. Amm NAIROBI MUSEUM Nov '04 - Feb'05 African rock art exhibition in association with the Trust for African Rock Art. 9am - 6pm Monday to Sunday including public holidays. www.africanrockart.org NAIROBI MUSEUM NOV 1ST 2004 Public presentation The oldest painted cave in the world: The Chauvet Cave, in France by eminent archaeologist Prof Jean Clottes. 18:30 in the Louis Leakey Memorial Hall. In association with the Trust for African Rock Art Gardening and Compost Course Friday 12 Nov '04, Nairobi Arboretum This one day course organised by the Friends of Nairobi Arboretum, is an excellent chance to improve your skills and your garden. The instructor will be Mr Anton Tundo and his team who cover basic gardening techniques Meet at the Arboretum main gate at 9:00 a.m. and is scheduled to end at 4:00 p.m. The cost of 800/- is inclusive of lunch and certificate of attendance. Book and pay, in advance, at Nature Kenya front office, at the National Museum of Kenya. Look forward to seeing you there!! NOVEMBER AT A GLIMPSE SQt 5 _ ASF Birdwalks & NRF walk p ri 12 hardening & Composting 5 a t 13 Tree Walk _ 5 un 21 Sun day Birdwalk _ Mon 29 Tree Walk Bird ringing every Thursday Morning Nature Kenya congratulates Professor WANGARI MAATHAI on being awarded the most prestigious global prize in recognition of her unwavering commitment, dedication and contribution to conservation of the environment. Nature Kenya also congratulates the Ministry of Environment for the recent gazettement of Madunguni Forest in Coast Province. Highlights from the Nature Fair | This is how we spin and weave those beautiful rugs say Emma and Komo (Friends of Kinangop Plateau) Introducing the guests to the event Risky prepares his live bat information booth (Mammal committee) The day of the event finally arrived and Sat 2 October 04 found all 21 exhibitors at the Nairobi Arboretum, ready for the hundreds of people who attended that weekend. Conveying serious messages with laughter, star per formers Charles and Richard (Mukurewe-inj Environment Volunteers) Wycliff and Christopher show models of butterflies and snakes found in Kakamega (Kakamega Environmental Education Programme) Titus (Bird committee) with bird in the hand, explains bird migration Cheetah Conservation Fund Thank you, to the organizing team . Here are Lara 5 a I i d o (coordinator) 6 Serah Munguti / l Fred trying to charm the ladies with silkworms and giant millipede at the insect corner (Insect committee) /Safari com C-t/?/» better option Thank you, to our main sponsor Safaricom, for their involvement and generous su pport Thank you also to our Associate sponsors • Projektradgivningen • Danida • Commercial Bank of Africa • Expo Camera Centre NATURE KENYA, P. 0. Box 44486, 00100 GPO Nairobi Tel: 3749957/ 3746090 Fax: 3741049 E-mail: office@naturekenya.org HOT OFF THE PRESS The lastest issue of the Journal of East Africa Natural History Volume 92 Parts 1 & 2 2003 Contents KENYA BIRDFINDER Your records wanted. 4 Do you keep records of the birds you see throughout the year? If so, why not contribute to Kenya Birdfinder, Nature Kenya's online database of bird records. This new initiative enables you to store and manage your own observations, extract reports and view, print or download maps and checklists of your choice. There are many people interested in viewing birds recreationally and professionally. Observations are routinely recorded in notebooks or trip reports that remain unseen or unpublished. The focus of Kenya Birdfinder is to capture these records as a valuable source of information that will help us to understand birds more completely and make an important contribution to Kenyan bird conservation. The system is still under construction, but you can log on to www.worldbirds.org/kenya and register your personal details to gain access to all of the site’s pages and range of tools. Explore different locations around Kenya and find out what birds have been seen and when/ where they were recorded. As well as contributing your own observations, you will be able to view other people's records, which may influence your next birding trip. Use the checklists to keep track of your sightings. The records that you add to Kenya Birdfinder will help Nature Kenya to get a more comprehensive picture of what is happening with the country's birds. Simple bird lists can help to estimate abundance trends and document bird distributions. So wherever you go to record birds, your observations can now make a difference. Kenya Birdfinder is brought to you by Nature Kenya, the National Museum of Kenya, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds and BirdLife International. ANNOTATED CHECKLIST OF THE FRESHWATER FISHES OF KENYA (excluding the lacustrine haplochromines from Lake Victoria) Lothar Seegers, Luc De Vos & Daniel 0. Okeyo SURVEYS OF GREAT CRESTED GREBES PODICEPS CRISTA TUS AND OTHER WATERBIRDS ON THE KASENDA CLUSTER OF CRATER LAKES IN WESTERN UGANDA Derek Pomeroy & Nathaniel E. Seavy WATERBIRDS OF ALKALINE LAKES IN WESTERN UGANDA Derek Pomeroy, Achilles Byaruhanga 8t Malcolm Wilson ECOLOGY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE PANCAKE TORTOISE, MALACOCHERSUS TORNIERI IN KENYA Patrick K. Malonza SYNONYMY OF MALADERA RUBIDA (MOSER, 1915) COMB. N. (COLEOPTERA, SCARABAEIDAE, SERICINI), WITH COMMENTS ON ITS DISTRIBUTION Dirk Ahrens BATHYMETRY OF LAKE BOGORIA, KENYA Phil Hickley, Rosalind R. Boar & Kenneth M. Mavuti OBSERVATIONS OF SEA TURTLES NESTING ON MISALI ISLAND, PEMBA Adam M. Pharaoh, E. Fanning & Ali Said EVIDENCE FROM MITOCHONDRIAL DNA SUPPORTS EARLIER RECORDS OF AFRICAN QUEEN BUTTERFLIES (DANAUS CHRYSIPPUS) MIGRATING IN EAST AFRICA Gugs Lushai, Ian J. Gordon & David A. S. Smith A Journal of Biodiversity Journal o i East African -irjSH wHs-asi/- FIELD OUTINGS Tsavo East at Patterson’s Safari Camp Saturday 11 - Monday 13 December 04 Patterson's Safari Camp is a tented camp with ensuite facilities. Meet at the Nairobi Museum car park at 8:15 a.m. for prompt departure at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday 11 December. Transport is by car pool and participants should be ready to contribute for the ride. Book at the Nature Kenya office as soon as possible, with 4500/- fb per person sharing. Succulenta Supper & Baobab Talk by Rupert Watson Friday 3 December 04 Supper meeting at Julia Glen's and talk by Rupert Watson on Baobabs. Please liaise with Julia Glen, tel 891065 or 0722 756647 or Sue Allan, tel 891190 or 0733 891 721, before the meeting. tx 7*oy NOVEMBER EVENING SKY Moon 5th Nov Last Quarter (rises at midnight); 12th Nov New Moon (heralds end of Ramadhan); 19th Nov first Quarter (overhead at sunset); 26th Nov Full Moon Stars The brilliant star Achernar is prominent, low in the south. From Achernar, fainter stars form a long Winding line across the southeastern sky. This is the River Eridanus, the longest constellation in the southern hemisphere. The bright star Fomalhaut is high above Achernar. East of Fomalhaut, almost overhead, is the constellation of Cetus, the Whale. Cetus contains an interesting variable star called Mira, In 1596 an amateur astronomer by the name of David Fabricius noticed that this reddish, medium bright star was not visible in the October of that year. Much later, in 1638, Omicron Ceti - as it was then called - was observed to pass through a complete cycle of changes in brightness, from quite bright to very faint. The cycle period was found to be 334 days, so it can only be seen with the naked eye for a few weeks each year. This phenomenon, unique at the time, appeared so remarkable that the star received the name of “Mira 1 ', which generally means "wonderful" or "behold!" in the Latin languages, and it is best known by that name today. Planets The small planet Mercury will be seen best in mid November, in the early evening above the sunset. It reaches its greatest elongation (highest apparent elevation) on Nov 21 st . Look for the dazzling sight of the bright planets Venus and Jupiter in the morning before dawn in early November. Venus is at perihelion (closest to the sun) on November I s ’. A few days later, in the early morning sky of November 5’\ Venus and Jupiter form a spectacular pair - they are separated by only half a degree. (There are 90 degrees from the horizon to overhead), Venus appears in the east lhour and 30minutes before the sun rises. Mars is just visible in the morning twilight. On November 11 th we may see the moon occult Mars in the early morning. That is, the moon will pass between Mars and the Earth, briefly blocking our view of the planet. 5aturn is not visible in the evening. It rises much later, at about midnight, and is overhead at dawn. NATURALIST’S CORNER FROGGING AT SOUTH KINANGOP By Beryl Bwono y, On a cold Tuesday in Jul members of Kenytf Herpetofauna Working Group , (KHWG) braved the chilly .> weather and visited South Kinangop. This visit was in response to the persistent -- invitations by one of our local enthusiastic members in Kinangop, Mr. Francis Muigai. The team of five volunteers from Nairobi arrived at Kinamba, South Kinangop at around 3:00 p.m and was received by Francis and other members from the four sub¬ branches of Friends of Kinangop Plateau. The first day was spent going through a basic training on amphibian habitat, identification techniques, collection methods and some discussion on the economic importance of amphibians. This was carried out in the form of short lectures, followed by a question and answer session. After this the group set on a walk in search of favourable amphibian breeding sites. The weather was terribly cold, but the spirit of the participants made all of it bearable and fun. In total three sites were visited that night; Kiburu (Aberdare Forest), Njambi-ini and Kinamba. Bird Hotline 3749957 (October Sighting) Red-throated Wryneck Ondiri Swamp, Kikuyu African Golden Oriole Nairobi Arboretum/ Sept Wed Morning Birdwalks Wedge-tailed Shearwater Pemba Channel Pat Hemphill Saunders Terns Sabaki River Mouth Colin Jackson African Hill Babblers Nairobi Arboretum Chege Kariuki 4 Tim Spotted Eagle Owl Nairobi Museum grounds Ann Gathitu, Chege Kariuki and Anthony Gicheha Four amphibian species and one chameleon Chamaeleo hohnelli were seen. The amphibians were DeWitte's Mountain River Frog Afrana wittei, Ferniquei's Reed Frog Hyperolius viridiflavus ferniquei, Montane Reed Frog H. motanus, and Common Clawed Frog Xenopus laevis. The following day all participants gathered for a two hours session of preparation of voucher specimens, in which the participants were given a chance to do the preservation themselves. This marked the end of our 2 days training trip. We wish to return to Kinangop soon and water the “herpetological seeds" planted during this visit when funding is available. We noted that Kinangop is a good place for long-term amphibian monitoring; the area has many water bodies and some of these are quite near homes and therefore easy to monitor. It could also be a good place to determine the effects of agro¬ chemicals on amphibian populations. You too can help protect our herpetofauna. How? By joining the Kenya Herpetofauna Working Group (KHWG). Please contact the Herpetology Department, National Museums of Kenya, tel 3742161-4 ext 245 or 244 email cbd@museums.or.ke regular activities BIRD RINGING Meet at the Museums' Nairobi Botanic Garden, at 7:00 a.m. every Thursday. TREE WALKS Guided tree walks in the Arboretum on the second Saturday and last Monday, i.e. 13 A 29 November from 9:30 a.m. Meet at the Arboretum gate. Those who are not members of FONA or Nature Kenya pay Ksh 100/- fee on arrival at the gate. 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. SUNDAY BIRDWATCH Members meet at the National Museum, Nairobi car park at 9:00 a.m. the third Sunday of every month, I.e. 21 November. The members decide where to go. Bring lunch Ngong Road Forest Walks (Nairobi) Organised by the Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust, nature walks are held on the first and third Saturdays of the month i.e 6 A 20 November, at 9:00 a.m. Meet at the stairs leading to the Restaurant at the Racecourse. Call Anthony Charo to confirm on 575207 or 0733 712406. 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 057 42952 or 0734 994938 or email lakevictoriasunsetbirders@yahoo.co.uk FFJ Bird Walk (Coast) Friends of Fort Jesus birdwalks are held the third Saturday of each month, i.e. 20 November. Please call Marlene Reid on (041) 491 648 to confirm ARABUKO-SOKOKE (COAST) Birdwatch with the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Guides Association on the first Saturday of each month i.e. 6 November, at 6:30 a.m. from the Visitor Centre, Gede. Cost 100/- per person. KWS fees now apply (100/- Citizens, 500/- Residents) V&OL-AZATI 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. 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 4000/- 6500/- 3 4,900/- 7,400/- 4 5,800/- 8,300/- Editorial Team Editor Catherine Ngarachu £vfcni^_ Sfci ca Fleur Ng'weno Nafvralkt's C-ome-r Dino Martins Nature Kenya Membership form Yes! Start Renew my Nature Kenya membership MAILING ADDRESS (BLOCK LETTERS) Surname_„__ _______ First Name Ms/Mr/Title Address Tel1(H) (PI Mobile Email (OPTIONAL - but useful to us in planning) Occupation Age Bracket (tick) under 21( ) 21-35( ) 36-50( ) over 50( ) Country of Origin Would you like us to share your contacts Yes/ NO For Official Use Only Sub No. Recpt. No. Mode Due Date Recpt Date MEMBERSHIP TYPE Ksh Per Year Enter Amount Full 1000 Sponsor 3000 Family 1400 Pensioners 400 Students (Full time & undergraduate) 400 Institutional (Libraries, schools, clubs) 1000 Corporate 10000 Corporate Plus 20000 ADDITIONAL SUBSCRIPTIONS Kenya Birds (tick to receive this free Bird magazine) Journal of E.A. Natural History 1000 Scopus (Ornithological Journal) 500 World Birdwatch (the BirdLife International magazine) 1500 Succulenta East Africa 400 Friends of Nairobi Arboretum Single - 400/-, Student - 250/-, School or Club - 800/- DONATIONS Help us to do even morel 5000/ 8000/ Other If you live reside outside of Kenya please refer to www.naturekenya.org 4