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Ref: RSG-20.11.2007
Field Report No. 2: Aug‐Sept‐Oct‐Nov 2008
Supported by
Additional Support Received from:
Wanyoike Wamiti
Nov. 2008
Forest Birds Research and Training of Community Bird Guides in Nyahururu, Kenya
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This report gives a summary of major events that have taken place during the months of August and November 2008. Contents/Highlights
1. Ringing results. 2. Lectures and Conservation Films. 3. Patrons meeting. 4. Formation of Nyahururu Bird Club. 5. Waterfowl counts at Nyahururu sewage treatment ponds. 6. Challenges and problems. 7. Acknowledgements. 8. Photos gallery.
1. Bird Ringing Results
In each month, since the conception of the project in June 2008, we have been setting up an average total of 90 meter nets that are opened between 06:30 and 12:30hrs for two days in each month. Figures for recaptures has been ignored in the analysis since only recaptures from previous day are encountered and are from the same sites. As of November 2008 field session, we had ringed 343 individuals from 52 species. The five species with most ringed individuals from June to November are: Yellow‐whiskered Greenbul Andropadus latirostris (53), Golden‐winged Sunbird Nectarinia reichenowi (28), Cinnamon Bracken Warbler Bradypterus cinnamomeus (22), Montane White‐eye Zosterops poliogaster (19) and Cape Robin‐Chat Cossypha caffra (18). Please see table 1 for other species. Short notes on ringing sites Site 1: This was the ringing site in June and July where 20 and 33 individuals were ringed respectively. It’s
an edge of a shrub/bush mixture close to human habitation thus prone to some disturbance. We also had an 18m net a few meters inside the slightly forest section with several artificial openings where tree nursery soil has been collected thus more open and relatively disturbed middle/shrub and herb layers. This site is close to the forest station and on the gorge’s slope.
Site 2: This is where trapping was done for the month of August (86 individuals). It is the site behind the
Kenya Wildlife Service and offers a more intact forest, a thick shrub/bushland and is just next to a plantation forest of a coniferous species. There is therefore a mixture of habitats hence high number of individuals compared to site 1. It’s at this site we captured an adult Hartlaub’s Turaco, perhaps the only ringed in this year in the country.
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Site 3: Capturing was done in this site in September (54 individuals). Nets were spread inside a relatively stable, though slightly disturbed forest, close to the edge an in a bushland along the gorge’s slope on the west and below the fire tower.
Site 4: This is at the fire tower where nets were spread in the forest below the tower in all directions. A total of 18 individuals were ringed in October. It’s more of an interior forest and has a few glades. It was however expected that forest interiors are not as productive as the edges and bushes.
Site 5: This has been the most productive site with a total of 132 individuals ringed during the 2 morning’s treatment as in all other sites, each ringing session running from 06:30hrs to 12:30hrs each day. It’s the dominantly bushland site across the Nyahururu falls gorge to the west, the so called Kirurumo Beat. The bushes are thick, and had several flowering bushes of Leonotis sp. along the edges that attracted the many Golden‐winged Sunbirds ringed here in November.
Tables and figures on ringing results between June and Nov. 2008
Figure 1: Comparison of total individuals ringed and number of species in each month.
Figure 2: Comparison of total individuals of different age categories ringed in each month.
0 50 100 150
June
July
Aug
Sept
Oct
Nov
Total Species Total Indiv.
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
June July Aug Sept Oct Nov
Age Juv Age Imm Age SAd Age Ad
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Table 1: Total individuals ringed for every species from June to November 2008.
S/No. Species Common Name Species Scientific Name Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Total
1. Abyssinian Crimson‐wing Cryptospiza salvadorii 2 1 5 3 11
2. African Dusky Flycatcher Muscicapa adusta 1 1
3. African Hill Babbler Pseudoalcippe abyssinica 3 1 5 2 11
4. Amethyst Sunbird Nectarinia amethystina 1 3 4
5. Baglafecht Weaver Ploceus baglafecht 1 2 7 10
6. Black Cuckoo‐shrike Campephaga flava 2 2
7. Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 4 4
8. Black‐throated Wattle‐eye Platysteira peltata 1 3 4
9. Brimstone Canary Serinus sulphuratus 1 1
10. Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata 4 4
11. Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis 1 1
12. Brown Woodland Warbler Phylloscopus umbrovirens 1 1 2
13. Cabanis' Greenbul Phyllastrephus cabanisi 1 1
14. Cape Robin‐Chat Cossypha caffra 4 2 3 2 1 6 18
15. Chestnut Weaver Ploceus rubiginosus 1 1
16. Cinnamon Bracken Warbler Bradypterus cinnamomeus 3 3 4 2 3 7 22
17. Collared Sunbird Anthreptes collaris 1 1 4 1 7
18. Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus 2 5 1 3 11
19. Common Waxbill Estrilda astrild 1 1
20. Eastern Double‐collared Sunbird Nectarinia mediocris 3 1 4
21. Garden Warbler Sylvia borin 1 1
22. Golden‐winged Sunbird Nectarinia reichenowi 1 27 28
23. Grey Apalis Apalis cinerea 1 1
24. Grey Cuckoo‐shrike Coracina caesia 1 1
25. Grey‐backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura 2 6 2 2 12
26. Grey‐capped Warbler Eminia lepida 4 4
27. Grey‐headed Negrofinch Nigrita canicapilla 2 2
28. Grosbeak Weaver Amblyospiza albifrons 1 1
29. Hartlaub's Turaco Tauraco hartlaubi 1 1
30. Hunter's Cisticola Cisticola hunteri 6 6
31. Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor 1 1
32. Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa 1 1
33. Montane White‐eye Zosterops poliogaster 2 6 4 7 19
34. Mountain Yellow Warbler Chloropeta similis 1 1
35. Northern Double‐collared Sunbird Nectarinia preussi 2 2 4
36. Northern Puffback Dryoscopus gambensis 2 2
37. Olive Sunbird Nectarinia olivacea 2 2
38. Olive Thrush Turdus olivaceus 2 2 2 7 13
39. Pin‐tailed Whydah Vidua macroura 1 1
40. Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus 1 6 7
41. Spotted‐flanked Barbet Tricholaema lacrymosus 1 1
42. Streaky Seedeater Serinus striolatus 2 10 12
43. Tacazze Sunbird Nectarinia tacazze 1 1
44. Thick‐billed Seedeater Serinus burtoni 2 4 5 11
45. Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus 5 1 1 7
46. Variable Sunbird Nectarinia venusta 1 1 2
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S/No. Species Common Name Species Scientific Name Jun Jul Aug Sept Oct Nov Total
47. White‐eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri 1 2 1 4
48. White‐starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata 2 10 1 1 14
49. White‐tailed Crested Flycatcher Trochocercus albonotatus 1 2 2 5
50. Yellow‐breasted Apalis Apalis flavida 1 1
51. Yellow‐rumped Tinkerbird Pogoniulus bilineatus 1 1 2 4
52. Yellow‐whiskered Greenbul Andropadus latirostris 2 5 27 10 3 6 53
Totals 20 33 86 54 18 132 343
2. Lectures and Conservation Films. The following topics were covered during the reporting period:
• An introduction to the common bird families of Kenya – finding the right family. • Ecology of Bird Migration. • An Introduction to bird names, classification and bird names. • Bird records and their applications – An example of the online system of Kenya Birdfinder. • Group formation, challenges and running – An example of the Friends of Kinangop Plataeu. • Food and finding food – feeding guilds, characteristics and examples of families in each guild.
Conservation Films Due to the lack of an LCD projector that we had been borrowing from Lake Naivasha Riparian Association, we did not have the opportunity to watch several films. However, we managed to look at the following:
• Australia – Land of Parrots. • Life of Birds – Mystery of Flight. • The Meat Eaters. • Osprey – Their return to Rutland Waters
3. Patrons Meeting.
On the 5th of Nov. 2008, I was lucky to meet the Environmental Club Patrons at Nyandarua High School, Mrs Jane Maina and Gatimu Secondary School, Mr Isaac Kairu in a Nyahururu hotel. The two are also the Secretary and Chairman of Nyandarua‐Laikipia Environmental Club Patrons respectively. The meeting was also attended by Dominic Kimani who was facilitating training with me that month. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the way forward of the association particularly on running school programmes, fundraising, club outings and many others. Future meetings will discuss some of these points in details.
4. Formation of Nyahururu Bird Club. The morning of the 30th of October 2008 saw the birth of Nyahururu Bird Club by the nine trainees. Interim officials were democratically elected as follows: Chairman Samuel Karanja Secretary Catherine Wambui Treasurer George Ndung’u Caretaker Joseph Wamiti The club looks forwarding to achieving the following objectives;
• To tap the potentials and promote Nyahururu as a bird watching destination.
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• To understand birds ecology better to guide in conservation decisions and offer advice to authorities as well as educate others.
• To change the attitudes of people and cultivate their interest in birds and environmental conservation and involve them actively in conservation.
• To use leisure time to earn an income. • Improve the opportunities of raising the livelihoods of the local communities. • To tell the world the good things to come to watch and enjoy in Nyahururu.
Their contact details are: Nyahururu Bird Club
c/o Forester In‐charge South Marmanet Forest Station P.O. Box 8 Nyahururu. 20300.
Tel. (cell): +254 720 325 338 (Catherine – Secretary) E‐mail: nyahururubirdclub@yahoo.com
They were lucky to have a founder member of the Friends of Kinangop Plateau, Dominic Kimani, with whom they discussed several aspects of the functioning of a group.
5. Waterfowl counts at Nyahururu sewage treatment ponds. Nyahururu sewage treatment ponds are one of the best places to watch waterbirds especially ducks. We therefore requested permission from the Nyahururu Water and Sanitation Company (NYAWASCO) to access the ponds for observations. In addition to bird records, we decided to be conducting monthly census. We got started on this in September and looks forward to continuing with this activity even following the conclusion of the current project.
6. Challenges and Problems. Though this project is progressing on well so far, it is not going without a few problems. Since the return of elephants in Ewaso Narok block early this year (said to have last visited in 1986), we are finding it difficult to enter the forest as early as 06:00hrs or even to venture the deeper parts where these giants forage during the day. This is however a natural problem where we can only accept it. In August, we lost an 18 meter mist net that was cut off its loops while we left it over night at site 2. The ongoing unusual rains are a hindrance to comfortable living and working at the camp. The group was also apprehended temporarily during a ringing session in Kirurumo beat in November by Kenya Police officers for being suspected to belong to an unlawful sect following a wrong and unfounded information being passed on to them.
7. Acknowledgements. We continue to give our appreciation to Rufford Small grants for having provided funds for this project. We have received additional support from the following organisations: Idea Wild ‐ has donated an LCD projector. ABC ‐ provided funds that enabled purchase of four birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania
guidebooks, printer and a metallic folding table (suitable for use when ringing). RSPB ‐ we received six pairs of binoculars. TBA ‐ has allowed use of their co‐authored notes on fundamentals of ornithology for teaching. KFS ‐ continues to provide logistical support on site that is making learning and research go
with ease. Few other organisations and individuals, not mentioned here, continue to give support in different ways and we appreciate you all for the support.
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8. Photo Gallery – telling it all through photographs
Philista Malaki (in black sweater, Research Scientist National Museums of Kenya) demonstrates the use of Kenya Birdfinder, an online bird record system in a Cyber Cafe’ in Nyahururu.
Participants (L‐R: Rukwaro, Wamiti, Ndung’u andMwangi) of the now Nyahururu Bird Club (NBC) reads the weight of a male Baglafecht Weaver.
George Ndung’u (3rd R in brown jersey) offers assistance to colleague Karani (in blue cap) during a ringing session in August 2008.
NBC members battling out bird identification with the help of one of Kenya’s top bird guides, Chege Kariuki (R), on the grassland plains of Lake Ol’ Bolossat, an IBA site.
Crowned Hornbill Tockus alboterminatus, one of the two species of Hornbills in the forest and is usually seen or heard regularly.
NBC members discuss a point with Chege Kariuki on bird family characteristics, scientific & common names and classification.
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NBC members ready for grassland birds with yet another of Kenya’s top bird guides, Nicodemus Nalianya (second R) on the plains of Lake Ol’ Bolossat.
Closing over using natural ‘bridges’ on the Equator River that drains into the Manguo Swamps of Lake Ol’ Bolossat.
The site at which the group was apprehended by Kenya Police officers following an unfounded tip‐off that a group of unlawful sect members were taking oath under this Strangling Fig tree, a sacred tree of the Agikuyu people.
View of the Nyahururu sewage treatment ponds from the fire tower in the forest. A monthly counting of waterbirds was started in Sept. The site is also good for observing ducks.
A busy Ringing session at site 3 in September. Everyone participates in different ways e.g. scribing and serving ringers with birds and releasing them.
It’s over there.... NBC member Kahura (Left) points out a bird to Amina while others check it out in the guide books. This was during a long‐day bird walk on the open western grasslands of Lake Ol’ Bolossat.
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