not only that but it has to be soaked for 6 to 48 hours to absorb water to make it soft before it is purified.
The only edible and beneficial Bird’s Nest is made during the breeding season. The males’ swiftlet long thin gelatinous strands from it’s salivary gland is wound into a half-cup nest and bonds like quick drying cement.
The benefits of taking edible bird’s nest are still not scientifically proven, although it was claimed that it contains elements which can stimulate cell growth and are beneficial to elderly people recovering from illness.
Traditionally it is believed that bird’s nest can strengthen the lungs and pancreas to prolong life also in slowing down the aging process. It is especially valued by ladies for its reported properties of making the skin delicate and glows radiantly.
Quality Nest Trading has gathered this high quality dried bird’s nest (also known as swallow’s nest) with the strictest quality controls. Each box is carefully hand picked and packed into our delightful gift boxes. Perfect for making traditional bird’s nest soup or as a gift to your loved ones!
April 3rd, 2006
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