Common problems in new birdhouses

28 December 2008

Common problems in new birdhouses

Harry wrote about the most common problems in new birdhouses and points raised are very true. I had passed through quite a number of standalone birdhouses in the evening and I hardly see any swiftlets flying around the birdhouse. The failure could be one of the reasons mentioned by Harry. Another point which Harry did not mention is the dog kennel entrance which is commonly practiced by the Malay consultants in Kuala Terengganu which is obviously too narrow and too small for the swiftlets' comfort when entering the birdhouse. This type of entry from my observation will discourage the swiftlets from entering the birdhouse.

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The Hollow Explained

I have decided to call this birdhouse "The Hollow" because it reflects the characteristic of both the land and building that I am constructing. According to Wikipedia, 'hollow' may refer to a depression in a surface or on the ground and coul

d be a low wooded area or a small valley.

I also called it 'Swiftlet Haven' because 'haven' means 'sanctuary' or simply shelter. We

do not breed swiftlets in the birdhouse. They came by

themselves attracted to the external call from the birdhouse and decided to stay and build nests perhaps due to the melodious internal sound and the conducive environment inside, especially the temperature and humidity. We do not have to feed the swiftlets unlike other birds.

In return for a place to stay they build edible nests which we can harvest and sell at between RM2500 to RM3500 per kg. At its peak the price is RM5000 per kg. This price is better than the price of metals, only losing out to GOLD. Income is passive as we do not have to employ any workers, perhaps only a security guard or caretaker cum havester to look after the birdhouse. Only the initial capital is quite substantial, especially for a standalone farm. If the birdhouse is successful recoupment of capital is one of the fastest and results can be seen starting from 2nd to 5th year, depending on location and a bit of the X factor.

This piece of land sits on a depression and besides this depression runs a small stream or 'alor' as the locals call it, which provides the land with constant flow of fresh water. It is surrounded by tall trees and shrubs on all sides and is beside the main trunk road from Pengadang Baru to Pasir Tinggi on the east and facing Sungai Terengganu on the west. The land area is 0.204 hectare (0.594 acres) to be exact and situated in Kg. Tirok.

The proposed birdhouse will be 4 1/2 storey high, 48' x 48' in size, sitting on RC stilt columns due to the undulating ground and flooding during the monsoon season. The Gound Floor will be basically open only with the center core being converted into a Utility Room housing the amplifiers and equipments as well as for storage. The 1st., 2nd. and 3rd Floor are the nesting areas and the Roof will accomodate the Roving Room and will have pools surrounding the room and flower troughs at the perimeter of the roof and in front of the roving room.

Physical works involved site clearing and earth cutting including diverting the stream to allow more space for constructing the birdhouse. Earth cutting had been kept to the minimum to maintain the physical characteristics of the site as well as to preserve the environment.

My site is surrounded by tall trees and shrubs and sits on a depression. that is why I have to raise my birdhouse so high until 4 1/2 storey. I had identified 2 possible entry points for the swiftlets, both on the swiftlet path, and I had chosen to build my roving room facing one of the entry point, that is the one facing Sungai Terengganu on the west. I have read many SIFUs who advise not to build facing west because the entrance hole is facing sunset. In my opinion, it is alright as long as the nesting place does not get direct sunlight. In my case, the roving room is designed in such a way that the sunlight are being blocked from entering the nesting place. In fact, it is better for the swiftlets as they are entering with their backs facing the sunlight and they are not being disturbed by the glare of the sunlight. This has been proven in my previous construction where the entrance hole also face the west. Entrance hole need not be directly facing the flight path. If there are feeding grounds around like rivers, lakes, oil palm plantations or fruit orchards, you can have the entrance hole facing these attractions. Like in my case, my experience with my 1st. birdhouse, the flight path is on the left of the entrance hole which is facing the river and yet the swiftlets did not find any difficulty flying in. In fact, I have put up a 2nd hole 2' x 4' on the left side of the roving room but the swiftlets still prefer to corner in using the main entrance hole.

I intend to use 2" x 4" red meranti timber with grooves and the timber laid out in 2' x 2' grid and topped with 12mm thick cement board for the floors. I'm going for the most economical and 2" x 4" is good enough for my grid of 16' x 16'. If you observe the swiftlets nesting, they made their nests at the top and 4" is good enough for the swiftlets to nest. If you look at some of the Indonesian books you can see 4" planks being used and they are successful in having swiftlets making their nests on them. 6" would be better if you can afford it but why should we waste if we can save. I also have a contingency plan. Should the floor looks unstable, I will topped up with 2" thick concrete reinforced with wire mesh. For the roof, the cement board will be 6mm thick and will act as ceiling as well as false work for the roof slab. Above the cement board will be a layer of aluminium foil insulation, a layer of BRC A6 and 2 1/2" thick concrete. I will have pools with 8" of water on top. I will waterproof this roof by adding waterproof additives plus a layer of waterproof membrane (double protection). I believed if the flat roof is properly done and if it is filled with water, there won't be leakage. This is because the water in the pool will absorb the heat during daytime and minimise on expansion of the concrete. When there is little expansion, the chances of the concrete cracking causing leakage will be less. It is best to leave to the specialist to do the waterproofing. Besides there are warranties.

For the external wall, I am leaving the wall bare without any finishes. I intend to plant climbers which will eventually cover up the entire external wall. The climbers will be placed in pots on the 1st. floor gutter which will have about 2 inches of water all the time to 'irrigate' the climbers. Watch out for this novelty!.

Construction works started on 5th. November 2008 with workers starting to prepare the formworks for the RC structures.

Construction of the sanctuary was fully completed on 1st. July 2009

CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS AFTER COMPLETION OF SANCTUARY

08.07.09 - Switch on both the internal and external sound

16.07.09 - Noticed a few birdshit spots on 3rd. Floor

12.08.09 - New metaldeck roof installed over flat roof to overcome leakage problem

18.08.09 - Completed all physical works to the sanctuary. Sanctuary in full swing.

18.10.09 - Add Buddha's Statue as part of hardscape in the garden

18.11.09 - Add an additional opening (2' x 3') to the roving room facing the back.

13.12.09 - Noticed 1st nest base on 3rd Floor. More bird shits on 2nd. and 3rd. Floor. Noticed 1 bird flying on 2nd. Floor around 11.25am

23.01.10 - Repair 4 way directional tweeters and hexagonal tweeters and install hexagonal tweeters at new location

30.01.10 - Apply self-made aroma to sanctuary (formula b + s)

02.02.10 - Change internal and external sound

04.02.10 - Saw many birds flying into sanctuary at 7.30 pm. Prior to this (between 6.45pm and 7.15pm) saw quite a number of birds circling the sanctuary and chasing one another.
08.02.10 - 7 months since switching on the sound and today when entering the sanctuary discover 1 nest base at the corner of the nesting planks on 3rd. Floor. Bravo, this is the 1st. nest base and hope more will come soon. Slowly but surely
15.03.10 - Its 8 months plus now and today saw many birds entering the sanctuary around 7.00p.m. Later, more birds were seen entering the sanctuary. Well!, good sign and hope the good fortune continues.....
18.03.10 Entered sanctuary and discovered one fully developed nest, one half nest and 2 nest markings. Well!, a good start for the year.

The Hollow - Swiftlet Haven

28 December 2008