“We imported two pairs from England, in truth it was as if they had come ‘home’. The Bali Starling, often used as the mascot of Bali, is also at the top of the list of the most endangered bird species in Indonesia. Their beauty and gentle, trusting nature have worked against them, making them the prized catch of poachers,” said Bradley. “We felt that these birds had come home on a mission – to assist in the Estate’s Bali Starling Conservation Program. We gave the bird a second chance at survival.”

By 2005 the total birds raised had grown from 2 pairs imported from England to 97, most in enclosures on the Gardners’ estate at Begawan Giri. In this same year, the birds were moved to newly erected enclosures on Nusa Penida, south of mainland Bali where a release program was initiated.

Bayu Wirayudha, as Director of Begawan Foundation, worked with the Nusa Penida traditional council, which represented 35 villages on the island. In April 2006, this council unanimously agreed to protect all the birds on the island by passing a local traditional law (Hukum Adat) to protect them. Anyone caught harming them would face both fines and ostracism by the community.

Between 2006 and 2007, a total of 65 birds were released, including 12 released by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of the Republic of Indonesia and First Lady Kristiani Herawati.

In August 2010, the remaining captive breeding Bali Starlings were brought back to mainland Bali to their new home at Green School in Sibang, near Ubud. Once they settled into their new site, the breeding pairs commenced to make nests, with the result that four young have already hatched as of mid December.

Representatives from Jurong Bird Park in Singapore, Bali Bird Park, Bali Bird Walks, Udayana University Denpasar and Green School, including Chris Sparks and two of his students, joined Begawan Foundation in this first third party external audit.

As many of the party were new to the activity, Wayan Sumadi from Bali Bird Walks introduced everyone to the art of bird watching on a walk around the general area. It was then time to divide into six different groups, each with an experienced bird watcher and focus on the first late afternoon count at the six selected sites. It was to prove a challenge to those who had never sat and waited, wanting to see their first wild flying Bali Starling.

All groups were successful, with everyone reporting sightings. As Raja Segran, General Curator, Jurong Bird Park says, “Nothing beats seeing 22 Bali Mynahs coming to roost in the evening.”

The following count took place at daybreak, with all teams well in place by six in the morning. The task now was to ensure whether a flock seen at one site was the same one that another team counted a few minutes later. Sumadi decided that the best way was check was to run through the undergrowth from one site to another following the flock itself. This established by the end of the four counts that there were two different flocks of young birds, each with about 15 young birds.

The count raised as many questions as it answered. Villagers admitted that they put papaya and bananas out especially for the birds, that they rescued young birds that had fallen out of the nest. How much does it matter if there is human intervention? The birds are often found nesting in old abandoned beehives, under the eaves of buildings, rather than finding a hole in a big old tree. A new source of food are the flies on a cow’s back, easy pickings and in abundance.

The Bali Starlings do not seem to mind that they are living in the midst of villages. They are sighted in trees amidst coconut plantations and cornfields, in areas where there are pigs, chickens and cows. Villagers go on with their daily tasks, riding motorbikes through plantation tracks, talking at the small local morning market underneath a tree where a past nest was sighted. A pair of birds sit in a field searching for food alongside farmers readying their cows for the day’s ploughing.

“The birds have become a part of their lives for the islanders of Nusa Penida, they have a healthy respect for these magnificent birds and are partially responsible for its survival,” said Raja.

“A conservative estimate gave us a total of 52 birds, including two flocks of juvenile birds and a number of pairs,” said Carolyn Kenwrick, who organised the audit. “A further audit is needed, with the aim to venture further afield, looking to see where the flocks are flying to and from – are there other birds further inland, on the nearby islands? A report has been made that a pair has an offspring on Nusa Lembongan, two islands away. This needs to be verified.”

What can be said, however, is that the fear that within a short time of release the birds would fall prey to humans, predators, inability to adjust to the environment has been shown not to be true. They have adjusted well, taken advantage of what is on offer, shown that the mascot of Bali is still to be found in the wild.

The success of Begawan Foundation’s Bali Starling Conservation Project clearly demonstrates that it is possible for a private organisation to establish the nucleus of Bali’s own reintroduction programme.

If you are interested to assist the Bali Starling, please find further information on our website: Begawan Foundation