FLYING COLOURS

       Sarawut Kreedumrongsak always smiles happily whenever his friends refer to him as khon bah nok (bird maniac)."I never get angry when I hear that term since it truly reflects who I am and what I like most. In fact, it is my favourite nickname," he said, laughing.
       His present home, widely known as Ban Nok Mee Ngon (House of Crested Birds),resembles a large aviary, with 200 birds living in harmony with their human friends.But things were completely different a decade ago.
       "Previously,my parents always kept complaining about my hobby. Now my mother and sister are extremely happy to take care of the birds.My mother enjoys feeding them," said the bird lover.
       Although Mr Sarawut is a bird fancier,he doesn't keep several species. He has the only strain that suits his lifestyle and personality. After experimenting with rearing various breeds, he eventually settled on with what he calls his "dream birds".
       "I am in love with cockatiels because of their striking traits and gentle temperament. Compared with other kinds of parrots, cockatiels are less aggressive. In fact, they are rather quiet. I don't like to live in a noisy environment.The sounds made by cockatiels are melodious," he said.
       By profession, Mr Sarawut is a lawyer.He is also a skilful chef. Breeding cockatiels is his hobby. But he doesn't breed just for fun or for commercial purposes. What he is trying to do is to develop the members of this avian category to be stronger and more colourful.
       He started his breeding scheme with the Normal Grey, regarded as the most ordinary strain due to its plain characteristics. But this species is famous for its big,well-built body and physical strength, and these favourable genetic properties can be passed down to descendants.
       "Generally, cockatiels are divided into two main groups - high-colour and lowcolour. The former includes birds with
       rare and sophisticated colours while the latter features feathered specimens with basic colours such as black and brown. I just match the former and the latter together and the result is a stronger and more colourful breed," he said.
       Mr Surawut's birds come in various tones,and many of them are hotly sought after by bird connoisseurs.However, most collectors are often disappointed as not all of them can have their desires fulfilled.
       "The more birds I breed, the more of them I keep for myself. I rarely sell them to others. I really love all of my birds. They all have names and I remember them all," he said.
       Mr Sarawut treats his birds as if they were his own children. All fledglings must be hand fed by him because most mother cockatiels are not good at raising their babies.
       "The most difficult and challenging task in taking care of the nestlings is hand-feeding as even a minor mistake can kill a baby bird.
       "For example, the food temperature must be just right, and all the feeding equipment must be clean. On top of that,the feeder must be highly skilful. The fledgling will die if food gets into its windpipe and lungs."
       Mr Sarawut says a cockatiel makes good company and its lifespan is rather long,about 15 to 20 years if properly looked after. This means that his responsibility and commitment to his birds is virtually endless, but he is happy to trade his time and energy for his feathered friends' wellbeing. All his birds live in a long, spacious aviary since by nature a cockatiel flies horizontally and low.
       Mr Sarawut is also an early bird. He usually wakes at 5am to monitor the condition of all his birds, feeds them, cleans the aviary and all the feeding equipment,rubs the fledglings' feathers and records the history of all the birds, including their egg-laying and hatching particulars. When he returns home at midnight, the first place he visits is the aviary, and he spends at least two hours there to make sure that all of his children sleep well.
       "The greatest enemy of nestlings are rats. They often comes at night, gnaw the net of the aviary and forage for food,which in their case is a helpless baby bird.
       "I have to strengthen my aviary occasionally," he said.
       From time to time, he participates in pet fairs and takes his beautiful birds to the outside world. Some of them have won beauty contests.
       "I just want to meet new friends who share the same interest as mine. Through competitions, I can learn both the positive and negative traits of my birds. In that way, I can improve on my breeding programme," he said.
       After having been a leading figure in the cockatiel arena for more than a decade,Mr Sarawut is often invited by pet magazines to write articles on cockatiels, and he is always more than willing to share his experiences and knowledge with the like-minded, especially greenhorns who have no idea how to keep their birds healthy and happy throughout their lifetime. He also provides tips on how to hand-feed fledglings.
       "Some bird keepers simply follow the trend but have no basic knowledge of how to take care of the young animals properly. I hope that my articles can help raise awareness among bird owners to see value in animal life and treat the creatures with respect," he said.
       At the end of every day, Mr Sarawut looks happy in his world full of colour and melody. And whatever he does, he does it wholeheartedly, as can be seen in the glowing health of all his birds.
       "I enjoy all of my roles. They keep me healthy and happy," he said with a wide grin.