This Friday Down South While On Sunday Up North !!!

I think I need to employ a driver to shuttle me up and down from one birdhouse to another.

This Friday there is a very strong possibility that I will be going down south to Segamat, Johor.

My plan is to take a closer look at one of my adorpted birdhouse which I quite like its design (tunnel type) and of course the owner.

Mr.L have been very cooperative in allowing me to install a few new gadgets that I have found in the market. These items are said to be a very usefull to bring in those wild swiftlets into a newly build birdhouses.



I have with me the specially made fake nest that I wanted to install. Two will be suitable for corner covers while three will be as fake nests.

I want to install myself and observe their progress.



Beside this new things, Mr.L have followed most of my advise and from what he indicated his birdnests count are increasing steadily. I will be doing my own check on the matter and at the same time need to further improve his nests counts.

On Sunday, will be driving up North to Kedah. Just being invited to be available for the GAPH seminar in Alor Star on Tuesday the 29th April 2008.

Since passing my home town, will make a short visit to my BH and install the same fake nests and corner covers.

Have drawn a sketch of my new insect breeding crib. Will discuss with my carpenter to make the necessary fabrication.

Frank Yap Visit To Sungai Patani Birdhouses !!!

During last trip back to Sungai Patani, I live in Kuala Lumpur, Encik Frank Yap of Kulim came to visit my birdhouse.

Before I took him to my birdhouse, I scheduled viewing of other birdhouses in the Town of Sungai Patani and Merbok.

The 1st that I showed him was at Pekan Lama. There are at least 20 shophouses. The best is a two rows of shops that are three stories high. The ground floor were rented out while the 1st and 2nd floor belongs to Dato Beh. Total number of shophouses affected were at elast 18 units. Dato Beh is a famous elected representative to the Kedah state assymbly.

We took some pictures and look at the bird enterance holes at the back of the shop lots.

The next that I showed was a 7 stories building located just opposite the largest Indian Temple at Pekan Lama. This tall building is owned by my SiFu and there were lots of swiftlets circling the top of it.

After snapping a few photos we continued our journey to Pekan Baru , Bakar Arang.

The first for us to visit is the pekan baru industrial estates. There were six rows of double stories factory lots. Nearly 40% of the about 100 lots were converted to birdhouses. Lots of birds circling above and lots of birdcall music in one industrial estate.

We them proceed to anew shoplot just about 5 minutes from this Pekan Baru located just beside the Sungai Muda river.

This particular row of shop houses once belongs to Caymen Island Pt. They went broke during the 1997 recession and a classmate of mine bought the land and built two rows of birdhouses.

These units looks very new and well look after with a 24 hours security guards. The enterence doors are made of solid steel.

After viewing and snapping pictures we proceed to a remote piece of land in Merbok where I showed Mr Frank a single unit, three stories high dedicated birdhouse. The unit was build by a Soya Source factory owner.

It looks good. Good hight and well designed. The height of each floor is more then 12 feet. However the unit is yet to be compleated. No electricity meter being fixed and the sound system is yet to be installed.

Mr Frank was very excited and I told him if given the options this is the most ideal birdhouse concept. U built on an agricultural piece of land, away from housing estates and local council wrath.

After snapping more pictures, I took him to my own birdhouse at Laguna Merbok area. Showed him the construction of the ground foor and upper floor.

Showed him the nests and he was very excited on the number of nests available.

Encik Frank was a satisfied birdnest tourist and with all the pictures taken he will be happy to sent some to me to be loaded onto this blogg.

More to come ....

How I got Hooked on Swiftlet Farming !!!

I am very pleased with what happenned the day I met my wife's classmate.

I am married to a Chinese girl from a small town called Sungai Patani (SP), Kedah.

I set my eyes on her when she was sweet 16 and I was then 17 years old.

We met during a picnic trip to a Beach in Kuala Muda. She was so cute that I will never forget the moment I sat my eyes on her.

Well coming back to this Birdnest matter, I was asked by her to accompany for a lunch gathering at a Seafood Restoran in SP, about four years ago. My wife was about 50 years old then. The food, that day, was good and three of her classmates were there with their spouse.

Sitting beside me was a tall guy named Mr D and I asked him what is he up to? His answer: Birdnest Farming !!

Wow, what a weired type of job, I said inside my heart. What the hell is this guy trying to say? As far as I know birdnest are just twigs, or grass or clay full of shits. This guy must be mad or Kuku or Kurang siuman.

That was really the beginning. I was very curious on his nature of business.

He was very persistent and keep talking about how good is his business. He do nearly nothing but every month harvest these "white Gold" and sell at a profit.

By late afternoon I was invited to take a free tour in SP and allowed me to entered two of his birdhouses. He got more then 10 units in SPatani alone.

It was unbelievable. It shocked me to know that there are more then 600 birdhouses in SP.

From that day I got so facinated and arranged to purchase an old and worned down shoplot at about RM 120,000. He arranged for the loan and of course he took the trouble to renovate the lot at a very attractive price ie RM 30,000 for two stories high.

The shoplot situated along the old road just after Sungai Patani town toward Bedong. This unit belong to an Indian owner who bought it at RM150,000 but never managed to rent to any body. The unit was in bad shape and all windows were broken and glasses taken away. Actually it was ab abandoned shoplot. Been there for almost 10 years.

He was ready to sell it at a lost and we managed to squeeze the price to RM 120,000.

Minor problems was the connection of the electricity and water. There was not electricity and water meters. All were stolen.

After settling the outstanding bills and re register got all back to operational condition.

The unit roof was not leaking and the toilets were functioning.

My SIFU started the job after paying him RM10,000 as deposit and the rest was paid on milestone basis.

The birdhouse was ready within less then 3 weeks.

The electricity and water was reconnected and we started the operation by switching the sound system.

Till today I cannot forget the experiences both how I met my wife and this birdhouse guy.

The good thing that happened was that I have just started a new life with an investment that have the potential of A Million Ringgit returns every year.

How about you? Any chance of joining the Millionaire's club????

If U are keen just drop a line to : harryswiftlet@yahoo.com