In 1990, a group of birdwatching enthusiasts established a club, called Kutilang Indonesia Bird Watching Club. It was a special moment in birdwatching history in Indonesia, since Kutilang was the first ever birdwatching club in this area. In the beginning, aside from birdwatching, the Kutilang club also performed several activities such as avian bio ecology research and environmental education. Some of researches conducted by this organisation did research focusing on the Java Sparrow and Yellow-crested Cockatoo.

Kutilang is Indonesian word for Sooty-Headed Bulbul, a common bird easily encountered in forest and also widely kept as pet. In its natural habitat, the Bulbul is social animal. “In the forest, the Bulbul gives early warning in the event of danger,” Sugihartono, a senior and early member, explains. Inspired by Sooty-Headed Bulbul, the Kutilang club and members would also like to give early warning on environmental damage.

The group are aiming to protect the Java sparrow as much as possible and in particular in and around the Prambanan Temple complex on the island of Java (The complex is located 15 km east of Yogyakarta city (central Java), and stands beside the Opak river. It consists of four groups of temples) where the Java sparrow has a small foothold and is breeding in small numbers.

The conservation group is working to provide nestboxes for Java sparrows in response to nest site loss due to building restoration and an earthquake at Prambanan Temple.................................................................................But this is one of the problems!

The restoration work is taking away the nesting sites of the Java and so the people from Kutilang are now working to provide artificial nesting sites in the same temple site to help in the bird maintaining its threatened breeding status. Below is a summary from a report on the Kutilang group.

"A small but important population of the endangered Java sparrow Padda oryzivora nests within crevices between stone blocks of an ancient temple complex in Java. In response to nest site losses due to temple restoration, and subsequently further damage to nest sites caused by a major earthquake, artificial nestsites (wooden nest boxes, sections of bamboo, and coconut shells) were provided. In the subsequent breeding season (2007), two pairs of Java sparrows successfully nested in these wooden boxes, one pair fledging seven young and the second pair two young. In 2008, three pairs again nested in the wooden nest boxes (located in different trees): one nest had nine eggs but failed as the parents were taken by a local birdcatcher; the second nest had 12 eggs, six of which hatched and subsequently fledged; the third pair fledged three young. A coconut shell was prospected by one pair but not used for nesting."

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Above the 1st image of a Java sparrow in Java, its homeland, that I have ever seen.

click the java >>>> to download the full report from www.ConservationEvidence.com

You can read from this small section of the 7 page report by Sunaring Kurniandaru (Java sparrow conservation group coordinator) just how fine a balance there is in this line of work for either success or failure. Let's hope it is success!

I am now in contact with the Kutilang group Java sparrow coordinators to see what else I can do on this website to promote the work being done to help the Java in its homeland of Java. I will keep you posted on any developments as I get news.