Kuala Krai Swiftlets Rock and Roll

I was very impressed with those many BHs in this small town.

The sky was littered with swiftlets and I just could not stop taking so many pictures.

Out of so many BHs I choose a few that shows a very heavy activities.

The above is one and one more at the bottom.

The bottom clip shows an old BH with 20 kilos a month while the top clip was a new BH which have a very aggressive owner. He has his entrance hole facing the other heavily populated BH and his intention is to suck those young birds into his.

Just listen to the beautiful melody which makes those birds go wild. The attack the tweeters and the walls around the tweeters. This is what a good BH should looks like. The owner put in place a very attractive sound to lure those wild birds to his entrance hole.

Remember once the sound no longer pull the crowd, change them to a more attractive sound.

Well as I always mentioned in some of my articles, you need to think for your investment. The quicker they populate your BH the faster you get the return of investments.

Zang Toi ancestor's house was on the front lane of the white painted BH.

My Mr.E, my guide, shop was on the same row. He has yet to ask the tenant to move to a new place. I told him that the unit is fit to be a gold harvester. Yes make money from the air.

What Is "Swiftlet Fooding Behaviour"?

Good morning to all readers.

To those who celebrate Hari Raya Haji, I wish to say Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Adhar. To those who will celebrate Christmas Merry Christmas .

Today I intend to write about this special terms call " Swiftlet Fooding Behaviors".

I read in a few of the reference books that I have and it is very nice if every Birdnest enthusiasts to at least digest and expose to the term.

Fooding Behavior is termed as the normal daily movement of swiftlet searching for food. They have a peculiar behaviour in searching for food the moment they come out of their nesting house or caves.

If U understand their behavior U can then be a better swiftlet rancher.

The swiftlets will start leaving the nesting caves or houses as early at 5am (much earlier then me). Their first area to look for food is areas around the cave/house. This will the areas closed to or surrounding the BH. They will spend about one to two hours here.

Once they are satisfied that the food is no more heavy they will start to move towards a newer destination especially flat areas like padi fields, grass fields and so on. They will spend about 1-2 hours.


Once the flying insects are not many they will then continue their journey to the higher and further locations especially towards those Kampung and plantations. By this time there are lots of insects starting their pollonisation of those tree's flowers. The best will be those plam oil plantations.

By noon their destinations will be the forest canopy. Lots of insects seem to be emitted from those forest canopies or from those ripe fruits (figs trees). This fooding above forest canopy will last for 3 to 4 hours. Normally from 11.00 am till 4:00pm.

What next? By 4.00, once the insects quantity is lessening, their next destination will be those water sources like lakes, rivers and canals. It seem that those young insects will pupate and leave their shell at around 4:00 till late in the evening. Those swiftlets will be a good time cathting and eating those fresh insects.They do this until the end of the day.

By around 7:25pm the birds will normally fly home at around 7.25 till 8:00pm. Most of these birds will be inside their respective BHs by about 8:00pm however during dry seasons they might come back at late as 9:00pm.

Swiftlet eat their food on the flight. They do not behave likes other birds where they catch the food and rest on trees to swallow their food.

Swiftlet body construction is geared toward flying the whole day without any rest and come home to their home to rest, sleep, make love or feed their babies.

It is observed that while on the way back to their home they will take the opportunity to visit the rice fields and makes a last minute dash for food around the cave/house.

If you read carefully about their fooding patten, you might realised that these birds are intelligent beings. They know exactly where they can find the most insect at a particular time of the day.

If you wanted to conduct birdcall test, I advise you to follow the above explaination on how to choose the right time for a particular type of land. Example for flat land test it in the morning before 10:00am. For a plantation you test it at around 10:00 till 11:30am and near to a forest test it at 11:30 until 2pm. If your property is closed to a river or lakes try at 4:30 onwards.

Base on the above Fooding Behavior, it is recommended that birdhouse owners should provide a kind of food for the swiftlet to catch when they are out in the morning and when they are back in the evening.

The best is to plant those plant species that will generate insects, like Cemara or Lao Gondang and Chinese Beans Plan (Lamptoro) around the house. If the piece of land is reasonably big, create fish/prawn ponds around the house. The plants and the pond not only will provide insects but will also provide a cooler air.


Better if a suitable den (like a small chicken den) where U can place rotten papayas or pineapples or star fruits or any type of fruits that will breed small insects. Once these insect fly out of the den, it will become food to your swiftlets.

From Brunei With Love !!!

Well guys, I received an email today and its from Brunei Darulsallam.

"Dear Harry,

I live in Brunei,and have recently began reading your
blog and have become interested in the subject.

I note from your blog that you have been to Brunei.
Have you seen the swiftlets (white-nest) here, and are
they plentiful enough to even consider starting a farm
here?" Regards Victor.

First and foremost, I am very happy to know that I do have visitors from other countries including Pak Hen Mulia of Indonesia. They seem to enjoy reading my swiftlet farming blog. That was my objective. Yes I wanted to create reference or an online informations that is applicable to anyone who is keen to enter into swiftlet farming.

Well Mr Victor, I welcome U and I would like to assure U that there is no reason why Brunei is not an ideal place to start a birdhouse ranching.

These are my personal reasons:

1) Brunei is located in the center of the Malay Archiepelago. It have the same climate, rainfall, thick forest, lots of insects to feed the birds and I understand there are many caves that are used as nesting ground for these swiftlets.

2) While I was in Brunei, I did conduct a short survey by walking around the golf club and saw lots of swiftlets that I strongly believed that those are of white nest swiftlets. Since I did not carried out any birdcall test, I reserve to make any fool proof claim.

3) If there are many successful birdhouses in Miri, Sarawak (about 2 hours drive from Brunei border) I am very sure the are swiftlets in Brunei. Trust me the birds can fly at more the 120 km/hr. To reach Brunei they take not more then 2 hours.

If I were U, I will arrange to conduct birdcall tests at a few places to check the swiftlet population. The birdcall test is not that expensive and very easy to do.

Do the test at a few locations and decide your next course of actions.

Make sure U visit the local council to check on any rules and regulations , if any, before U event think of converting any of the shoplot there.

Be sure that they are allowed and if there are guidelines, follow them strickly.

I hope I have answered your question.