Jan - Feb, 2010

With construction activities winding down, it was time to erect perimeter fencing around the farm.















Finally it was time to tear down their living quarters and move on to the next job site.















Loads of construction materials waiting to be carted away.















I watched quietly as they loaded up the last truck.. another memorable moment.















What left was the cement patch that once was their living areas. It appeared empty and lifeless now.















Their departure brought a new sense of serenity around and I watched the sunset in solitude. It was a passing phase, what marked the end of one signifies the beginning of the next.



















The new occupants were still feeding afar as it is now into the dry season, returning pretty late each evening. By now more than a dozen nests are in various stages of building - some quite well formed.















Other birds species too were busy with their nest building outside. Atop this tree was another bird nest.



















Out of my reach for a close inspection.



















Behind my flood lights are populated too.



















Took it down for a photo shot and returned them back in place. I have no reason to deny them from hatching.















Sparrows are very resourceful finding high corners to build nests too. All these are not predator birds so I would accommodate them as well.

Dec - 2009

Having been away much of Nov, construction of the adjoining insect feeding room was delayed till Dec. I decided to extend it all the way to join up with the bird house - making it 12m x 11m x 4m.

The builder used concrete pipes to make up the columns - a clever approach I think.















Having seen the building of the main bird house, putting up these walls was a piece of cake.















Steel structure supporting the roof being erected.
















































And finally the steel roof over it.















Part of it would be my workshop cum store.















Around the farm, catches from the deep pond never seem to run out! This is only 1/3 being dried in the sun.



















But this was the catch that make me envy - it's claws was 30cm long and I have yet to taste one!















My first visitors are my blog reader Nana and husband from Bangkok; dropping by during their tour of bird farming areas in the south. My brother & good friends were around too.



















The next two visitors were from Singapore, again my blog readers. They will be bird nest farmers too in near future.















I took them to tour around Petchaburi & Samut Songkhram, just to sample a bit of what Thailand has to offer. Of course not to miss out the famous bird nest temple of Wat Chum Lon at Samut Sakon.

Near Khao Yoi (between Samut Songkhram & Petchaburi) is a Laos Cultural Heritage Center with a number of beautiful Laotian village houses.



















A scenic forest park near Cha-Am.











A short walk from the bird nest temple of Wat Ban Laem is the "railway market" at Mae Klong Station.















Vendors placed their wares right to the edge of the railway line!



















Albert was pleasantly surprised, "I've seen this on TV before, I don't know it is right here!"




















As for me, I saw the first nest formed after returning from the road tour to northern Thailand during the Christmas/New Year holidays. So what is better than that to wrap up 2009 and kicking off with 2010?

Nov - 2009

Well, I've taken a deserved break from the farm even though not everything are in tip top conditions as I wish. At least the farm house is closed for the first bird colony to settle in. There are some 40+ spots of bird droppings; something I am more than happy to find after a few weeks away.

Now sitting from the rest house,















I have a full view of the bird house and enjoy sights of birds flying around during evening hours.















Around the farm, my trees are doing well. These palms planted from seedlings sprouting out of water!



















"Kangkong" are spreading profusely around the pond's edges.

































I don't know till now it flowers and resemble that of Morning Glory!



















I brought a box of worms from Australia to start my worm farm to cultivate organic fertilizers.















Preparing the bedding with cardboard & straws to start the worm culture.





























Surely I have no shortage of vegetables to feed them!

So what's next, from now on?

Now that the farm house is completed, it is natural to ask what's next?

Firstly, the blog title "Building a new swiftlet farm" is no longer appropriate. I gave it some thought and changed it to "My Swiftlet Farms".

One of my intention is to learn about swiftlet behavior and explore new techniques in swiftlet farming. So it is also a platform to experiment and advance the state of art with a more scientific approach. My guess is many would love to do the same.

Many of us are aware Pak Agung of Indonesia has bred swiftlets in captivity for many years. There are valid arguments against it and I don't subscribe to it either. I truly believe these birds should be left to be free and feed in the wild.

There are also success stories in cultivating insects as supplements to their diets. There is much to learn and experiment in this regard.

Next on my agenda is to build a feeding room as an annex and connect to the farm house via an "aero-bridge".













To observe the birds, a rest house is also built 50m away. Full view of the birds around the farm can be observed from here in comfort.














Nice view too from the toilet, isn't it?



















I also wish to develop the farm environment into pleasant living space. Palms planted at the driveway entrance.














Trees large & small began to take their spots. More than 50 trees have been planted recently. Water to the trees are fed from the roof pool (not part of my original plan).




















































The land here is fertile and ideal for sustainable living and I intend to go organic. A variety of fruits and veggies will be cultivated along with fishes & shrimps in the ponds.

To have a sanctuary here away from urban living is a dream come true!

Some Reflections

The completion of this farm marked a major milestone for me. Of course there are many challenges and frustrations along the way. Many of my friends find it hard to believe what I am doing! What? You become a bird nest farmer? It does not matter what they think, honestly.

Yes, there are often skepticisms expressed subtly and tactfully. Did it deterred me? Not a bit.
Why? Because I have a vision and my mission is to see it through!

It is a risky venture too. Many wondered is it a risk worth taking, having to put in years of efforts & money and take a chance if the birds would come & stay! Even as I came close to finish the farm, someone posed me a question, "Won't you worry one day your birds will fly away?"

I always believe risk is a function of what you don't know. If one is ignorant, there are always so many why's and don't s. Sometimes I was tired to answer those queries.

If you care to put in efforts and learn everything you can about it, the risk is greatly mitigated. It is that simple a logic.

The critical moment is the point of decision making to take a plunge.. especially when it is a huge undertaking for the first time; it really takes courage! After that just persevere through without looking back. Otherwise, times of self doubt creeps in and shakes your confidence.

Fortunately, I have good fortune of meeting some supportive bird nest farmers who are willing to share and help along the way. I really owe them a depth of gratitude!

I also keep an open mind as I execute my building plan, giving the builder some degrees of freedom after explaining my intent. Many times I was pleasantly surprised by their contribution, acknowledging their lateral inputs; "... hmm... why didn't I think of it that way before!" It is a learning experience all the way.

In the short 2 years, I have gone through renovating an acquired bird house, converted a new shop unit and now completed the building of the standalone farm. It is far more than what I set out to do in the first place.

Perhaps this Frank Sinatra song reflects best the spirit that went into it!


I do look forward to more exciting ventures in the near future.

Went live on air - at last!

End Sept was the time line to close the bird house and go live with bird calls. Indeed it was a joyous moment to watch the swiftlets came visiting! It turn out the side entrance was used by most birds - a good judgment call (& a self praise, of course).



Obviously I couldn't count.. hundreds perhaps!
















In fact some swiftlets went in to check it out even before that. A few stayed over for the night!









Showing off a newly planted tree.















The final hours - setting up the sound system and the switch board.















Each power amplifier drives about 150 tweeters - total of 600 aprox. installed.















Dome camera & flood lights were installed too.



















A friend came visiting and got stuck in mud!















I went to the rescue and slid down the pond's edge - hanging precarious close to the water line. It lost all tractions and impossible to pull out even on 4 wheel drive.















Turned out to be a bigger rescue effort! Chains secured to anchored poles to prevent it sliding down further. Darkness fell and the flood lights just installed a day earlier came in handy.















Another steel pole formed a guide rail on the other side.















A couple more sand bags in place to help regain traction - without these resourceful guys around I wouldn't be able to get it out! The drama was over and you bet I just want a good sleep that night.



















Thought I've seen it all how the workers live off the land - until I saw them sampling the crabs caught from rice fields around.















These are destined to the cooking pot!















And this prawn from the deep pond - considered small, the head alone is about 8 cm long!















Its been quite a journey building this farm. How do I sum up my experience?
1. It gave me a lot of satisfaction applying some of my engineering knowledge.
2. It brought me closer to nature, which I truly enjoyed.
3. Last but not least, develop new friendships and bonds in the process.