Burung Murai Sadar Bercermin

HAMBURG, SELASA - Jika Anda memiliki burung, coba sekali-sekali hadapkan ke depan cermin. Apa reaksinya. Apakah ia menolehkan kepala ke kanan dan kiri layaknya manusia yang tengah berdandan?

Umumnya hal tersebut merupakan kemampuan dasar primata seperti simpanse dan manusia. Lumba-lumba dan gajah juga telah terbukti punya kemampaun tersebut.

Sebagian burung ternyata memang dapat melakukannya dan mengenalinya dirinya di depan cermin. Namun, tak semua jenis burung. Burung betet dan beo memang merespon cermin namun mereka tak tahu bahwa di balik cermin adalah bayangannya.

Hanya burung-burung yang memiliki interaksi sosial tinggi yang mengenali bayangan dirinya di balik cermin. Terutama burung dari kelompok gagak. Baru-baru ini, burung murai dari spesies Pica pica juga lulus tes bercermin.

Dalam percobaan di laboratorium, peneliti Jerman dari Universitas Goethe Frankfurt, menguji lima ekor murai. Masing-masing bernama Gerti, Goldie, Harvey, Lilly, dan Schatzi. Pada masing-masing bulunya ditempelkan stiker berwarna kuning dan merah yang hanya dapat dilihat dari cermin.

Saat dihadapkan di depan cermin, burung-burung murai tersebut sangat sibuk memperhatikan tanda yang kontras di tubuhnya itu. Masing-masing kemudian mencoba meraihnya dengan paruh dan kukunya. Dalam beberapa kali percobaan, mereka sukses melepaskannya dan berhenti setelah berhasil.

Namun, saat diberi stiker berwarna hitam yang tidak terlalu berbeda warna dengan bulunya, mereka tak terlalu meresponnya. Burung-burung tersebut juga tak melakukan tindakan apapun terhadap stiker tersebut saat tidak dihadapkan pada cermin.

"Secara umum, hasilnya menunjukkan bahwa burung murai mampu memahami bahwa bayangan dirinya di cermin," demikian kesimpulan yang dimuat para peneliti dalam jurnal PLoS Biology edisi terbaru. Mereka menyatakan tidak sampai meneliti tingkat pengenalannya namun baru sekadar respon terhadap bayangan sendiri.

Pengenalan bayangan diri sendiri merupakan faktor penting dalam interaksi. Antara lain untuk membandingkan pengalamannya dengan pengalaman sesamanya.

Sumber : Kompas.com

Bird's Nest in Chinese Cuisine

The nests in making bird's nest soups are exclusively those of swiflets, the birds from the family of common swallow. These highly prized nests are built and clung to the ceiling of the caves as high as 70m by the birds mostly of seaweed that is mixed by their own saliva, making the process of harvesting an ordeal and expensive. Swiflets nests are mostly found on cliffs in areas along the Southern Chinese coast and South East Asia .

Bird’s nests are available in two forms – complete piece (cup shaped) which is better in quality, or broken pieces; and in two conditions -clean (often pale yellowish unless it’s another variety called “bloody bird’s nest” which is reddish in color) or unclean (blackish, contaminated with feathers and twigs). The best kind is devoid of pinfeathers and foreign particles and in good shape. The preparation of unclean bird’s nests can be a very tedious task. First you need to soak them for at least a day. It will expand, loosening most impurities to float to the top. Wash the nests under running water and repeat the process if necessary until nothing comes loose by itself anymore.

The remaining stubborn impurities stuck in the nests will have to be patiently hand picked using a pair of tweezers aided by a pair of sharp eyes, which explains why, despite the price difference, very few people would go for the unclean nests. For clean nests, soak in cold water for about 3 hours or until soft, then clean them under running water and they are ready to go.

It's expensive, difficult to prepare and not to mention, made from spit??!! Give me really good reasons why I should even think of trying it.

Rich in protein, calcium, iron and other nutrients, bird's nest is good for all, young and old, men and women, the sick and mother-to-be. T he Chinese have been relishing bird's nest as medicinal gourmet food for centuries and believe it replenishes and nourishes the internal organs, speed up recovery from illness, and boosts overall well being. Of all, the most widely known benefit of consuming bird's nest is its ability to rejuvenate, restore youthfulness and ensure glowing and wrinkle-free complexion, the one reason sufficient to explain why it is such a hot commodity and luxury to the Chinese women. Last but not least, it tastes good too!

OK, now I have spent 12 hours cleaning the bird's nest and know all the good things it can do to my skin, how do I cook them??!

Although it is a gourmet food, cooking bird's nest is relatively simple, employing very few other ingredients and methods in cooking them. In most occasions, if not all, bird's nests are either served in soup with chicken, ham or quail eggs and seasoned with salt; or as dessert where they are double-boiled with water and rock sugar. The texture of cooked bird's nests is like that of strings of agar-agar or jelly. Alternatively, one can easily buy ready made "Bird's Nest with Rock sugar" in bottles in Chinese specialty stores and some supermarkets with Asian sections.

A few Bird's nest recipes for you to beautify yourself.
1) Bird's Nest with Sugar Rock
2) Bird's Nest Soup with Chinese Mushroom

Bird's Nest with Sugar Rock
Ingredients:
2 oz. bird's nests (approximately 6 whole nests)
7 tbsps. crushed rock sugar, or to taste
4 c. water

Directions:
1. Soak bird’s nests in cold water for several hours or overnight. Remove loose feathers if any. Rinse well.
2. Cover bird’s nest in water and simmer for 5 minutes. Rinse well and squeeze dry.
3. Place the bird's nests in the pot and add 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer until the bird's nests become soft.
4. Add rock sugar and stir to dissolve. Serve while hot.

Bird's Nest Soup with Chinese Mushroom
Ingredients:
8 oz. birds' nests
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. fresh ginger root, chopped
4 oz. cooked chicken, cubed
4 oz. button mushrooms, quartered
8 oz. canned quail eggs, drained
7 ½ cups chicken stock

Directions:
1. Soak the birds' nest in water for 5 minutes, then drain.
2. Heat the oil in a saucepan.
3. Add the ginger and fry for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
4. Stir in the chicken, mushrooms, eggs and stock and bring to boil.
5. Reduce the heat to low and add birds' nests/ Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Serve at once in bowls.

Source: http://www.chinesefood-recipes.com/food_articles/birds_nest_chinese_cuisine.php

The Story of Bird's Nest Soup

The Emperor and the Cook:
The Story of Bird's Nest Soup
(by A. M. Zukarnaen)

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Long ago in China, there was an Emperor who loved to taste different gourmet dishes made by the Royal Cook. Each dish was exotic and different every day.

One day the cook ran out of ideas and desperately needed to find a new dish to prepare for the Emperor. The Emperor had decreed that if the cook could not prepare a new and different dish daily, that he would not only lose his position as the roayl Cook, but also his head.

The Royal Cook decided to take a walk to the harbour to see if he could find something new and exotic to cook. He came across a merchant who had showed him a bird's nest from Borneo.

"How do I cook this?" says the cook, looking at the bird's nest.

"You're the cook. They eat this in Borneo; I just buy it, I don't prepare it. It has some potent longevity properties, that's what I was told," said the merchant.

True to his profession, however, the cook did his best and prepared the bird's nest in a form of soup.

Knowing the Emperor's passion for Feng Shui and longevity, the Royal Cook cunningly presented the soup with a dragon on one side and a phoenix on the other, with the soup in the middle.

"What have you brought me today?" asked the Emperor.

"Longevity soup, Your Highness," replied the Royal Cook.

The Emperor's eyes lit up, and he eagerly tasted the soup. It smelled sweet and aromatic, just as he liked it; however, when he tasted the soup, it was plain. The Royal Cook held his breath.

"this tastes like ordinary soup," he said, "I can get this anywhere in my Kingdom."

"Taste it again, please, Your Majesty," urged the cook.

The Emperor took another spoonful. "It still tastes ordinary."

"Please take one more sip, Your Majesty," the cook urged again, fearful for his life.

"All right, but if I don't taste anything different, I'll have your head," threatened the Emperor.

The cook had to think fast. "In Borneo..." he started.

The Emperor's eyes lit up, because he knew that it was an exotic place. The pillars of the Forbidden City were made from timbers that came from Borneo.

"In Borneo, the people there eat this soup for longevity. It keeps the people young and healthy. It lengthens their years, and they live long and prosperous lives because of this soup." The cook went on about the benefits of the soup, emphasizing the longevity properties of the dish.

"Ahhh, an exotic dish. Why didn't you say so? This dish is fit for an Emperor," the Emperor decreed.

The Royal Cook sighed with relief, as the Emperor continued to relish his dish.

Once the Emperor had finished his meal, he announced that the longevity soup was to be served to him on a regular basis, and the Royal Cook was duly rewarded.

To keep the Emperor from finding out that the longevity soup's raw ingredient was bird's nest, the Royal Cook ensured that all those who brought back the birds' nests from Borneo were killed. New crews were sent to retrieve the nests each time.

True enough, the Emperor lived a long and prosperous life.

The longevity soup was only served to the Royal Family and wealthy merchants. It was not allowed to be served to the general population.

The longevity soup became renowned as a royal dish, and its potent properties claimed by the merchant were proven to be true.

The Emperor's successors were the ones who truly benefited from the soup, as it was served to them at an early age. And now, if the longevity soup is served to guests or VIPs, they know that the host is taking care of them. After all, the dish is fit for an Emperor.

Sarawak Forestry Officers Take Bird Nests Without Permit

I just receive email and SMS from my friends mentioning that Forestry Department - Sarawak, without any advance notice suddenly force open all the BH in all towns. They take down all the birds nests, leaving baby chick birds and broken eggs on the floor.
Owners of BH crying and ask police to help but police can not help.

Below is the picture of nests and broken eggs on the floor.

Nunggak Pajak, Dua Rumah Walet Disita

Sumber: RADAR Semarang.com

Jumat, 08 Agustus 2008 20:56

BATANG—Dua bangunan rumah walet di Desa/Kecamatan Bandar, disita Kantor Pelayanan Pajak karena menunggak Pajak Bumi dan Bangunan (PBB) sejak 2006 hingga 2007. Dua rumah walet itu, milik Haryanto dengan tunggakan Rp 12 juta dan Yap Kim Loan sebesar Rp 21,9 juta.
Penyitaan ditandai dengan penempelan tulisan penyitaan oleh petugas dari Kantor Pajak disaksikan aparat kecamatan maupun pemerintahan desa. “Kami mendukung tindakan Kantor Pajak. Selama ini banyak pengusaha walet yang membandel. Masak membayar pajak saja, sampai menunggak. Padahal hasil panen sarang walet besar sekali,’’ kata Ketua Komisi C DPRD Suyono, kemarin.
Di Bandar, ada tiga bangunan besar yang dijadikan sebagai rumah burung walet. Kebanyakan, pemiliknya orang Pekalongan. Sedangkan, di Bandar hanya penjaga yang ditugasi merawat rumah burung. ’’Kami minta pengusaha sarang walet lebih meningkatkan kepeduliannya terhadap desa maupun lingkungannya. Misalnya ikut berpartisipasi dalam pembangunan maupun pendanaan kegiatan sosial kemasyarakatan,’’ imbuh anggota DPRD dari Bandar, HM Sodik.
Biasanya, saat panen sarang burung, tak satupun pemilik yang memberikan imbalan bagi desa. Untuk itu, diminta kesadaranya untuk menjalin keharmonisan. Camat Bandar, Agung Wisnu B, setuju dengan langkah Kantor Pajak yang melakukan penyitaan. ’’Ini untuk memberikan contoh sebagai warga negara yang baik, harus membayar pajak. Lha wong rakyat Bandar yang miskin saja, lunas membayar pajak. Ini pengusaha besar yang sekali panen bisa menghasilkan ratusan juta, malah nunggak pajak sampai dua tahun,’’ tukas Camat.
Memang selama ini pendapatan Pajak Sarang Burung Walet 2003-2007 terus meningkat. Pada 2003 sebesar Rp 63,1 juta, 2004 menjadi Rp 75,5 juta. Kemudian pada 2005 Rp 87,4 juta, 2006 Rp 100,2 juta dan 2007 sebesar Rp 113,3 juta. Namun, ditengarai potensi pajak sarang walet masih sangat besar. Petugas pajak maupun Dipenda masih kesulitan menghitung hasil panenan sarang walet. (dik/ida)

Blog VS Seminar

Beberapa hari yang lalu saya menerima telpon dari salah seorang pembaca catatan saya yang menanyakan tentang Seminar yang akan diselenggarakan pada tanggal 29 - 30 November 2008. Pembaca tersebut menanyakan materi - materi yang akan dibahas dalam seminar tersebut. Interesting! demikian jawabannya setelah saya jelaskan materi yang akan saya dan rekan saya bahas di seminar tersebut.
Pembaca tersebut lalu mengemukakan bahwa dia juga membaca di blog walet lainnya yang mengatakan bahwa blog nya berisi banyak informasi mengenai budidaya walet dan isinya lebih dari 10 - 20 seminar. Oh... itu betul... tapi seminar budidaya walet yang mana yang dimaksudkan? Kalau yang dimaksudkan seminar yang dibuat oleh KONSULTAN di Malaysia ya mungkin saja.... tapi saya tidak tahu apa isi seminar budidaya walet di sana. Dan secara pribadi saya tidak bermasalah dengan apa yang ditulis oleh bloger tersebut. Mereka juga rekan-rekan saya.

Seminar berbeda dengan blog. Di seminar kita dapat berinteraksi langsung dengan pembicara seminar dan rekan-rekan pembudidaya walet lainya yang mempunyai pengalaman dan masalah. Di sini kita akan banyak belajar dari para pembudidaya walet yang berpengalaman, masalah-masalah yang dihadapinya dan bagaimana solusinya yang akan dipandu dan dibahas tuntas oleh pembicara seminar.
Kalau blog, anda hanya pasif menerima apa yang disampaikan lewat tulisannya... kalau tidak seide, bisa juga menyampaikan lewat email, mau dijawab atau tidak dijawab suka-suka dia. Kalau di seminar, kalau tidak dijawab, hajar saja pembicaranya... sudah bayar koq tanya nggak dijawab ya.... he he he.
Seminar memang ada biayanya sedangkan blog gratis untuk dibaca.

Kenapa? Penyelenggara seminar harus menyewa tempat, membayar pembicara seminar, menyediakan makanan, makalah, alat-alat tulis dan perlengkapan seminar lainnya serta CD suara walet yang mempunyai nilai tersendiri. Dan tak kalah pentingnya, biaya Research and Development yang harus ditanggung oleh pembicara seminar baik waktu dan materi yang dikeluarkan selama melakukan R & D... pengorbanan inilah yang harus dibayar oleh peserta seminar, karena dalam melakukan R & D, RBW yang digunakan untuk R & D akan mengalami pelambatan dalam jangka waktu tertentu sampai ditemukan teknik-teknik dan formula yang sesuai untuk memikat dan pengembangan populasi walet.

Mendesain Rumah Burung Walet

Sebagaimana kita ketahui bahwa ada beberapa desain rumah burung walet, di antaranya tipe menara A, B, C, O type, serta open roof type. Di dalam buku saya sedikit menyinggung tipe rumah burung walet karena saya tidak menaruh perhatian dengan tipe-tipe RBW, tetapi saya menitikberatkan bagaimana agar RBW dapat segera dihuni oleh burung walet.
Di buku tersebut saya menitikberatkan pada arus putar, jalur terbang burung, penempatan lubang masuk burung dan suara walet untuk memikat burung serta penempatan tweeter.

Untuk menentukan lubang masuk burung, sebaiknya kita mengetahui jalur terbang burung dan arus putar burung, oleh karena itu diperlukan observasi. Obsevasi di lapangan dapat dilakukan dengan berbagai cara, hal ini bergantung pengalaman seseorang. Bagi orang yang berpengalaman, dengan hanya melihat sepintas lalu saja sudah tahu mengenai jalur terbang dan arus putar burung. Bahkan hanya dengan melalui gambar dan/atau video yang dikirim melalui MMS atau melalui email, sudah dapat menentukan letak lubang masuk burung yang effektif.
Bagi orang yang belum berpengalaman memang perlu untuk observasi sampai naik ke atas genting untuk melongok lubang masuk burung tetangga atau bahkan mencuri pandang internal desain rumah burung tetangga.
Memang benar di dalam buku SJMW, saya sebutkan bila di lokasi tersebut terdapat RBW yang telah berproduksi dan sukses sebaiknya kita membuat desain RBW dan LMB yang sama dengan RBW tersebut. Maksudnya? Silakan baca lagi buku SJMW, di sini saya bahas koq.

Jadi, kalau memang berpengalaman dalam bidang budidaya walet, dalam hal ini desain RBW, tidak perlulah memanjat sampai ke atas genting untuk mengetahui jalur terbang dan arus putar burung. Kalau hal ini kita lakukan, ini menunjukkan bahwa kita tidak memahami basic concept budidaya burung walet.

You know what I mean. Good Luck!