Bird watching: A hobby for the 'rich'

(Baonghean.vn) - Not only reserved for the leisurely elderly, the hobby of keeping ornamental birds has now become an "addictive" hobby for many people from urban to rural areas. The only thing is: Only the 'rich' can pursue it. Time, passion, effort, mind - these are the requirements of this special hobby that money cannot necessarily buy...

Dozens, even hundreds of bird cages are brought by Vinh city followers to the bird school every morning to interact, practice singing, and show off their beauty.

On the Google search engine, just type in the keyword “Nghe An Province Bird Club”, within 0.40 seconds, there are about 462,000 results. Many clubs, groups, and forums have been established on Facebook such as Nghe An Province Bird Club, Nghe An Province Bird Club, Nghe An Province Bird Enthusiasts Association... with thousands of members. The bird enthusiast community is divided into many separate clubs and groups such as the Red-whiskered Bulbul Association, the Myna Association, the White-rumped Bulbul Association, the Magpie Association..., operating in many localities such as Vinh City, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Yen Thanh...

Mr. Nguyen Canh Tung - Chairman of the Vinh City Red-whiskered Bulbul Club said that the club was established on May 19, 2013. Currently, the club has about 50 official members, and there are countless unofficial and amateur members. On average, each person has about 5 bird cages, and some people are so passionate that they raise a "flock" of more than ten birds. People who come to this hobby do not care about class, age, or occupation. They can be civil servants, businessmen, auto mechanics, small traders, etc., but they are closely connected by the same passion and interest in ornamental birds. Among them, ornamental bird players consider the Vinh City Red-whiskered Bulbul Club to be one of the most active clubs, with a stable number of members and fairly consistent quality of birds in the club.

Two red-whiskered bulbuls "compete" at Nguyen Quoc Tri bird school.

Currently, bird lovers often gather at bird schools, which are also bird cafes. Famous bird schools in Vinh City include the bird school on Nguyen Quoc Tri Street, Vinh Tan bird school, the bird school behind Tan Phat apartment building, etc. This is a place for the bird-loving community to exchange and learn experiences in choosing and caring for birds; at the same time, it is also a forum for exchanging and buying and selling rare and unique birds and for birds to compete and practice their voice, color, and form.

According to research, the price of pet birds is not cheap. Normal red-whiskered bulbuls cost an average of 100,000 - 15 million VND; rare birds with strange genetic mutations can cost from 10 million - several hundred million VND. The value of each bird increases when it goes through many tournaments and wins many "flags" (many achievements).

Currently, the most expensive starling in our province has been offered 145 million VND but the owner has not decided to sell. Meanwhile, Mr. Ho Trong Lam (Vinh Tan ward) owns a mutated yellow-whiskered bulbul and was offered 120 million VND but still refuses to sell.

Special equipment helps the owner and the bird cage stick together like two peas in a pod.

Bird keeping is not only expensive but also requires the player to invest time and effort.

Playing with pet birds is not as easy as it seems! “Playing requires a lot of care. Serving the birds 4 times a day: morning - noon - afternoon - evening. Morning: feed the birds with fresh bait (grasshoppers, locusts...); noon: take the birds out to bathe and sunbathe (bathe once a day on sunny days, bathe twice a day on cool days); afternoon: feed the birds, clean the cage... People who are passionate about this hobby, besides work, when they come home, they just hang around the bird cage all day long”. - Mr. Nguyen Van Chuong (Vinh Tan ward) - a famous pet bird player in Vinh city shared.

A starling flutters its wings as it bathes in its cage and its own "bathtub".

The following articles will discuss services related to bird keeping that cost owners a lot of money, such as bird cages, bird feeders, dry and fresh food, bird baths, etc.

Phuoc Anh - Thanh Cuong