Being in Penang on a very laid back morning is certainly heart-warming. Apart from having breakfast at one of the many eateries in Penang, for this time I chose Jalan Transfer’s Roti Canai Special, there are many activities for tourists like strolling down Jalan Kulit in search for antic goods, shopping at Gurney Drive shopping malls, water activities at Batu Feringhi and trekking at Penang National Park. Mamu, my Penang friend, told me he wanted me to gain a very different experience while in Penang. I was left puzzled as to the place I would be brought. I was asked to drive near to the jetty and parked my car near the government offices.
Guess where he brought me to?
A PARKING LOT NEAR THE JETTY AND GOVERNMENT OFFICES. THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS WERE BANGUNAN TUANKU SYED PUTRA AND JABATAN HAL EHWAL AGAMA ISLAM PULAU PINANG.
Only that this parking lots had bird cages hanged out from the roof top of the parking lots. It’s a weekly bird singing competition that he brought me to. By the time I reached the parking lots, there were several sections allocated for different type of birds such as Murai Batu… 10 metres from the cages, a line was drawn in order for the judges to judge the birds. The many bird enthusiasts sat on the sidelines watching the competition patiently. An art I definitely won’t be able to master.
For all you know, a magpie robbin might be worth RM5,000.00. The value of the bird increases with the number of wins for bird singing competition.
Each bird will perform 5 times in various categories namely gaya (showmanship/style), galak (activeness), suara (vocals) and hujung (cadence/resonance). There are four rounds to the competition and each judge will listen to four birds at a time.
It takes about 6 months for a bird to get used to its owner and after 6 months of which time the birds start singing and churping, the birds will have to undergo a training. Each owner has his own way to train his bird. Most common training method is to place the birds to the more experienced birds so that they could learn how to sing.