A Rocha Kenya

Mwamba needed a wet lab – but where would the funds come from? Ideas were discussed or how to raise money for this. Then, one day, an advertisement went up in Watamu – ‘Enter now for the Watamu Triathlon – 14^th April’. Staff at A Rocha thought – what better way to raise money! Then the team had to be picked – a rigorous process. Benjo, Stanley and Jonathan all stepped up to the mark – all having trained throughout the year in their different areas. Being a marine researcher here, Benjo spends his life swimming around collecting data, so was a clear choice for the swim. Stanley has often cycled the 10km to A Rocha from his house, and back, so knows the roads well. And Jonathan is ‘the fittest at Mwamba’ – often doing long runs along the beach, so was pumped and ready to run for the race.

Then there was the important factor of fundraising. Seeing that A Rocha is a very international organisation, the best way seemed to be the World Wide Web – appealing to the ‘likers’ of the ‘A Rocha Kenya’ Facebook page.

The day was fast approaching, with all team members trying to train their very hardest, to be fit for the race. Stanley was struggling to find a bike that was suitable for the race, but eventually found one that he could borrow off Turtle Bay. So equipment was all ready – including Jonathan and Benjo’s British flag design skimpy swimming shorts!

Suddenly the day came. Benjo was at the start line at 6am, his eyes set on the water.  After a very quick and impressive 750m swim in the warm Indian Ocean, he tapped on to Stanley. Stanley started his 20km cycle, and came back in good time, in a great position to set Jonathan up for the run. Jonathan was extremely speedy, reaching finish line on the beach with arms in the air, embracing the atmosphere. The team ended within the top 10.

Although tired, all three team mates were proud of their achievement, and enjoyed a well-deserved free breakfast laid out for all competitors at Turtle Bay.

After the event, more donations continued to come. Benjo talked to his church in England about the event and cause, and raised some more money. The total amount came to £270, which was enough to confirm that a new Wet Lab will be built for Mwamba! Henry and others have already started work on the door, and we hope that soon it will be completed. The marine team are extremely grateful, and pleased that the much-needed lab has been given the ‘go-ahead’. It will greatly benefit the marine programme. Pictures of the lab will be put up when it is finished!

Robin Harris – volunteer

Our fledgling marine project is expanding, with more and more people interested in our work and coming to the Mwamba Field Study Centre here on the shores of Watamu Marine National Park to conduct research. As we expand, so we need more resources and facilities. In particular we need a space to store and take care of equipment, a place to look at biological samples and an area which can get sandy and wet without upsetting the rest of the A Rocha Kenya family! We need a wet lab.

Currently we have been using a semi-converted garage, where we can rinse and store some of the equipment, but it is not effective in the long-term. In order to raise funds for this new facility, three A Rocha Kenya members, Benjo, Stanley and Jonathon are going to compete in the annual Turtle Bay triathlon. We are going run, bike and swim in order to raise money for the following items below.

-          A secure metal door:                      18,500KSH           £145       $215

-          Electricity connection:                    7,000KSH             £55         $85

-          Water connection:                          10,000KSH           £80         $115

-          Constructing a rinse tank:             5,000KSH             £40         $60

-          Furniture and fixings:                     6,000KSH             £47         $70

-          Total:                                                    46,500KSH           £367       $545

The event is on the 14^th of April starting from Turtle Bay Beach Club with a 10km cycle, 5km run and 750m swim. To donate you can give on our ASSETS fundraising page stating it is for the marine lab; https://my.give.net/arochakenya_assets. Thanks for your support and wish us luck!

Benjo

We started the week here at A Rocha by a staff visit to see the local rockpools. Bobby Sluka (age 12) worked hard on collating pictures the Sluka family had been taking over the previous weeks into a rockpool guide that was laminated and tested for use by the staff. We saw loads of creatures from algae to fish and all taxonomic varieties in between. Then on Tuesday over 50 kids from Dongokundu primary school near Mwamba came over to the centre and were treated to the rockpools. An introductory presentation prepared by Sarah Sluka (age 10) and the ecology and science added by her father was presented and then we found many amazing animals and plants at our doorstep. We finished with a fun game.

We are looking forward to increasing the Marine Conservation and Research Programme’s work in the intertidal areas of Watamu Marine National Park. Look out for some interesting research, education, and conservation in the near future!

Colin seems to be enjoying the rockpools despite the lack of birds

The walk from Mwamba to the rockpools

Starfish

Everyone had a great time!

Any of you who are familiar with the bird research done here at A Rocha Kenya will have heard of the Sokoke Scops Owl.  This charismatic little bird is globally endangered and only found in the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest and the Usumbara Mountains of northern Tanzania.  At least, that’s what you’ll read in the bird books, however…

A beautiful Sokoke Scops Owl which we followed from 4am until 7am, when I managed to snap this!

While the main population of Africa’s smallest owl resides in Arabuko, we have been monitoring a small population in Dakatcha Woodlands, a little-known area to the north west of Malindi.  Since 2006, A Rocha Kenya has employed Gabriel Katana – a lifelong resident of the area and a core member of the Dakatcha Woodlands Conservation Group – to conduct transects through the forest in an attempt to keep tabs on the Sokoke Scops Owl population.  It is a population that faces dire threats in the form of un-restricted charcoal burning and land clearance for pineapple plantations, both of which totally destroy the Cynometra forest in which the owls live exclusively.

An example of the destruction left behind by charcoal burning.

ARK is in the process of purchasing a plot of 2-300 acres of land in the Dakatcha Woodland at a location called Kirosa, with funds donated very generously by the Bob Scott Appeal.  The aim is to secure a patch of forest in which the Sokoke Scops Owls and other wildlife will thrive, away from the human disturbance and to work with the local community to help them improve their living conditions in sustainable ways and thus reducing their ecological impact.

Since early November I have been helping Katana in his efforts to survey the ARK plot and the forest surrounding it for Sokoke Scops Owls.  It is very important for us to get an idea of the size and density of such a delicately balanced population of this endangered species, particularly if ARK has the opportunity to protect more of the Dakatcha woodland in the future.

So, what sort of work is involved with monitoring this population?  It’s just counting, right?  How hard can it be…?

When you take into account that, like most owls, the Sokoke Scops Owls are entirely nocturnal, the task becomes a little more tricky.  Add to this the tiny size of the birds (only about 15cm tall – the smallest owl in Africa!), their camouflage plumage, their penchant for living in some of the densest forest available, and you start to get the picture.  The answer?  We don’t look for them, we listen.

I have been living in my tent, pitched in the middle of Katana’s village within the remote area of Kirosa, and experiencing first hand some of the hardships  of village life, shortage of decent drinking water being the main worry.  Despite having next-to-nothing, the people here are some of the most generous and welcoming I have ever come across, making my stay here an experience I will never forget.

Home in Kirosa.

On a typical “work” night, Katana and I set off as darkness falls.  Kirosa is located on the southwest edge of the woodland, and is not far from the main patch of Cynometra trees.  Katana carefully guides the little motorbike along our hazardous commute, ducking overhanging thorny branches, navigating steep slippery valleys and avoiding the many cavernous trenches that line our path.  I’m just thankful that my only job is to not fall off; we’ve had a few hairy moments in the last couple of months!

When we get to the forest, we begin walking on one of our mapped out transects, using a GPS to navigate the paths through the trees, which are mostly a length of about 2-3km.  Our method is to stop every 200m and imitate the Sokoke Scops Owls’ soft hooting call, then listen for responses.  The call is easy enough to perform with a few practices, and Katana has is down to a fine art!  Using a compass, we record the direction that the call comes from.  The tricky part is estimating the distance of the owl from our position.  “Ventriloquilistic” is a word used to describe the call in some of the bird books, and this sums it up nicely; for such a small bird, their voices can carry a surprisingly long way through the trees!  At the end of the transect, we turn head home for a much-needed wash and a hearty meal of ugali (maize meal) before bed.

As important as these surveys are, there are plenty of other birds to keep us busy during the day!  Dakatcha woodland is one of Kenya’s IBAs (Important Bird Areas), and with good reason; there’s a wealth of diversity here, and we’re trying to find exactly what lives in the ARK plot by conducting regular surveys.  Some of the highlights so far: numerous Palearctic migrant species including Spotted Flycatcher and Isabelline Shrike; the globally endangered Sokoke Pipit, and my personal favourite (I admit, I’m a bit of a raptor fanatic), Southern-Banded Snake Eagle.

Southern-Banded Snake-Eagle

What would really get 2013 off to a flying  start (no pun intended) is the discovery of a Sokoke Scops Owl nest!  Amazingly, nobody has every found one before, and we have a great opportunity, given the relatively small patch of woodland we have to search in.  Fingers crossed!

Finally, I must again say a huge thank you to the Bob Scott Appeal for making it possible to purchase this vital plot of forest, therefore opening up the possibility of studying and conserving such an important bird population.  Watch out for further updates on this project in the coming weeks.

Nick Gardner (A Rocha Kenya volunteer)

We had a great few days of research for the marine team. We were visited by Dr. David Obura of CORDIO who helped us set up some permanent coral monitoring transects. Benjo will be working on this as a part of his Ph.D. project. Was great to have my son along (Bobby age 12) surveying angelfish abundance and diversity.

Bobby Sluka surveying angelfish diversity

Benjo measuring corals

We tested the new camera. Thanks to Matt Brandon who test drove one when we were together in Sabah a few months ago and highly recommended it for our project. I’ve included a few of the photos I (Bob) took yesterday. The visibility wasn’t great, hence the greenish tinge to the photos. Enjoy.

Cleaning station

Can you see the crab hiding in the coral?

a giant clam

a large coral bommie

My name is John Gitiri and my home is the Kinangop plateau in central Kenya and I am currently an intern with the Ornithology Section of the National Museums of Kenya. I have always developed my interest in conservation and in particular I have focused in learning more about birds and wetlands areas.

A Rocha Kenya is a Christian organisation which has been involved with conservation for more than decade in Kenya with its offices in Watamu on the north Kenya coast. I was introduced to ARK through Nature Kenya’s coast manager, Francis Kagema, based at Gede Ruins in October 2011, which after a few weeks they accepted me as an intern and I stayed until April 2012.

I found my internship to be very worthwhile – particularly since I had not much not to do by then. My stay at Mwamba was helpful and wonderful and included activities ranging from Bible study, fieldwork, office work and other volunteer tasks – I liked it!

My goals while interning with ARK were to learn more about birds as a major tool of conservation as well as improve my interaction with different people from different cultures and from different parts of the world – and most of all to grow in my Christian life.

Experience with a well-known Kenyan scientist/ ringer, Colin Jackson, as well as with other experienced ARK staff, volunteers and guests opened mental and physical doors for me. It expanded my knowledge in different working fields.

…me with an Emerald-spotted Wood Dove on my shoulder after it has been ringed

While volunteering I developed a strong interest in bird ringing after watching CJ ring and after sometime he started teaching me more about it.  After getting some ringing exposure at Mwamba, I was blessed to get a sponsorship to do the Introductory Bird Ringing Course that was being run at Mwamba with CJ after my internship ended. With the completion of my internship, I had some time to go back home to the Kinangop and do a couple of things with the conservation site support group back at home (Friends of Kinangop Plateau) before I got another internship opportunity with National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.

The group of trainee ringers (I’m at the front next to Andrew) in Arabuko-Sokoke Forest on one of the drier days.

At the Nairobi Museum I am involved with bird ringing every Tuesday morning with the Nairobi Ringing Group and I had heard about the annual ringing of thousands of migrants at Ngulia in Tsavo West National Park and I thought of  requesting for a chance to participate and contribute where I could. Through A Rocha Kenya / National Museums of Kenya I got the chance which was very educational and I learnt more about migration as well as meeting with famous author/ ringer David. J. Pearson author of Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. I am looking forward to do a lot more ringing in future!! I sincerely appreciate ARK for their endless support and following how am doing from what I gained from them. If you have a chance to volunteer with ARK, from my experience, I recommend it’s worth it.

We are really excited about the upcoming field season for A Rocha Kenya’s Marine Conservation and Research Programme. Benjo arrived safely back in Watamu yesterday and Bob and his family have been at Mwamba this past week laying the ground work for some exciting new projects. We’ll continue to post some of the new discoveries we make and look forward to even better photos as we learn how to use our new underwater camera, kindly paid for by a generous donor.
We will continue our research on coral reef biodiversity, completing our study of the fish and coral species at all coral reef sites in Watamu Marine National Park. The major addition for this field season is the expansion of our biodiversity studies into the shallow, nearshore habitats, especially beach, rockpool, and seagrass habitats. I (Bob) found it surprising that sandy beaches are so little studied globally. We look forward to making a small contribution to their understanding and providing Kenya Wildlife Service and other partners in Watamu with new information that can be used to manage these habitats.
We’ll also continue to develop resources to help integrate faith and science issues as related to marine conservation. Check out the faith pages on the ARK marine section of the website to find some resources including a Bible study on marine conservation, some articles, and a bibliography. We’ll be especially focusing this field season on “The Hidden Things of God in the Ocean.”
Lots more on the way — following up on our observations of juvenile guitarfish in the shallows, a possible shark, ray and guitarfish survey of the entire park, several visitors, establishing permanent monitoring sites, marine education projects in local schools, and surprises that we can’t anticipate. Glad you can join us for the journey.

Some months ago I posted a blog on this site regarding grouper in Watamu Marine National park. On my personal blog, I follow this up with some reflections on a talk on grouper given at the International Coral Reef Symposium this summer. It has some interesting implications and good news for Watamu Marine National Park. See what you think. Blog post.

Bob Sluka

Director, Marine Conservation and Research Programme

20th Nov. After the couple of hours sleep in the afternoon yesterday, the weather was hazy and the breeze was from the valley and after dinner the sky was overcast and it really felt like the mist was coming in soon. I had to organise a few things so didn’t get to bed till just before 10pm and was in a very deep sleep when the door was knocked and it was Hamisi at just 10:45pm saying the mist had come!! Sure enough it had – but was still not fully down and the moon was still up until midnight and I knew the birds would not be many while there was still moonlight so told him I’d sleep until then. Apparently the generators were switched off at midnight to change the oil and he then came to wake me at 00:20am only for me not to appear and he came and thoroughly woke me (!) at 00:45am at which point there was thick mist rolling in and it was definitely time to get the nets up. Once again the whole team were aroused and we caught steadily with the two nets until finally closing them at 04:15am to give us time to clear the birds we’d caught by dawn.

We set up two tables of ringers and were hammering through them – great diversity with Barred Warblers, Olive-tree Warbler, Iranias, many more Spotted Flycatchers, Willow Warblers, River Warblers etc… I was ringing with Andrew and Malcolm with Alex as scribe and it was about 04:30am that Andrew pulled a Thrush Nightingale out of the bag, was about to put a ring on its left leg and saw it already had one!!! Not only that but it was DULL - always an exciting moment as it isn’t going to be one of your recently ringed birds that has found its way back into the net – and not only that but it said “TBILISI (GE)” on it!!! Yes – a Thrush Nightingale ringed in Georgia (just south of Russia)!!! Our first ever ringed bird from Georgia and a huge exciting moment!! We will write and find out where and when it was ringed, but it was a first year bird going by the plumage so it must have been ringed this year – there will be some Georgian ringer who will be WELL stoked to have his/her bird caught in Kenya!

 The TBILISI ring…

 …showing the (GE) section

 The whole Tbilisi bird – amazing things this bird has seen in its short life!

Dawn was thick with fog and we opened nets not being able to hardly see the end of them – but again the birds just sat still and it wasn’t really ever majorly hectic in terms of numbers of birds in nets. Perhaps with the more open habitat, they don’t move as quickly out of the thicker bush just behind the lights?? We had further highlights in the morning including the first retrap (a bird we have ringed ourselves) migrant from a previous year – a Common Whitethroat – and then in terms of species a beaut of a small Gambaga Flycatcher, an Afrotropical species which appears to migrate as there have been a few caught at Ngulia in the night (this will be the 10th) but for which there is still very little known about it, and a couple of Upcher’s Warblers – a specied from southern central Asia which has really decreased in numbers over the years. Right towards the end of the morning Andrew was doing an awesome job keeping track of the nets and extracting a load of shrikes (very painful to get out of the net as they can seriously draw blood!)…

 A stunning Red-backed Shrike taking Richards fingers apart – that is blood you can see on his finger… 

…when two cuckoos flew into the nets – another Jacobin but then also a smaller, heavily barred cuckoo – an Asian Lesser Cuckoo and a lovely bird at that! Kane ringed that one and Chris (both from the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, UK) ringed the Jacobin Cuckoo just before they left to head back to what they’d heard was snow and freezing temperatures back home. We’re down by two ringers therefore which will be a challenge – but David Gitau from the Nairobi Ringing Group is coming tomorrow so that will be a real help.

 Asian Lesser Cuckoo- with a beautiful underwing pattern

Final total for the day… 1,075 migrants and 9 Afrotropical birds – but the moment of the season has to be that one at 4:30am when Andrew produced the Georgian Thrush Nightingale – a real ‘HALLELUJAH!’ moment and the first in three years in fact.

Well Andrew and Alex leave tomorrow and I was to leave but am staying on til the end now – but my computer has been broken for about 3-4 weeks now and only operates in Safe Mode (we just don’t have computer technicians around Watamu who are good enough to deal with major issues… and I’ve not been able to get it to someone who does) which means I don’t have internet access so this will be the last blog before I get back to Watamu at the weekend. So more updates at that point but it’s looking good again tonight and the leopard has had his meat and a Spotted Hyena has just come to the waterhole and wandered off through the net rides – so it’s all looking good again!

19th Nov. It has happened at LAST!! After wondering if we’d ever get the mist which is so necessary at Ngulia to bring in the birds, it was looking potentially good at dusk (but then it often does..!) and sure enough I was woken by Hamisi, the night watchman who has really got into the ringing (understandable, as a night watchman job is surely not the most stimulating of tasks!) at 11:55pm saying there was mist! Sure enough, it was rolling in thick and beautifully and birds were popping out of the sky.

 The mist with birds being extracted from nets

 some of the 1,000s of moths attracted to the lights

Andrew and I put up the two nets and immediately we were catching birds, mostly Thrush Nightingales but also a River Warbler and others and it was quickly clear that we needed the rest of the team up to assist. So it was all hands on deck and some frenetic extraction of birds and setting up the table with the night lights to get the ringing going. Mist turned into quite heavy rain at 3:15am and it stayed for an hour or more which was a blessing in disguise as we already had caught over 400 birds and with the one ringing team were being hard-pushed to clear them all.

 Nightwatchman extraordinaire Hamisi watching the night time ringing action

Dawn arrived in still thick mist though the rain had stopped and found us still ploughing through Marsh Warblers and Thrush Nightingales with a great smattering of Olive-tree Warblers, Rufous Bush Robins, quite a lot of Iranias (also known as White-throated Robins) and a couple of Eurasian Nightjars, another Plain Nightjar and towards the end of the catching, a dazzler of a Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar – tiny and bright rufous with gorgeous white, black and brown spots.

Surprisingly, the bush nets were not nearly as busy as we’d thought they’d be – though the birds were there but just not moving out so much. However it was still plenty busy enough and by the end of the morning we’d caught and ringed just short of 1,400 birds… and there were swallows around in good numbers – so it was up with the swallow nets and one other one in the bush which was still heaving with migrants for a couple of hours of more trapping after lunch resulting in another 80 or so birds. Total for the day: 1,470 migrants and 26 Afrotropical birds!!

Other stars of the day were no less than five Golden Pipits – the brilliantly golden male being the most startling. Also Jacobin Cuckoo and a couple of Basra Reed Warblers.

 Stunning male Golden Pipit

By the time we were done with the swallows we were all totally ‘done’ and it was time to get a couple of hours sleep ready for the next night which promised to be good as well…