TALKS & VIDEO

Life of Mammal
Insect Eaters

A BBC Production on
mammals like anteaters and
shrews, with
David Attenbourgh

Mon 9 August '04

5:30 p.m. Louis Leakey Hall,
National Museums, Nairobi

Nature & People
Fair

FIELD TRIPS

Hiking at
01 Donyo Orok

Sat 21 & Sun 22 Aug '04

01 Donyo Orok is a mountain on the Kenya -
Tanzania border near the town of Namanga.
We meet at the National Museum, Nairobi
car park 8:45 a.m.for prompt departure at
9:00 a.m. on Sat 21. Our base and overnight
will be the Namanga River Hotel, which is
situated on the foot of the mountain.

Sat 2 & Sun 3 Oct 04

Nairobi Arboretum
A Fair to inspire people about
the biodiversity around them

Nature Kenya committees and
projects are planning live succulent,
bird, insect, amphibian and other
displays. The Site Support Groups we
work with will set up a butterfly
house, bring woolspinning looms and
products, and will have drama
performances.

These and many other activities will
take place the first weekend of
October at the Arboretum - be sure
to put these dates in your diary.

More information in the next
newsletter!

Aiir.lKT AT A GLIMP SE

Sat 7
Mon 9

/\5F Rir dwalks & NRF walk
Video-Life of Mammal

Insect Eaters

Sat 14

Tree Walk

77^ 4 simda7Birdwg ik_

A Sun 22 Oj ^gnyo^rgktnE

Sa t 28 _ Maanzoni/Athi River jTip_

Mon 30 Tree Walk

Bird walks every Wednesday Morning

Bird ringing every Thursday Morning

Editorial Team

£difor Catherine Ngarachu
£vttnin<2_ Ski&i Fleur Ng'weno
NaivraH(t'< Corner Dino Martins

Nature Kenya charge: 150/- per person.
BAB cost will be 1000/- per person sharing
(add 300/- for a single room). Children 5 -
12 yrs sharing with parents 500/-. Camping
(with hot showers) is 300/- per person.
Meals are available from hotel at 260/-
breakfast, 400/- lunch, 500/- dinner.

IMPORTANT:

BOOK & PAY RIGHT AWAY I

Succulenta at
Maanzoni/Athi
River

Sat 28 August '04

Exciting outing to look at Succulents. There
is a swimming pool at Maanzoni, so those
feeling hot - bring your gear. Also bring
lots of drinking water and your picnic.
Water is scarce at Maanzoni, so for those
with larger cars a couple of jerry cans
would be welcomed. Please liaise with Sue
Allan (891190 or 0733 891 721) or Julia
Glen (891065 or 0722 756 647)

The recently completed Wana Funzi
Cottages on Swara Plains are available for
those who would like to spend the night on
the Hopcraft's Ranch at Athi River. Contact
Game Ranching Ltd on 0733 812 556 or
email zuri@wananchi.com

Training

Identification &
Growing of Aloes

ii September '04
with Prof. Len Newton,
from the Kenyatta
University Botany Dept.

Organised by the Nairobi Botanic
Garden, National Museums of Kenya,
this is a one day training @ 1500/-,
which includes tea and lunch.

Plan your weekend or other

break to stay at the

Kinangop Guest House

Perched on the Kinangop Plateau with
incredible views across the Rift Valley, the
farm combines tussock-grass pasture,
indigenous forest, and attractive gardens.
The guesthouse is comfortable and fully
furnished. Visitors can enjoy hikes and
walks on the farm or go further afield with
local guides.

For more information, brochure and non¬
member rates please contact Nature Kenya.

Guest House rates: Day visit 350/-
MEMBER nos Overnight Weekend

1 to 2 pax 4000/- 6500/-

3 4,900/- 7,400/-

4 5,800/- 8,300/-

NATURE KENYA, P. 0. Box 44486, 00100 GPO Nairobi Tel: 3749957 / 3746090 Fax: 3741049 E-mail: office@naturekenya.org

action

in front of the
Eco-resource
Centre

Nature Kenya is building an
eco-centre to provide
biological, geographical and
cultural information on Mt
Kenya and establish a network
of concerned individuals and
institutions.

All the masonery and roofing
work has now been completed.
On 11 - 13 June 2004 the
Youth Committee undertook
landscaping at the building
site and started a checklist of
plant and bird species in the
area.

hard at work

It was an opportunity to
interact with the local
community and share with the
Mt Kenya Biodiversity
Conservation Group (the local
Site Support Group).

Fundraising is ongoing and any
donations towards completing
the remaining work is most
welcome.

with members of
the community

GRASSROOTS

Youth Group at the
Mt Kenya Eco-
Resource Centre site

llth Ran African Ornithological Congress
From 20 to 25 November 2004
Island of Djerba - Tunisia

Binds crossing Borders
linking People and Habitats

BP Birdfil'i; “SKS™ I

nth Pan African
Ornithological Congress
20 to 25 Nov 2004
Djerba, Tunisia

Closing date for Registration: 30 Aug 04
Email aao.bird@planet.tn

The PAOC meets every four years to
discuss biology, ecology and conservation
of African birds.lt is an opportunity to
exchange experience and information,
networking and review progress of
African Ornithology.

Open to anyone interested in African
birds.

THE KENYA
POLLINATORS
INITIATIVE

A GATHERING OF PEOPLE
INTERESTED IN ALL ASPECTS OF
POLLINATION - INCLUDING
RESEARCH AND CONSERVATION

POLLINATORS ARE AN ESSENTIAL
COMPONENT OF FOOD SECURITY AND
THE CONSERVATION OF
BIODIVERSITY. KENYA IS RICH IN
POLLINATING ANIMALS THAT
PROVIDE THE CENTRAL SERVICE OF
POLLINATION TO ALL ECOSYSTEMS.
INSECT POLLINATORS ARE ALSO KEY
TO AGRICULTURE AND MANY CROPS
RELY ON POLLINATION. FOR MORE
INFORMATION. AND TO ATTEND,
PLEASE CONTACT DR GIDEON
NYAMASYO.

Email. gnyamasyo@uonbi.ac.ke
Tel: 0722-874-591
FAX: 020-4445763,

P. O. Box 30917, Nairobi

THE MEETING WILL TAKE PLACE
ON THE 11 AUGUST 2004

CLASSIFIEDS

Birding at the

ABERDARES

Sat 14 & Sun 15 Aug '04

Depart Nairobi on Saturday stopping at
Mwea or Thiba paddy fields. Lunch at
Wajee Camp. Dinner and overnight
Aberdares Fishing Lodge. On Sunday
morning, game drive and bird watch (also
other activities like fishing). Return
through Kinangop grasslands and other
birding hotspots; arrive Nairobi late
evening.

Kshs 3,600.00 per person with

minimum 8 pax (4 confirmed
already). To book call BEN'S
ECOLOGICAL SAFARIS Tel/Fax: 254-
02-3755290/1, Mobile: 254-722861072,
Email: info@bensecologicalsafaris.com

NATURALIST'S CORNER

Amphibians

By JACOB MUETI
mngwava(a)ya hoo.com

natural HI

history

Venus
. Aug 25

4

4 Venus
Saturn* ^9 31

Venus at dawn

EVENING SKY

By Ian Mackay_

Moon

8 Last quarter; 16 New moon;
23 First quarter; 30 Full moon.

Stars

Scorpius is at its best viewing
this month. This constellation
really resembles a scorpion,
with bright stars defining the
head shape and more stars
forming the curving body and
tail, all the way to the bright
star Shaula in the tip of the
sting, the likeness is amazing!
Have a look first thing in the
evening before it has climbed
so high as to require excessive
neck craning to see it. (As our
Earth rotates towards the
east, the stars appear to move
slowly westward across the
night sky.)

Look for an unusually bright
object with a white or bluish
colour rising in the east-
northeast. This is the star
Vega in the constellation of
Lyra, the lyre. The
constellation Centaurus, the
Centaur, including two brilliant
stars, is directly south. Draco
the Dragon, a winding line of
stars, is directly north, and the
golden-orange star Arcturus is
in the northwest.

Planets

Mercury is visible for the first
half of August, low over the
sunset, before it disappears
into the glare of the sun.
Bright Jupiter is also setting in
the west, but at a slower rate.

Venus is brilliant in the eastern
sky before dawn. Saturn, much
less bright, is also rising in the
east, and appears very close to
Venus at month's end.

Other info

13th Aug Saturn south of Moon
16th Aug Mars south of Moon
18th Aug Jupiter south of
Moon

24th Aug Antares south of
Moon

31st Aug Venus just south of
Saturn in the early morning sky

Amphibians were the earliest
land vertebrates to evolve.
Their presence in an area is an
indication of a safe
environment, conducive to
other creatures. The world
populations of amphibians have
declined markedly, a situation
that calls for urgent attention.

Frogs and toads are good
weather forecasters. Their
calls and other behaviour can
indicate an impending rain
season Amphibians were used
in the first pregnancy test.
Today some of the most
efficient painkillers are
derived from toxins extracted
from frogs. In some
communities, such as the Okiek
or Dorobos, the toxins from
toads are mixed with certain
herbs and applied to
arrowheads as a poison.

The amphibian slump will
automatically disrupt the food
chain at certain levels. For
instance some snakes and birds,
such as Hamerkops, feed on
frogs and toads. Frogs in turn
feed on algae and insects
particularly mosquito larvae,
helping in malaria control.

Today fewer amphibians are in
evidence, compared to what was
observed a decade ago. Where
rivers pass through urban
areas, and soluble toxic
chemical compounds get in the
water, they deplete the oxygen
consequently limiting organisms
that need dissolved oxygen to
survive.

Amphibians are also dependent
on water for reproduction.
Amphibians deposit myriads of
eggs (in chains for toads and in
masses for frogs) on water
where they are accorded little
or no parental care. After
hatching, the tadpoles fend for
themselves. The young toads
and frogs can be seen at the
edges of ponds and streams.

A recent evening frogging trip
to a pond in the Runda estate
in Nairobi by members of the
Declining Amphibian Populations
Task Force-Kenya (DAPTF),
revealed a diversity of frogs.
It is possible to identify frogs
from their calls. Calls are
species specific. Just like
birds, frogs can be accurately
identified from their calls,
even to the species level.

Three different frog species
(Hyperotius acuticeps, H.
vir/diflavus, ferniquei, and
Ptychadena mascareniensis)
were identified at the pond in
Runda. The intensity of calling
points to a relatively high
abundance of amphibians in the
area. This is encouraging news,
given that this is just a small
pond in a suburban area.

Bird Hotline
3749957

(July Sighting)

Lesser Sandplovers L.Nakuru Fleur Ng'weno, Bridget
Karanja, Rufus De Costa, Edith Wanjiru & John Kuria
Scaly Chatterers Magadi Hoad Shailesh Patel,
Bernard Chege & Itai Shanni
Spotted Ground Thrush Arabuko Sokoke Forest Fleur
Ng'weno d David Ngala

3

regular

activities

WEDNESDAY
MORNING
BIRDWALKS

Bird watching walks at sites
in and around Nairobi. Meet
at the National Museum car
park every Wednesday at
8:45 a m. Return about 12:30 p.m. Those who
are not members can get temporary
membership at Ksh 100 per birdwalk,
payable on arrival at the car park.

BIRD RINGING

Meet at the Museums'
Nairobi Botanic Garden, at
7 00 a.m. every Thursday.

SUNDAY
birdwatch

bers meet at the National Museum,
obi car park at 9:00 a.m. the third

lay of every month, i.e. 15 August. The

bers decide where to go. Bring lunch

TREE WALKS

Guided tree walks in
the Arboretum on the
second Saturday and
last Monday, i.e. 14 4
30 August from 9:30
a.m. Meet at the
Arboretum gate. Those
who are not members
of FONA or Nature
Kenya pay Ksh 100/-

8 fee on arrival at
the gate.

Ngong Road Forest Walks
(Nairobi)

The Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust
Nature walks are held on the first and
third Saturdays of the month i.e 7 4 21
August, at 9:00 a.m Meet at the stairs
ieading to the Restaurant at the
Racecourse.

FFJ Bird Walk (Coast)

Friends of Fort Jesus birdwalks are held
the third Saturday of each month, i.e. H
August Please call Marlene Reid on (041)
491 648 to confirm

hkabuko-SOKOKE

(COAST)

The Saturday birdwatch with the
Arabuko Sokoke Forest Guides
Association is on the first Saturday of
each month i.e. 7 August, at 6:30 a.m
from the Visitor Centre, Gede. Cost 100/

- per person. KW5 fees now apply (100/

- Citizens, 500/- Residents)

Lake Victoria Sunset
Birders (Kisumu)

The Lake Victoria Sunset Birders are a
Nature Kenya Site Support Group and
organise bird walks at sites in and around
Kisumu every Friday of the month. For
further details call 035 42952 or email
wck@vicweb.net

PP^UV^ATl ON

Nature Kenya does not accept any
responsibility whatsoever in respect of
negligence of any of its staff, volunteers
or members organising the outings/trips
or for any loss, injury, death or damage
to property.

Asha Owano

Chief Librarian, NMK

by

HAND

Bhcjx

Nature Kenya

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magazine) Free of charge

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