FUNDAMENTALS OF ORNITHOLOGY FEBRUARY AT A GLIMPSE Sat 11 Tree Wal h --- S Q t 18 Hippo Comp outing _ Sunday Birdwalk _ Tree Walk_ Sun 19 Sur Mon 27 _ Birdwalks ev ery Wednesday Mor mng_ Thursday Morning Bird ringing every Editorial Team Editor Catherine Ngarachu £ve-niite Sfdc^ Fleur Ng'weno Na+vKaiicrs Corvwr Dino Martins houses the shop and subscription desk, may now be accessed using the same entrance as that of the Nairobi Botanic Garden. Follow the signs to the Snake Park and we are enroute. KARIBU! « mangrove honey ^rAKOKE s OKOKE FOREST back in stock® 200/- * DON'T FORGET YOUR EAGLE LAPEL PIN 8 100 /- THIS IS THE TREE A Story of the Baobab By Miriam Moss and Adrienne Kennaway Visit the prefab shop for a new and exciting set of children's books! A Certificate course for bird guides and birders Elsamere Field Studies Centre, Lake Naivasha 20- 27 April 06 This is a popular week-long course in field ornithology designed for amateur and professional bird guides and birdwatchers who want to improve their understanding of birds and their birding skills in the field. Teaching is through illustrated lectures, discussion sessions, group seminars, demonstrations and field practicals, in an informal environment. Participants completing the course to the satisfaction of the instructors receive a Certificate in Ornithology. Fees and application: Ksh 25,000 per person (US$400 non resident rate), which includes full board accommodation, transport to and from Naivasha town, and during field outings, course materials and equipment. Applicants must have some birding experience, at least KCSE level of education (a short CV required with application). A non-refundable deposit of 12,500/- (or US$200) must accompany applications (balance to be paid by 7 April). Only 18 places available - book now! Applications and inquiries, should be addressed to: Anthony Kuria, Course Coordinator, at the Nature Kenya contacts or email tba-africa@tropical-biology.org Adnenne Kennawjy IN THE FIELD Hippo Camp, Naivasha Sat 18 February ‘06 Take a walk along the shores of Lake Naivasha, at this Kenya Wildlife Service campsite. We shall car pool and offers of rides are most appreciated. If you secure a ride please be prepared to contribute. Cost: 250/- Including ranger fee Not included KWS f ees (Kenya citizens 100/-, children 50/-, cash not smartcard) Book with Nature Kenya by Tues 14 Feb "06. Also bring hat, water, picnic lunch and meet at the Nairobi Museum car park at 7:00 a.mi SHOP & SUBS Camping at Kingwal Swamp (Kapsabet) Fri 24 - Sun 26 March ‘06 Birds, Sitatungas, Chepkiit Falls and Keben springs are the attractions of this field trip. The cost of 3000/- per person includes food, transport and camping fees (there is a discount if using your own vehicle). Please bring sleeping bag, plate, cup and spoon and meet at the Museum car park at 8:00 a.m. Book with the Nature Kenya office by Fri 17 March '06. For your membership renewals books, maps and guidebooks)’ NATURE KENYA, P. O. Box 44486, 00100 GPO Nairobi Tel: 3749957 / 3746090 Fax: 3741049 E-mail: office@naturekenya.org AVIAN FLU HIGH RISK FARMING PRACTICES SPREADIND AVIAN FLU? World health and veterinary authorities are worried about outbreaks of avian influenza type H5N1 in eastern Asia and Turkey. This is a disease of chickens and other domestic poultry, with a high mortality rate. It also occasionally affects wild birds and even people. H5N1 has not been reported in Kenya, but the threat is still very real and precautions should be taken. >/ BirdLife INTERNATIONAL Together for birds and people Dr Richard Thomas, BirdLife International’s Communications Manager says, that wild birds are victims not vectors of H5N1 bird flu: 'When plotted, the pattern of outbreaks follows major road and rail routes, not flyways. And the absence of outbreaks in Africa, South and South-East Asia and Australasia at end 2005 is hard to explain, if wild birds are the primary carriers.’ BirdLife maintains better biosecurity is the key to halting the spread of bird flu. In particular, BirdLife is urging governments and relevant agencies to concentrate their efforts on the poultry and cage bird trades and to ban the movement of poultry and poultry products. South Korea and Japan are two countries to have suffered outbreaks of H5N1 in poultry and wild birds following importation of infected duck meat. Both countries stamped the virus out by culling infected poultry around disease areas, and imposed strict controls on poultry and poultry meat imports. ‘Neither country has suffered a recurrence of the virus despite the influx each autumn of hundreds of thousands of wild migrant birds,' Richard Thomas points out. ‘But the virus can rapidly mutate, so it’s important to monitor wild bird populations to look for evidence of new strains arising.’ action DEEP FREEZING FOR THE WORLD’S FOOD PLANTS A massive deep freezer is being hewn out of rock in a mountain in Norway. This large concrete room will be stocked with samples of seeds from all of the world's crops. It is being built as an initiative to safeguard the world's food supply against nuclear war, climate change, terrorism, rising sea levels, earthquakes and any other unforeseen disasters. 'If the worst came to the worst, this would allow the world to reconstruct agriculture on this planet,' says Cary Fowler, director of the Global Crop Diversity Trust that is behind the project. Located in the frigid, remote, northern part of the country, the seedbank vault will be built deep inside a sandstone mountain lined with permafrost on the Norwegian Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The walls will be about a metre thick made of solid concrete and the entire facility will be bomb-proof, with total protection, even from nuclear explosions! BirdLife is also strongly urging governments to ban the use of untreated poultry faeces as fertiliser and feed in fish-farms and in agriculture. Domestic bird waste is widely used as food and fertiliser in fish farming and in agriculture, yet infected poultry are known to excrete virus particles in their faeces. The use of untreated faeces in fish farming was recently described by the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organization as a 'high risk production practice'. Such practices also include the farming of multiple species of animals, including poultry and waterfowl, within one farm unit; the keeping of chickens over fish ponds; the use of untreated chicken faeces as fertilizer or livestock feed...’ The current advice on the FAO website warns: ‘the feeding of poultry manure/poultry litter should be banned in countries affected by or at risk from avian influenza, even if correctly composted, ensiled or dried with heat treatment." Manufacture and movement of fertiliser and feed in which the virus remains infective could be a very effective way of spreading H5N1 over long distances. “The case against wild birds looks flimsy indeed. Few would disagree that better biosecurity is the key to halting the disease’srspread.” —Dr Richard Thomas. BirdLife international With over a quarter of a million species of flowering plants currently described, the importance of seed banks for conserving and protecting plant genetic resources cannot be understated. Thousands upon thousands of plants are used daily by humankind across the world. However, in many places these plants are declining or even becoming extinct due to deforestation, destructive agricultural practices and the breakdown of traditional societies in the face of globalisation. The Global Crop Diversity Trust initiative is supported by the Norwegian government and a number of countries and institutions have already indicated their support for this project. For more information on this project and on seedbanks in general, please visit the project through following websites: www.startwithaseed.org www.croptrust.org With kind permission from Chris Madden © www.chrismadden.org GEMINI 3 otlux . ^Moo n Saturn Feb 10 Beehive • Moon Feb 11 Mars Pleiades Moon • * Feb 6 Moon 4 EVENING SKY Ian Mackay & Fleur Ng'weno FEBRUARY 2006 Moon Feb 5th - First Quarter; Febl3th - Full Moon; Feb 21st - Last Quarter; Feb 28th - New Moon; Stars Look high in the east after sunset to see the brightest star in the night sky. This brilliant, sparkling star is Sirius. The second brightest star, Canopus, is below Sirius and to the south. The constellation of Orion, the Hunter or Warrior, is directly overhead. Three bright stars in a row form Orion's belt, and three fainter stars in a row are his sword. Four bright stars mark Orion's shoulders and knees. The English names of many stars and constellations come from the legends of ancient Greece. East of Orion is the bright star Procyon. North of Procyon (in the northeast) are two bright stars together: the twins, Gemini. Beyond Orion in the north is the reddish star Aldebaran, and beyond that the Pleiades or Seven Sisters. The bright star Capella is further north (lower in the sky). Some of the star names also come from ancient Arab and Roman astronomers. The Milky Way, a broad pale band made up of millions and millions of stars, runs across the sky from southeast to northwest. The Milky Way passes between Sirius and Procyon, touches Betelgeuse on Orion's shoulder and continues past Capella and the letter “M" shape of Cassiopeia. The constellation of Leo rises in the east. One of its stars, ftegulus, is the bright star directly above the full moon of February 13th. Planets Mars is the orange light high overhead; the Pleiades cluster is nearby. It is slowly moving towards the west to reach the horizon sometime in early September, after passing through the constellations of Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo and Virgo. Mars is 2 degrees south of the moon on the 5th. Saturn rises in the east at about sunset and is in the sky all night. It is following a similar path to Mars, but Saturn is slowly gaining on Mars and finally catches up in early June. In February, Saturn is just south of the almost full moon of the 11th. The bright planets Venus and Jupiter are now in the morning sky, Jupiter high above and Venus low in the east. Venus is especially bright around February 17th. CLASSIFIEDS Reach over 1000 members by advertising in Nature Net Rates for Classifieds: • Up to 25 words 250/- • Up to 50 words 500/- Ads • @ 1 750/- • with image +500/- PLANT INDIGENOUS TREES AND SHRUBS ATTRACT WILDLIFE FANTASTIC SELECTION OF OVER 90 SPECIES TREES AND SHRUBS, 1-2M IN LARGE POLYPOTS. "LANDSCAPE" TREES & YELLOW NANDI FLAMES NOW AVAILABLE CONTACT FOR DIRECTIONS, ADVICE & TREE LIST: CROPWATCH LTD TREE NURSERY JOANNA TRENCH 0733 603839 reforest@africaonline.co.ke BRIAN WILLIAMS 0733 923990 bvwilliams@swiftkenya.com CAROLE HEMMINGS 0733 747865 carole@access350.co.ke ANNABELLE HOUSE Stopping in Nyeri Town? Visiting the Mount Kenya Region? For: • Sight seeing • Climbing Mount Kenya • Visiting Treetops • Bird Watching • Retreat • Get Away • Camping Try Annabelle House for Serenity and Peace. Find us on Mumbi Road close to Outspan Hotel. Charges per person, per day are as follows: Ksh 600 without meals Ksh 800 bed & breakfast in shared accommodation Ksh 1,000 in private room bed & breakfast Ksh 1,200 in shared accommodation, full board Ksh 1,500 full board in private room. Ksh 300 for camping, bring own camping gear. Self catering allowed. For more information and bookings please contact Lydia on 0722781202 or Jessica on 0721848223. Your Only Companion to Travel, Entertainment and Restaurants in East Africa CARD THAT TAKES YOU PtACES... Accepted at over 120 Establishments in East Africa. Discounts range from 10-30%. For more information on how to get your copies and privilege card call: Teh 020 37S4748 Mobile-. 0734 333269 • 0720 959749 E-mail: 9oplaces®swlftk«nya.com Website: www.gopiaces-ent.com 3 Up & about P^UA^ATION 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. 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. TREE WALKS Guided tree walks in the Arboretum on the second Saturday and last Monday, i.e. 1 and 27 February ‘06 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. SUNDAY BIRDWATCH Members meet at the National Museum, Nairobi car park at 9:00 a.m. the third Sunday of every month, i.e. 19 February ‘06.The members decide where to go. Bring lunch BIRD ringing Meet at the Museums' Nairobi Botanic Garden at 7:00 a.m. every Thursday. 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 3507- MEMBER nos Overnight Weekend 1 to 2 pax 4000/- 6500/- 3 pax 4,900/- 7,400/- 4 pax 5,800/- 8,300/- 20% OFF AT THE DRIFTWOOD BEACHCLUB On presentation of your membership card, you can get 20% discount (if paying by cash or cheque) at the Driftwood Beachclub. This is a charming beachfront property with great food and service. Contact Driftwood Beachclub or tel 042 20155 Ngong Road Forest Walks Ngong Road Forest Sanctuary Trust nature walks held the first and third Saturdays of the month i.e. 4 4 18 February ‘06, at 9:00 a.m. Meet at the stairs leading to the Restaurant at the Racecourse. Call Anthony Chalo to conf 0733 712406. Lake Victoria Sunset Birders (Kisumu) The Lake Victoria Sunset Birders 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 Mt Kenya Biodiversity Conservation Group (MKBCG) The MKBCG organise bird walks to sites around Naro Moru every last Saturday of the month i.e. 25 February '06. For more information contact 0722 364904, 0733 937115 or 062 62071 Email: mt_kebio@yahoo.co.uk_ ^N^' Birding at Kinangop Friends of Kinangop Plateau organise birdwalks every third Friday of the month i.e. 17 February ‘06 at 9:00 a.m around Magumu and Njambini areas. To participate contact Bakari Ng'ang’a on 0721 470215 MARURA NAROK BIRDWATCHERS A community group near Uaso Narok Swamp, Rumuruti, which organises birdwalks every last Saturday i.e. 25 February '06. Call 062 32718 or email olmaisor@africaonline.co.ke ARABUKO-SOKOKE(COAST) The Saturday birdwatch with the Arabuko Sokoke Forest Guides Association is on the first Saturday of each month i.e. 4 February ‘06, at 6:30 a.m. from the Visitor Centre, Gede. Cost 100/- per person. KWS fees now apply (100/- Citizens, 500/- Residents) FFJ Bird Walk (Coast) Friends of Fort Jesus birdwalks are held Pird Saturday of each month, i.e. -8 • ■ 11 I __ m Dnirl A A February the thiro —7-■ — ‘06. Please call Marlene Reid on (041) 491 648 to confirm MEMBERSHIP TYPE Ksh Per Year Enter Amount i Full 1000 Sponsor 3000 Family 1400 .— i. Pensioners 400 Students (Full time & undergraduate) 400 Institutional (Libraries, schools, clubs) o o o 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 -h--- i Friends of Nairobi Arboretum Single - 400/-, Student - 250/-, School or Club - 800/- . - | African Bird Club (Student 500/-) 800 DONATE & Help us to do even more! 5000/Other 1 Total NatureKenya Yes! I start ; Renew my Nature Kenya membership MAILING ADDRESS (BLOCK LETTERS) Surname First Name _ _._._. M s/ Mr/ T i tl e Address Tel (H) Mobile (0) Email (OPTIONAL - but useful to us in planning) Occupation Age Bracket (tick) under 21( ) 21-35( ) 36-S0( ) over 50( ) Country of Origin Would you like us to share your contacts Yes/ NO For Official Use Only Sub No. Mode Due Date Recpt. No. Recpt Date If you live reside outside of Kenya please refer to www. naturekenya. o/yj