Simon Thomsett

Category: Raptor Expedition | Date: Sep 21 2009 | By: Laila Bahaa-el-din

It has been almost a year since I joined Simon Thomsett in Kenya to begin our African Raptor Expedition. Since then, we have spent extensive time in Kenya, assessing the current raptor situation. We also completed a successful trip to South Africa through Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and Namibia. Along the way, we not only did road counts, but took many photographs to use in magazine articles, books, blogs and other forms of media. Our goal was to raise awareness about birds of prey and, although there is still a long way to go, we feel we have managed to accomplish this on a certain scale.

From a personal point of view, this year was a huge learning experience. As a freshly graduated zoologist, I was given the opportunity to spend time with an expert on African wildlife. I met interesting people and saw some of nature’s greatest wonders. I got to use some of the best photographic equipment which would mean nothing if it wasn’t for the amazing animals we saw and photographed during the course of this year.

Sadly the time came when we had to end the expedition and I had to say goodbye to Africa. For now, I’m back in the world of office jobs and paying monthly bills, but also using my time to send off applications for PhDs and funding that will hopefully allow me to return to Africa to study the wildlife. That is the only world that makes sense to me. The current world economic situation being what it is, the grants will be few and the competition tough, but I hope this year I have just spent with Simon has established me as a strong candidate. I would like to thank Simon for giving me this opportunity and wish him well in his future endeavours.

I now return Simon’s blog to him, but leave you with a few photographs from this year.

Lappet-faced Vulture in the Mara (Kenya)

Red-necked Falcon in Etosha (Namibia)

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Category: Raptor Expedition | Date: Sep 11 2009 | By: Laila Bahaa-el-din

by Laila Bahaa-el-din

After our luxurious stay at Bateleur Camp, Kichwa Tembo, we were wondering how we would cope with our small tents and camping food. But we needn’t have worried, as the Mara pulled some magic out of the bag and we didn’t even have time to think about food. We spent one night in the reserve and were heading towards to exit gate when we got a tip off about a lion and a leopard on the banks of the river. We rushed to the site to find many tourist cars had beaten us to it. And sure enough, on our side of the river lay a lioness, on the other side, a leopardess. We wondered what they were up to in such close proximity as lions do not usually tolerate competition from leopards.

The lioness had a kill on our side of the river. The leopard pranced around on the other bank and the lioness eventually got fed up and went a long way around to get to the other side to see off the leopard. The leopard, being more agile, just leaped across the river and tucked in to the lion’s meal. The lioness gave up and went to find shade and the leopard soon did the same. The tourist cars disappeared, but we stayed behind hoping the leopard would reappear.

Cheeky leopardess

I was photographing a Tawny Eagle when Simon said “let’s go.” I was rather miffed at his abruptness until I realised why the hurry. A herd of wildebeest was gathering at the river edge getting ready to cross. We knew the lioness had disappeared into bush near where they intended to cross so we got ourselves into position and barely had Simon cut the engine that I saw the lioness come tearing out of the bush and take down a wildebeest. A second lioness also appeared and tried to catch another of the panicking wildebeest but missed.

Lion ambush

We spent some time watching these lions on the river bank until we heard that the leopard had reappeared. We found it lying under a bush surrounded by tourists, eating a small meal. Above the leopard, a young Martial Eagle sat on a branch looking distinctly peeved. It had blood, and soft grey fur on its bill and its talons and was staring at the leopard. We guessed that it was the Martial that had made the kill and the naughty leopard, not satisfied with stealing the lion’s food earlier that day, had pinched it. The leopard, having finished off the food, took off with the tourist mini buses hot on its heals. We stayed behind to photograph the Martial which came down to the ground to investigate the remains of its meals. Not much!

br>Young Martial Eagle claiming his kill

We left the Martial to notice a whole group of cars had gathered again at the riverbank. We shamefully couldn’t resist going to see what was going on (normally we refrain from joining the crowds) and we saw the leopard dancing around on the other bank again. The two lionesses had moved away from their recent kill and the now fat leopard was sneaking up to it. The lioness wasn’t having any of it this time, and returned to drag the kill away. Considering that leopards are usually quite shy and avoid lions and tourists, this one was nothing less than a performer!

We never did get out of the reserve that day, and made a plan to leave the next morning. Of course the morning brought more wonders with lions and lots of birds of prey. Tawny Eagles squabbled with a Bateleur over the remains of a kill, vultures loafed around in the sunshine and a Dark Chanting Goshawk hunted in the bush. But most spectacular of all was a very unusual, almost white Lappet-faced Vulture. It was stunning and we stayed watching for some time before making a run to leave the Mara.

A Bateleur on the ground

em>An unusual Lappet-faced Vulture

Tags: , a cheeky leopard, unusual lappet faced vulture

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Category: Conservancies | Date: Sep 10 2009 | By: sheryl bottner

by Sarah Higgins

I am pleased to report that Waddlesworth is not only in fine feather but is also in perfect health.

Thanks to the many responses that we had to our appeal for information on our ‘squishy’ bird, I can now report that Pelicans are supposed to feel as if they have bubble wrap just under their skin because they actually do have the bird-equivalent of bubble wrap just under their skin! These are little air-filled pockets are designed for floatation, insulation and protection when diving. I have been absolutely fascinated by the amount of information that has come in and am very grateful for all of your responses - and also very relieved as it means that there is nothing wrong with Waddlesworth!

Waddlesworth has been for his third flight which, by his standards, was an epic trip. He was so disgusted at being tagged that he actually left home, got lost and ended up in our sheep field behind the house. As we hadn’t seen where he had landed he spent the night there – his first night out in the big wild world! We didn’t discover him ’til the next morning and, as he still wasn’t talking to us, he refused to come home. So I left him there and told our staff to just keep a distant eye on him. By lunch time Sammy (his foster mum) couldn’t bear it any longer and went up to the field, caught him and carried him back home under his arm (much to Waddles’ disgust). At that stage we were still worried about Waddle’s ‘bubble wrap’ so it was decided that he should remain in the walled garden (which he can’t fly out of) until we were sure that he really was OK – which, of course, we now know that he is.

Waddlesworth’s freedom has now been restored to him but he seems to have decided that he is not so interested in this flying business and that life holds far too many interests right here at home. I open his gate every morning and herd him out into the big garden where he mucks about and flaps his wings a lot but still he refuses to fly. On the one hand we are delighted, as we all love that bird to bits (especially Sammy, who is ‘mummy’), but on the other hand he should be getting on with his life. Still - the option is there and the decision is his. He has made friends with Batelle (the new Fish Eagle) and spends hours watching her. He is also pals with ‘Shale’, the tortoise.

Oh not again!

I’m getting out of here!

It is totally ridiculous watching Shale and Waddlesworth sunbathing in the morning. Shale parks himself in the sun and sticks all his limbs out of his shell, Waddles comes along and plonks down beside him and amuses himself by very gently trying to catch Shale’s head, which is smartly withdrawn into the shell, only to reappear a few seconds later. Shale will put up with this for a bit but then gets fed up and moves few inches further away so that his head is not actually reachable and then settles down again.

Out of reach

Waddles then plays at trying to pick him up, which of course would be impossible. It really is the silliest thing to watch. Waddles’ beak is very gentle and he is not capable of doing any harm, except with the fish hook on the tip, which he doesn’t seem to use except for picking up his fish. The tortoise doesn’t seem to mind this treatment and is perfectly happy to settle down with Waddles - when he is not being a pest and trying to catch his head!

Peace at last

Tags: little owl sanctuary, shale the tortoise, waddlesworth

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Category: Raptor Expedition | Date: Sep 07 2009 | By: simonthomsett

by Simon Thomsett (Photos by Laila)

We were invited to spend three nights at a beautiful lodge called Kichwa Tembo in exchange for giving the guides a presentation about birds of prey. We were met by the manager, Niall Anderson, who asked if two tents at Bateleur Camp was fine for us. I assumed this to be the driver’s accommodation, somewhere removed from the main lodge and was pleased with that. But no! We were ushered into perhaps the most luxurious tents and exclusive lodge imaginable in the whole Masai Mara! Crumbs I thought, I had better have a wash, shave and give a good presentation!

With bellies full of delicious food, we spent some of our time searching the forest around Kichwa looking for goshawks. This small patch of forest has survived the damaging effect of millions of wild and domestic ungulates and the ravages of elephants, and as a result is amazingly rich in bird life and monkeys. It has both the Blue and Copper-tailed monkeys for example. At Niall’s advice, we took two trips to the escarpment behind the lodge. We sat by Olkurruk Lodge which has unquestionably the finest view of the Mara but burned-down some years ago and since been abandoned. Perched high on a medium sized cliff, we waited for soaring raptors.

View from the escarpment of a Bateleur soaring

We went to Dupoto, a 500 km2 forest currently run by a small and struggling Maasai community. If conservation were done properly, some of the focus on the Mara would be diverted to this neglected forest. True, it does not have the abundance of wildlife and vistas, but it surely holds more species and it is highly threatened. We met our guide, William Naliki, who explained the need for immediate action to conserve this forest. We entered the forest and within a few hundred meters we saw a Crowned Eagle’s nest with an incubating female. I left to explore with the guides, leaving Laila with one scout to take pictures of the eagle.

Crowned Eagle at nest

In the short time we spent there talking quietly in the cool forest with the community guides and chairman, I was struck by the repeated call made by local communities to conserve their land and the near impossibility of bringing those organisations devoted to conservation together. There are enormous organisations with resources dedicated to environmental conservation, forest protection, improving livelihoods and wildlife conservation. There are so many places that must be helped now, before it is too late. But the process required to marry those who can help and those in need is agonizingly long. Here is one relatively easy location that would add so much to the nation’s conservation assets and also benefit its people.

Laila put together a presentation using many of her photographs. I was to give the talk and she made me promise to keep the talk to 45 minutes. But incapable of being brief, I gave a 2-hour long monologue to the guides on our last night at the lodge. No one went to sleep and there was half an hour of questions! We left Bateleur Camp to return to our camping lifestyle.

Tags: conserving smaller forests, kichwa tembo, presentation on raptors

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