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Tanzania African Wildlife Conservation Adventure
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Catching Butterflies
Research Assistant - 20th January 2010
We left the YMCA in Dar at 5:15 on Tuesday morning to get the bus to Ifakara. The first bus we got on broke down after 2 km, so the next bus picked us up and we spent the next 8 hours standing on the bus until we got to Ifakara. It was an experience to say the least.
Driving through the National Park on the way we saw elephant, zebra, giraffe, baboons, buffalo and impala. It was amazing. We quickly settled into camp, making a cozy sleeping space in the RA banda. The food of rice and beans was better than expected and I was surprised to see the variety of things that can be made with little ingredients.
In the first week we have learned to undertake large mammal transects (LMTs), vegetation surveys,and spotting animal tracks. We've attempted to catch butterflies and identify them which was great fun. We have gone on a shamba walk to map the illegal farms that have cropped up in the area and set up several CAT stations with bait to attract carnivores. There have only been genets and civels attracted to these stations at present but we shall persevere. Camp life in general has been relaxed and fun. Party night was on Tuesday, everyone dressed up as a mystical, magical creature and the konyagi and beer were flowing. It was great fun. We are all going frog catching tonight so everyone is looking forward to that.
And the rain arrives...
Tanzania Savannah - 8th December 2009
We have now begun to focus on the RA projects including the effects of humans on scavenger carnivores; Laura’s bird surveys; Tracy’s large mammal transects and butterfly populations at different proximities to water sources.
The rains have arrived giving a welcome break from the heat and bringing an abundance of wildlife including snakes, siafu, birds, crickets and flying termites. 
Unfortunately the rain has also affected some projects such as the carnivores as it meant that tracks were washed away. The rain has also made the area much more green, which has a positive effect on wildlife. Local farmers have started cultivating previously burnt land in preparation for planting crops and have built shambas (farms) near to our work sites. However, these shambas destroy large tracts of vegetation.
Aside from work we have enjoyed several free days cycling in the nearby villages of Mavimba and Lupiro and hiking up Sayari’s version of Kilimanjaro, Ktanga hill. On a mini safari, at nearby Bundu Safaris, we encountered elephants, hartebeest, duiker and lots of birds. At the end of the safari day we had a bush banquet and camp awards (‘Sayari Academy Awards’) were handed out by Chrissie and Olivia (AROs). They included titles such as ‘Pilates Master’ and ‘Cycling King’.
The excitement of the evening was a change from our regular rice and beans with pizza, pasta, hummus, salsa and fantastic iced cinnamon buns on offer. Eating the delicacies led to many over indulging with Laura managing to eat herself to sleep!
The group is now looking forward to a satellite camp, our big safari to Mikumi National Park, a night out in Dar es Salaam and our bittersweet goodbyes.
Bushbabies and British Bulldog
Tanzania Savannah - 29th October 2009
It was a long bus journey from Dar to Ifakara, but the drive through Mikumi National Park made it worth the hours. For many of us, it was our first sighting of giraffe and impala in the wild. By the time we got to camp, it was dark, but we had a spectacular view of the night sky and the Milky Way after which Sayari Camp is named. Everyone has settled into camp life very quickly, however washing dishes with a wound up string took some getting used to. I made a delicio
us Indian curry dish which is the current camp favourite, although for each dinner, everyone gets more and more adventurous. We have been very fortunate to see lots of wildlife around the camp, including elephant, buffalo, sable, waterbuck and duiker. We even have bushbabies looking at us down from the trees while we brush our teeth and civet and genet visit the kitchen nightly.
We had a rare treat recently when we visited a local primary school which also gave us a chance to conduct social surveys in the village. We were impressed by how much the children knew and played a rousing game of British Bulldog. All that running made us quite hungry and we enjoyed the local delicacy of chipsi-mayai (chip omelette) washed down with our first refreshing refrigerated beverage.
Everyone has come up with some very interesting BTEC project ideas, some of which are already underway. Fieldwork includes large mammal transects and butterfly sweeping, which became quite competitive. But, the exercise is making us fitter and we have contemplated using the water purification tablets to filter our sweat. Water conservation at its finest.
Lots of effort goes into planning the party nights, with last night’s Halloween bash bringing out everybody’s creative streak. There are now some very unique bats and spiders hanging from the bar which we have yet to identify to species level. However the words permanent and marker keep coming up. Oh my actual word.
Goodbye to camp...and siafu
Tanzania Savanna - 16th September 2009
There have been several memorable moments throughout 093. Here are some of the favourites:
Encountering siafu in the field. Siafu are army ants who congregate in large columns marching through the forest. They enjoy burrowing through socks and shoes and crawling up legs. Their bite is shockingly painful, but thankfully there is no lasting effects. On one large mammal transect, the siafu attacked and one of the game guards, Mr. Chris, resorted to taking off his trousers to pull all the ants off his legs. When siafu attack it is frequently hilarious, until they start biting you!
The diet on camp is rice and beans for two meals, resulting in Bean Jokes (Jenna is the all time leader) and gaseous excretions (James blew all other competition out of the banda).
Several RAs were surprised at the creativity in the kitchen that emerged over the ten weeks. We have the same assortment of vegetables every night, but had a host of delicious meals including coconut curry, plantain chips, bean burgers, Charlie concoctions.
Having said that, chilli sauce was a hot commodity and all meals that involved ugali also involved vast quantities of chilli sauce. Ugali is the local staple made from maize flour. It is a little bit like dry mashed potatoes.
Soda and beer are consumed frequently on camp, requiring the use of bottle openers which are never easily found. Suze invented the “automated retractable bottle opening device” out of minimal materials. It’s pretty awesome. Warm beer somehow tastes better after opening it with the automated retractable bottle opening device (patent pending).
Suze was also the all-time leader in the sweating competitions. Field work is HOT. Drink lots of water because most of it will come out your armpits.
We had a fun, but disappointing football game this phase. We played against the Mavimba primary school (a bunch of 9 year olds) and lost 6-0. The highlight was when Dicky tackled an 8-year-old trying to get to the ball.
Tetse flies came out in full force at the end of 093 and vegetable cutting was frequently paused as everybody chased around a fly. We felt a sense of accomplishment and warm fuzzies after killing one.
We also had a variety of alarm clocks this phase, including ibis squawking (everyday), Julien’s mobile (Don’t worry, be happy) and Suze. It was sad to say goodbye to camp and all the local staff, but several reunions are planned in the UK. Safari njema.
Sayari Camp Highlights
Lisa and Paul - 30th July 2009
The most satisfying part of Sayari Camp has been fieldwork supporting ongoing research in the sensitive Kilombero River Valley. We spend our days studying how land use affects wildlife in this ecologically important area between the huge Selous Game Reserve and Udzungwa Mountains National Park. We conduct large mammal surveys to document such animals as eland, elephant and buffalo, whose tracks and traces are abundant. Data from the frog, bird and butterfly surveys help indicate changes in the environment, either from human disturbance or seasonal fluctuations. New projects include wetland disturbance surveys, small mammal and carnivore surveys. Although demanding, the fieldwork is what sets Frontier Savanna apart. (Paul)
We climbed Kitanga Hill, which was only 300 m high, but quite vertical and slippery at times. We all made it to the top and although the day was a bit hazy, the view was fantastic. One of the RA's injured her ankle, and it took a fair bit of team work to get her back to camp using some Ray Mears style stretcher techniques. Thankfully, there was no break, just a severe sprain. Hurray! We have rice and beans everyday for lunch and dinner, but have also made vegetable curries, samosas, frittas and chocolate, banana and pineapple crumbles. We settled into camp life easily and our group is just fantastic and everyone gets on brilliantly. Themed party nights such as Harry Potter, and B.C. coupled with Safari Beer and Konyagi and we all have an absolute blast. Sad to be leaving. (Lisa)
Kwaheri from Tanzania!
Research Assistant - 17th June 2009
Research Assistant Update
Since we last wrote in the diary 6 weeks ago an unbelievable amount of stuff has happened so I don’t know where to start really! The arrival of new volunteers in May coincided with a busy week visiting schools and teaching environment and English lessons. This mainly involved making complete fools out of ourselves doing animal impressions for the kids! The days were finished up with football and netball matches against the school teams which were pretty competitive, especially netball. I don’t think Tanzanians realise that it is a non-contact sport.
The last 3 weeks of fieldwork were really busy with 9 different BTEC projects running involving butterflying, birding, large mammal surveys, frogging, social surveys and spiders. The frog projects were amazing with so many frogs caught one morning we ran out of jars to put them in!
Away from work we’ve loads of fun nights on Sayari. Aside from the usual fancy dress party nights, we’ve had a bush banquet cooked for us by the staff plus a medieval battle re-enactment! It’s amazing what people get up to after 8 weeks in the bush. Camp Olympics was the highlight though. Events included a three-legged race, ugali eating competition, butterfly sweep-off, and truck push. ‘Papua New Guineafowl’ emerged victorious.
All up, it’s been an unbelievable 10 weeks and many a tear was shed saying goodbye. We’re already planning a reunion next month though so all good.
Science Update
The last three weeks of phase have been devoted to BTEC projects. This has been a very busy time with 9 separate projects running but it’s been great fun and everyone has proved themselves to be thoroughly capable researchers!
Two projects looked at amphibians, which are fast becoming Sayari’s favourite taxonomic group! We catch them by hand, usually at night, scouring the reeds and leaf litter for frogs that can be under 1cm long. The first BTEC project compared abundance and species richness in areas with different levels of human disturbance and through up some interesting results. A puddle in the road close to our nearest village was the most diverse site with 12 different species caught. The second project assessed the effectiveness of morning versus evening sweeps. Huge numbers of frogs were caught – over 400 in total – with the evening proving to be the best time. Certain species were only found in the morning however.
Large mammal surveys always play a big part of our work and it was no different on the BTEC projects. A really cool project looked at the effect our camp is having on large mammals. Encouragingly, it seems that animals are unaffected by camp with buffalo, elephant, waterbuck and sable tracks, amongst others, found within 50 metres. Another project looked at the effect of human encroachment on large mammals in miombo woodland by doing surveys at varying distances from our nearest village. This area, to the west of camp, is not one we have explored extensively before and it proved extremely interesting and eye-opening. We saw lots of land being cleared for farms and people cutting down trees for timber. It seems that the levels of human activity in the woodland are increasing rapidly which is very worrying. Interestingly, the number of tracks found in this area was very high with lots of buffalo, elephant, hartebeest and waterbuck activity.
BTEC projects can involve social surveys rather than fieldwork and one project this phase involved interviewing local farmers about the problems they face with primates, specifically yellow baboon and vervet monkeys. The situation is far worse than we imagined with farmers losing, on average, about £200 a year from crop damage. That is a very large amount of money here in Tanzania and this makes it very surprising that little is being done at a council and government level to deal with the problem. Most farmers can only try and chase the animals away but this doesn’t really work because they just come straight back. Plus, women and children are ineffective at chasing baboons away as they are only scared of men!
Our long-running bird project looking at the effect of disturbance on bird communities in miombo woodland identified that open woodland with a few, large trees, appears to be the optimum habitat for birds in the area and that thicket patches appear to be detrimental for bird species richness. Thickets were not surveyed extensively however during the project so conclusive results could not be drawn. A BTEC project is expanding on this by carrying out surveys specifically in thicket areas. The results confirm that species richness is lower in dense thicket, but that these areas are important for certain specialists, e.g. the African Paradise-flycatcher.
So a busy but very interesting time on Sayari camp and a very successful phase overall. With a new staff team arriving for next phase and new projects starting up, it seems that this will only continue.
Greetings from the miombo!
Fred Griffith - 6th May 2009
Volunteer update
I’m currently sitting in the eating banda on camp trying to sum up the past 4 weeks in a few words which isn’t easy considering the amount that has happened. Everyone has settled in well now and we’re all getting on great with lots of fun and laughter on the party nights as well as in the field. In fact we’re carefully planning our costumes for the next party night. “Cavemen and women” is this week’s theme and no doubt everyone will put in as much effort this week as they have on our previous party nights, ‘pirates and ninjas’, ‘wrestlers’ and ‘ghetto-fabulous’.
Of course we’ve been working hard as well and, in fact, some of us have just returned from the first sat camp, where we have been working for the Kilombero Valley Teak Company. It was really interesting work looking at animal movement around their sawmill site, and we even got a BBQ from KVTC to say thank you for all our efforts!
The next few weeks will be just as exciting I’m sure, with environment lessons at the local schools on the cards. Everyone’s really looking forward to it and of course to the football games that follow. Having drawn one and lost one last phase we are eager for the win, however our first game pits us against the local village team of Mavimba which will be quite a challenge.
I have no doubt whatsoever that the next few weeks will be a busy and as fun as the first four and I can confidently say that we’re all looking forward to it – bit cheesy I apologise but none the less true!
Science update
Author: Field Researcher
This is turning into a very busy phase for Frontier-Tanzania Savannah! The team have been working really hard on lots of different projects and the new volunteers are all really enjoying getting stuck into the fieldwork following the first couple of weeks of training. Everyone has done plenty of large mammal transects now and we have some budding game scouts in the ranks as the tracking skills have been very impressive.
The project is looking at large mammal populations in the miombo woodland around camp and is throwing up some interesting results yet again. Quite a lot of zebra, reedbuck and sable tracks have been found indicating that these species are utilising the woodland as a wet season refuge from the floodplain. The other stand out find so far was fresh signs of a big herd of buffalo – probably over 70 individuals. Sadly we also found a buffalo snare close to where this sighting was made so it seems that poachers also know about this herd. And this is not the only snare we’ve found. Three smaller snares were found and confiscated close to our nearest village. These were likely set to trap bush pig, which are prevalent in the area. Both incidents will be reported to the District Wildlife Office but it is sadly difficult to see what effective direct action can be taken. On a similar theme, we have also found several illegal logging sites in our study area. All this human activity just shows how important the work we are doing here is; the miombo is a vital resource for local people but must be managed in a sustainable way. Hopefully all the knowledge we are gathering will help the local authorities to do just that.
This month has also seen some exciting new work completed for the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC). They are building a new sawmill near to the village in order to process all their timber. We are conducting a study for them looking at the effect on large mammals of the electric fence surrounding the site and excitingly for one research assistant, a BTEC project has been based around the work. Given that the fence is just a few inches off the ground, surprisingly large numbers of animals are able to cross it, with the list including bush pig, warthog, duiker and aardvarks. It is keeping elephants and larger antelope away though, which is the main aim. Elephant tracks weren’t found anywhere close to the fence but were found just 500m away from the site.
Amphibian surveys have been a big part of this phase with two projects running. The first is comparing frog communities in different miombo habitats – open woodland, grassland, evergreen thicket and various sized pools. The second is a BTEC project looking at how frog density and diversity changes with distance from water. Everyone is really enjoying the work which involves going out late at night armed with just a head torch and trying to catch frogs with your bare hands – great fun!
The TZS staff team
From Sayari Camp to Mambo
Volunteer - 14th April 2009
Tracking in Tanzania...
Sayari Camp to Mambo – our new home for the next ten weeks. Everyone is settling in really well, especially as there are volunteers here who have stayed on from last phase and are showing us the ropes. We’ve had a busy first week with everyone learning how to do large mammal tracking, vegetation surveys and small mammal trapping, plus sweeping for butterflies and intro talks on the area and all the different projects. We’ve also had to get to grips with camp duty – cooking enough food to feed 30 people is pretty hard work and you should see the size of our loaves of bread!
Frontier staff have been really welcoming and helpful, and the local staff are already legends amongst us. The game guards are amazing at tracking and if we can learn just a little of what they know we’ll be happy!
There are plenty of things going on aside from the science work. It’s great to sit round the camp fire at night with a beer and listen to all the wildlife – we’ve heard bush babies, hyenas and baboons amongst others. Tonight is our first party night and the theme is wrestlers! All in all a busy but great first week and we are all really excited about what’s in store for the next 9 weeks! We just hope it doesn’t go too quickly!
Tying up loose ends!
Frontier Researcher - 14th April 2009
So a new phase begins and it’s going to be a busy one! With our new Darwin Initiative funded work on the horizon, this looks like our last phase at Sayari camp. There is lots of work to do to tie up everything we have done over the last 18 months.
Large mammal tracking will again be our main focus over the first few weeks. We have a large data set now and with this last phase of sampling we are going to be able to write a comprehensive report on large mammal populations in the area. We are also continuing our project looking at bird community response to human and natural disturbance in miombo woodland. We’ve recorded over 80 species over the last 9 months and are hoping to publish the work later in the year. We also have projects running on small mammals, bush babies and frogs.
This week has all been about training the volunteers up, we’ve had everyone out practicing butterfly sweeping, large mammal tracking, vegetation surveys and small mammal trapping, plus everyone has been taught some basic navigation skills. This practical work has been complemented by lectures on the area, our research programme and all the individual projects we are running. Everyone doing the BTEC in Tropical Habitat Conservation has also started this, keeping a science log book each day. They’ll start thinking about their individual presentations and projects in the next few weeks which everyone is really looking forward to, staff included!
Exciting new BTEC projects on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savannah - 1st March 2009
The phase is almost over and I can't believe how fast it has passed! It's been hard work for sure, but totally worth it. We've learned so much about conservation, miombo woodland and all the wildlife that lives here. And thankfully, the promised rains haven't been that cruel on the Tanzania Savannah team - only on a few occasions were we caught in a downpour while conducting fieldwork!
Teaching in local village schools continued when our new Community Liaison Officer Sebastian arrived and it has been really rewarding. We had the local children in fits of laughter with our animal impressions and they seem genuinely interested in their environment and the animals around them.
In addition to the science and teaching we've been busy with lots of other things. The mighty Frontier FC were on the verge of victory against Milola School with the game balanced at 3-3 when the ball popped! We climbed Kitanga Hill a few miles from camp and had magnificent views of the area around camp including the Selous Game Reserve and the Udzungwa Mountains. We visited the new saw mill under construction by the Kilombero Valley Teak Company and this inspired one of the volunteers staying on for next phase to start a project looking at the impact of this on large mammal movements in the area. We competed in Camp Olympics - a whole day of events including the three-legged firebreak relay, water run, coconut shy, butterfly sweep-off and of course, the truck push! And we can't forget bush banquet when the staff cooked an amazing three course feast for us. The best bit was banoffe pie and custard! Finally, we have been lucky enough to see lots of wildlife at very close range including wild dogs, zebra, warthog, duiker, dik dik, reedbuck and waterbuck.
Jess
Science update
So the Tanzania Savannah team have wrapped up all of our research for the phase and also carried out some very interesting BTEC projects. Our bird survey is now complete - we've recorded bird species at 26 different points between the village where there is lots of human disturbance and the more pristine area around Sayari camp. A total of 41 species were recorded this phase, nine of which were new species for the surveys including the brown hooded kingfisher, black-and-white manikin, northern red bishop, eastern nicator and martial eagle.
We have now collected a huge bank of data on large mammal movements in the area around camp having surveyed our set of large mammal transects for five consecutive phases now. We recorded a total of 21 species this phase which were again dominated by elephant and buffalo. Species of antelope recorded included waterbuck, reedbuck, bushbuck, hartebeest, sable, eland, dik dik and duiker. Other animal tracks and signs included aardvark, bushpig, warthog, civet, cane rat, porcupine, mongoose, scrub hare, zebra and baboon. The team found that abundances of elephant, buffalo, waterbuck, duiker, reedbuck, bushpig, baboon, dik dik, warthog and zebra was much higher in this phase than it was in the last which can be explained by the seasonal inundation of the floodplain at this time of year causing animals to migrate into the miombo.
Small mammal work has again been a large part of our workload this phase and has been very interesting. At one of the more pristine sites sampled we captured striped mice (Lemniscomys griselda rosalia) which we haven't seen before in this area, whilst at another we captured the very trap shy lesser pouched rat (Beamys hindei). Prevalent in the areas around camp have been naked soled gerbils (Tatera robusta), spiny mice (Acomys spinosissimus), pygmy mice (Mus minutoides) and bush rats (Aethomys kaiseri). The more disturbed area towards the village which local pastoralists use for cattle grazing yielded a lower richness and abundance of small mammal species as we expected.
Another project experimented with traps placed in trees and pitfall traps to see how habitat and tree density affects small mammals. We captured a total of four different small mammal species in Sherman traps, whilst the pitfalls yielded two amphibian species and two reptiles. These were the plain squeaker, Eastern puddle frog - previously unrecorded by the team - Wahlberg's snake eyed skink and a variable skink.
Carnivore stations ran for the first four weeks of phase and we found, as usual, mainly civets and genet tracks. Hyena tracks were also found at one station and opportunistic sightings of many other tracks were made throughout phase including lion, leopard, water mongoose and spot necked otter. Most excitingly, we were lucky enough to spot a pack of 10 wild dogs on the road less than a mile from camp.
Butterfly work was conducted for a BTEC project looking at the effect of human and natural disturbance on butterflies. Three sites were surveyed using a combination of sweep netting and canopy trapping over 500 butterflies were caught, dominated by members of the Nymphalidae family. Initial indications from the data show that human or natural disturbance is not necessarily a bad thing for butterfly communities, and a healthy diversity from different families is shown at disturbed sites.
Another BTEC project undertaken was based on frogs. A comparison between a permanent water source and a seasonal water source showed distinct differences in frog communities. Most specimens captured were tree frogs (Hyperoliidae) but toads (Bufonidae), foam nest frogs (Rhacophoridae), and common frogs (Ranidae) were also represented. A total of 15 different species were captured, most showing a distinct preference for either the seasonal or the permanent water source.
Wakati mwafaka! - good times in Tanzania!
Frontier Tanzania - 1st February 2009
Mambo from Sayari! The weather has been glorious up till now, with temperatures around 38°C in the shade! The monsoon rains have just started though, making life a bit soggy and trips to the long drop a little treacherous. Wildlife is abundant, we even heard a lion close to camp, had hyena tracks on our driveway and a green mamba by the slops pits. The game guards and field staff are fantastic and make this trip with all their knowledge and enthusiasm.
We went to the town of Mahenge yesterday to drop Mr Chris (one of the game guards) home. We were treated to some spectacular views over the Selous and, even better, a chipsi mayai (chip omelette) and cold soda - amazing!
Life on camp is basic but loads of fun, especially party nights - themes so far including cartoon characters and chav night... Field work can be challenging but it all starts to pay off when we get complemented on our tracking skills by the game guards. Butterfly sweeping is brilliant. It tends to get a little competitive though and should be made into an international sporting event (the current record is 13). Small mammal trapping has been quite successful too. The cutest catches so far are four pygmy mice who we named Pipin, Merry, Sam and Frodo.
Summing up 091 so far, the only thing to say is wakati mwafaka - good times!
Kwaheri for now,
The Frontier Savanna Team.
Science update
So we're well into phase now and the science programme is in full swing. We've had a busy first month involving large mammal tracking, small mammal trapping, butterfly surveys and some teaching in the local primary school too.
Our long-term programme monitoring large mammal populations in the area around camp continues. We have 24 large mammal transects to complete every phase and we have completed well over half of these now. We've recorded over 30 different species this phase alone including zebra, eland, waterbuck, warthog and mongoose. Elephant and buffalo continue to be the most abundant, with elephant tracks common even in the more disturbed habitats close to villages. The volunteers are getting really good at tracking now and can find even the smallest duiker track hidden under layers of leaf litter - our game guards are very impressed!
We also have a project looking specifically at carnivores. We set up carnivore stations which involve clearing an area of ground and them placing bait on a stick in its centre. If an animal comes and takes the bait it will leave its tracks for us to find. Civets and genets dominate our results so far but we have also had two hyenas. Lion and leopard have been heard frequently from camp too but unfortunately don't seem tempted by our dog food bait yet! We'll be setting up camera traps soon to compliment these stations.
We've also been looking at smaller things too - mammals and butterflies! We are continuing a project investigating the effect of human disturbance on small mammal communities in miombo woodland and had over 30 captures at our last site, comprising five different species. These included three lesser pouched rats, a species which is usually trap shy and quite elusive, so everyone was very excited to catch so many. We should see small mammal numbers increase significantly with the onset of the rainy season so we are looking forward to seeing what we find at the remaining sites.
So yes, it looks like the rainy season is upon us - we've had some pretty heavy rain throughout the last week and everything is starting to look very lush. Far from complaining about the rain though everyone is excited about the effect it will have on the wildlife here. We should see mammal activity in the miombo increase over the coming months as animals move up to higher ground from the Kilombero floodplain. We are also hoping to start a frog project in the next couple of weeks when the rain gets heavier. We want to compare amphibian assemblages in seasonal pools close to camp with those in rice paddies close to the villages.
With a Tanzanian student returning to Sayari next week to continue the bird surveys we stared back in September, February promises to be just as busy as the last four weeks. And we definitely need to find time for some more school visits and football matches too...
Baboons, elephants, aardvarks and more!
Tanzania Savanna - 1st December 2008
We have been really busy since the last update completing data collection for the various different projects. We went on satellite camp to the nearby village in week 6 to do small mammal and bird surveys in really disturbed habitats. We also visited local primary schools to teach environmental education, which was really fun. We took the kids on nature walks around their schools, and taught them some English. We also played football against two of the schools, which was brilliant, if just a little bit tiring! We won the first game 3-2 but lost a close second game 2-1. On both occasions I think the whole village came out to watch!
We finally completed the last two large mammal transects last week. The last one was actually quite a challenge with lots of dense thicket and a ravine to cross on the way - it definitely gave us a real sense of achievement at the end! I also did my own BTEC project over the last two weeks comparing butterfly numbers and diversity in burned and unburned areas of woodland. We caught nearly 250 butterflies and I identified all of them, which was really cool.
I still can’t quite believe that ten weeks is over and it’s going to be really sad leaving Sayari Camp. It’s definitely become home, although I must admit I am really looking forward to a hot running shower and a cheeseburger! It’s been a great experience, one I will never forget.
Science Update:
Phase 084 has now reached its conclusion. We’ve had such a good time while we’ve been here and it’s been great to be involved in so many different projects as well as the teaching in schools. With village camp we added a further 6 sites to gain some data on more disturbed areas where villagers collect firewood. The data obtained suggests that the cutting of firewood in these areas is impacting cavity nesting species but more work will need to be done to gain solid conclusions. The bird project will continue next phase and beyond.
Large mammal transects have now also been completed, we have now surveyed all 24 transects around camp which have given us a lot of data to analyse. The area around Sayari camp has now been surveyed for 12 months continuously. A total of 24 species were found this phase, mainly dominated by elephant and buffalo but we have found evidence of the usual animals such as mongoose, porcupine, baboon, hartebeest, bushbuck, warthog, aardvark, cane rat and scrub hare. We also found signs of more rare animals in the area such as zebra, eland, sable antelope, dik dik, wild cat and leopard. Particularly interesting is that this phase there has been a marked increase in bushpig, duiker and waterbuck from last phases.
The carnivore project has also now concluded for this phase - signs of carnivores such as hyena, leopard, civet, genet, jackal, wild dog, and water mongoose have been recorded and each of the four stations has been surveyed twice this phase. That data will also undergo analysis at the end of phase. Interviews with local people and visits to hunting lodges have given us more information about what species are present in the area as well.
Small mammal work continues for this last week and then we’re finished for the phase! We have completed 4 rat grids at different sites which have been very successful, the captures include pygmy mice, spiny mice, gerbils and a shrew! Two of the sites are closer towards the village of Mavimba so it is interesting to be able to compare small mammal abundance in the more disturbed areas to the pristine environment of Sayari camp. Shrew work also continued, only one shrew was captured but we also had pygmy mice and spiny mice. The bush baby that wandered into out Sherman trap in week 2 continues to make us and the game guards laugh! The last site is proving to be very successful for amphibian captures now the rains have become a bit more frequent!
Butterfly work also began a few weeks ago for my BTEC project looking at how butterfly abundance changes between burned and non burned areas and it has proved to be very interesting. Already after only a few days of collecting data by sweep netting and canopy trapping in the burned area we can see a difference in the species that we are collecting from the non burned area. It also ties in very well with the other BTEC project that is complete now finding out more about the burning of the areas around camp and its impact on the local people.
All in all we’ve had an amazing time here and we’re very sad to be leaving. We can’t believe how quickly the past 10 weeks have gone but with all the science, teaching and trips out it has been so much fun whilst still being a learning experience.
Natalie Kay
A new species for Sayari Camp
Tanzania Savannah - 1st October 2008
I can't believe I'm actually in Tanzania! Everyone is very friendly but it's really hot. Camp is very cool, much less basic than I thought it would be – we even have proper mattresses! The food is amazing, we only have to have rice and beans for lunch and have already had curry, banana crumble and roast potatoes for dinner. The toilets are very basic and the shower is just a bucket but it's surprising how quickly you get used to it.
Field work has been really interesting so far and can't wait to do more! We've done small mammal trapping, bird surveys and large mammal tracking this week. We caught some pygmy mice and some not so cute bush rats! Next week, we are doing some satellite camps for the bird project and this should be exciting – proper bush camping!
All in all I'm having a great time so far and am really looking forward to the next nine weeks!
Natalie
Science update
Phase 084 is now underway and, as well as continuing work from previous phases, we have several exciting new projects staring on Savanna. The area around camp has changed quite dramatically in the last few weeks with the climax of the dry season and quite a few bush fires close to camp. Fire is an important component of miombo woodland ecology so it is interesting to see the effects of it in our study areas. The trees are also shedding their leaves leaving a much more open habitat. This has already enabled us to catch glimpses of lots of wildlife far more frequently than in last phase. Already we have seen baboons, warthog, duiker, waterbuck and bushbuck. As usual, we also have our resident civets and genets around camp (one genet in particular keeps coming and stealing our bananas at night!) and have found fresh leopard faeces on the road nearby. 
Large mammal tracking continues as we add to the data already gathered in previous phases this year. We are beginning to compile substantial data on large mammal abundance and diversity in the area and with the completion of work this phase will be able to look seasonal differences. We have recorded over 30 different species now.
The bird work started in July will also continue this phase. We are looking at the effect of human disturbance and associated habitat degradation on the composition of bird communities in Miombo woodland. All sites surveyed last phase will be repeated and further data on disturbance levels collected. We just hope we can fit all the bird surveys in before the rain starts!
We have two new small mammal projects starting this phase. Previous work has looked at small mammal communities in the area close to camp and how they are affected by large mammal activity. We are going to extend this work by setting up rodent grids closer to the village in more disturbed areas in order to see how this affects species composition and numbers. We will also be doing pitfall and Sherman trapping in order to compile a species list for shrews and arboreal small mammals in the area.
A new project which our game guards are quite excited about is carnivore surveys. We have four sites where we will be setting up several 'carnivore stations'. These are areas of bare ground with bait (dog food!) placed on a stick in the centre, where we look for tracks. We have completed one site already and found water mongoose tracks. This is very exciting news as this is a new species for Sayari Camp! Village surveys are also planned when we will ask the locals about which carnivores they encounter on their land and what their attitudes are towards them.
With all these projects running and as usual, some environmental education sessions planned in several local primary schools, it is going to be a busy phase for the Savanna team, but one we are all really excited about.
Warthog, civet, genet and a spotted hyena...
Tanzania Savannah - 1st September 2008
The final six weeks of 083 have been truly awesome. Those of us remaining on camp after the four weekers left really bonded during this part of the phase, and the weeks have just flown by! It's been really wicked getting to know each other so well and interacting more closely with the staff. We were all pleased to tick off the last of our large mammal transects — though I couldn't help but notice that the staff left the longest ones to the end! It was cool being part of the crack team assigned to the very last and longest one: a twelve kilometre walk into the bush! For the bird work we are doing we also got to go on a three night sat camp in the open savannah to the west of camp, which was awesome for sunbathing, guitar playing and stargazing. The following week we did two overnight camps to the east of camp towards the Selous Game Reserve. There is a lot of dangerous game in this area so we had to stay up all night in shifts to keep the fire going to ward off animals. The final week of fieldwork we had a chance to do our own mini projects for our BTECs. I decided to test how the height of butterfly canopy traps affects which species are caught, and we spent a full morning trying to hang my high traps above 7 metres in the canopy!
Although we are excited to get back to the comforts of the big city (like cheese and cold beer to name a few), we are all very sad to be leaving Sayari Camp and the friends we've made. Farewell and asante sana TZS!
Alex
Science Update
Ten weeks of field work passed very quickly and we have done a lot of work. The large mammal and small mammal surveys were finished, we have done two butterfly projects, started a new bird project, done a camera trap pilot and done a lot of interesting small BTEC projects.
All 22 large mammal transects have been completed! We have, however, added two new ones but were not able to finish them this phase. The last 7 transects again revealed many signs of elephant and buffalo. Overall, elephants were present in each transect, and buffalo and waterbuck density increased in comparison to last phase. Data from this phase also confirms the trend of higher densities of large mammals in the eastern section of the study area as opposed to western section closer to villages.
We also continued and completed the investigation concerning the relationship between large and small mammals. Trap success and small mammal density was quite low at all zoosites. At one zoosite, however, we had very eager animals coming back every night including two rats and a squirrel which squeezed itself into the trap twice. On one occasion we even caught a gerbil which was loved by all volunteers! Large mammal activity was quite high at all the zoosites and notably contrasted with low small mammal activity in zoosite 4. Carnivore stations met with limited success and the data from them is too scant to provide insight into interactions between carnivores and other mammals. Besides from genets, civets were the most common carnivores attracted by the carnivore stations.
One of our new staff members started a bird project comparing the more open, degraded land near the shambas and villages to the west and the pristine woodland bordering the Selous Reserve to the east. After many early morning sessions in identifying birdcalls, we finally started the survey. We are hoping to get good results in order to use them for local conservation management. The results so far indicate a low level of disturbance across the whole study region and a large and diverse bird community, which is really good news!
We continued and finished our two butterfly projects. During our survey on habitat preference of butterflies amazingly 724 specimen were caught, representing 50 species and 5 families. An extremely high density of individuals from the family Pieridae (especially the genus Eurema) were found, which seems to be a dry season phenomenon. Sweeping was a popular activity with the volunteers, who generally enjoyed participating in the survey. A BTEC project of last phase investigating the suitability of different bait types in the canopy traps was expanded this phase. It revealed that fermented banana did indeed attract the most butterflies. Baiting with beer resulted a low capture success; however it did attract two unique species!
Exciting news from our camera trap pilot! We got four different species this time including warthog, civet, genet and a spotted hyena. Interestingly, the hyena has a snare around its neck! Our volunteers were especially delighted by having such great pictures of wildlife around our camp.
The BTEC projects this phase were on birds, butterflies, carnivores and aardvarks. All volunteers were very enthusiastic about their own projects had great fun doing it.
Our science programme is diverse and each day we are learning more about the ecosystems of the Kilombero Valley. Check back here later for more progress on the science programme at Sayari Camp!
Nicole, Volunteer Research Officer
'Olympic' games in Tanzania
Tanzania Savanna - 1st August 2008
So far I have been in Tanzania for four weeks. The experience here has been rewarding in both a personal and professional capacity. The volunteers that I have met are a great bunch of people and have made my time at Sayari camp memorable. It was sad to see the 4 weekers leave but I know that we will all keep in touch! The staff are welcoming and always happy to answer questions about field work or life in general!
I have enjoyed the variety of field projects that are on going: from large mammal transects to small mammal trapping, butterflies to birds. The research that is carried out has given me good field experience to go with my degree. As my tracking skills are not that great, the local game guards' knowledge is extremely important in recording the correct information. My favourite project is birds, which is just being set up. I love the early morning walks which give a chance to see and hear many of the African birds.
Life on camp is really relaxed and yesterday's Olympics (including the relay, water run, sack race and onion and spoon race) was great fun. Party night with card games around the bonfire was a perfect way to end a fun packed day. I still have another six weeks to go and am looking forward to seeing what we do next.
Elaine Meldrum
Science Update
After a week of settling into camp, learning methods and adjusting to camp life the science programme at Sayari Camp has now kicked into full swing. With 18 volunteers, the groups are large but we are able to work quickly and accurately and are already well ahead of schedule.
It's only four weeks in and we have already completed 15 of 22 large mammal transects. The large mammal abundance remains high following the rainy season. During our first phase of data collection in 081, in the late dry season, tracks were often hard to find and many sections of the 500 metre transect produced no tracks. While the data is interesting and will contribute to our long term understanding of wildlife movement in the area finding nothing for large parts of each transect can get dull! Luckily that is not the case this time around and each transect has produced a plethora of tracks & signs. Signs of buffalo and elephant remain high and we have been finding tracks of rarer species such as eland, zebra and sable on a semi regular basis. The volunteers' learning curve was impressive and when we go out on transects now the game guards only occasionally break out in fits of laughter when someone misidentifies an obvious track. The transects completed so far confirm earlier results in that the area to the west of our camp is more disturbed and as a result supports more of the generalist species of mammals such as baboon. Buffalo & elephant activity is quite low in transects to the west but dominates the list of species in transects to the east of camp. Everyone looks forward to what the last 7 LMTs will bring, perhaps a lion print or two?!
Just yesterday we closed up Zoosite 3 for our quarterly mammalian surveys. We carried out five nights of small mammal trapping on a 90 m x 90m grid housing 100 Sherman Traps. Trap success was low compared to other sessions on this same site carried out in 081 & 082. We caught two species of rodent and had a particularly eager shrew who came back to the traps four times. Both diversity and abundance were lower than in previous sessions perhaps due to the onset of the dry season. At this site we also set up three carnivore stations and baited them with egg and feline lure. Only one site was visited and the tracks indicate the bait was taken by a genet. Lastly we carried out three 200 metre large mammal transects at this site and as with our full length LMTs large mammal abundance and diversity was high. In fact in one twenty metre section we recorded eight different mammal species!
With a new staff team on Sayari Camp we are piloting exciting new research opportunities. We have begun a project looking at the effects of human disturbance and habitat change on cavity nesting birds. We have begun surveying vegetation and IDing trees at various surveys points to the north of camp. volunteers and staff have been going on daily early morning bird walks to sharpen their bird identification skills. Because Sayari Camp is located in a woodland most birds can be identified by call only, not an easy task! We are about ready to move into phase two of the project and begin carrying our bird point counts at our survey points. Everyone is looking forward to getting the bird component of the project underway. 
Lastly, we continue with our butterfly work that has been ongoing since our arrival at Sayari Camp in 081. Our focus remains on habitat preference but with the help of one of our Conservation Apprentices, Katharine Edwards, we are also looking at using canopy traps to attract non-frugivorous butterflies. This research is in its nascent stages but we are already getting promising results using various types of bait including river mud, beer and meat.
Our science programme is diverse and each day we are learning more about the ecosystems of the Kilombero Valley. Check back here later for more progress on the science programme at Sayari Camp!.
Kara Schroepfer, Principal Investigator
First impressions of the African savannah
Tanzania Savanna - 14th July 2008
After my first week living in Sayari Camp I can honestly say it's been a week unlike any other in my life. For a while I felt like I was never going to get here, the flight was long and in-country transfers between Dar es Salaam and Sayari Camp were even longer. Then, when we finally arrived it was dark, cold and everyone was tired and hungry. It didn't feel like the best start. But then the next morning I woke up to watch the most amazing sunrise out of the open doorway. I'd just spent my first night in the African savannah! Seeing the camp in daylight definitely painted it in a better light. It's basic but has everything we need. Based in a clearing in the woods, it has the perfect combination of sun and shade right in the middle of the savannah. As I soon found out, it definitely wasn't all lazing in the sun, it involves a lot of work but as the week went on I discovered I was living with a great group of volunteers which turned everything into a lot of fun! Learning the survey methods has not been easy but after only a few days most of us are proficient in catching butterflies and locating possible tracks and signs! Based on my first week I am definitely looking forward to seeing what happens in the next nine! -Ellen Pope
Science Update
Phase 083 is just getting started here at Sayari Camp. The new lot of volunteers arrived last week and were immediately thrown into the science programme. Work started off with a training day learning butterfly and large mammal survey techniques. With the pressure of accurate recording lifted, the volunteers enjoyed learning and trying our various techniques. After a long day of chasing butterflies and searching for tracks and signs of large mammals, the volunteers were ready to tackle the actual survey work, albeit closely supervised! Thus began our first week of data collection.
The science program this phase promises to be varied and interesting. We will be continuing our large mammal tracking to look at movement between the Selous Game Reserve (the largest protected area in Africa) and the Kilombero Valley. We have collected two phases of data through the wet season so we are eager to see what the dry season will bring. Already this week we have completed five transects and found some of the rarer species such as eland and zebra. Elephant and buffalo tracks and signs continue to be abundant and we have come across a lot of fresh spoor. Time will tell what the remaining 17 transects will reveal.
Butterfly work also continues. We will be wrapping up this work this phase but in the meantime we have three butterfly survey sites to look forward to. We completed one in the first week and while the canopy traps yielded few butterflies, the sweeps collected many butterflies - some of which were new species to our survey area. The volunteers especially enjoyed running through the forest after that elusive butterfly and already many who thought butterflies were boring have been converted. In the first week we also set our first set of carnivore stations at Zoosite 6. The first day revealed no takers but on day two and three we had genets visit two of the stations.
Other survey work yet to get underway includes small mammal trapping and aardvark surveys that will build on work from prior phases. The small mammal trapping is long running and we are eager to look at changes in species assemblages and demographics in the dry season as compared to the wet season. In conjunction with the small mammal trapping we are also evaluating large mammal use of the same area. These surveys are also something to look forward.
Lastly in this phase, we are looking to get a few new projects off the ground looking at termite mounds their effects on the surrounding community. Termite mounds are known nutrient hotspots and can have profound effects on all taxa in the community. We will also begin to look at the response of birds to human disturbance. All in all this promises to be an interesting and exciting phase. Check back here in a few weeks to find out how the survey work is progressing! -Kara Schroepfer (Principal Investigator)
Fairytale Forests on Tanzania Savannah
Tanzania Savannah - 1st June 2008
We are awoken in the morning by the calls of the hadedas. After a hearty breakfast of homemade bread and leftovers from supper, we head out to the field for six days each week. We hike through fairy tale forests (punctuated with siafu – army ants that are a contrast to the surrounding tranquility) and grassy flood plains discovering the tracks and scat (droppings) of the wildlife: dik-diks, duikers, bush pig, and hippos to name only a few. Other days, we go crashing through the bush chasing butterflies, crawl on all fours to find ants and occasionally see the odd troop of baboons, trumpeter hornbills, dwarf mongoose and other wildlife.
During the working blocks, we also get to go into the local villages where we teach school children English and Environmental Science. Most of these days end with a friendly game of football. After a rough start, I'm proud to announce that we are becoming known and feared by the surrounding villages as a skilled football team.
After a grueling day on the field, we relax with our lovely river water bucket showers and fire cooked meals. Evenings are never as planned, but are preferred that way: parties under the clear star light sky, card playing, long ridiculous chats, letter writing and finally completing that reading list that you wrote up five years ago. All in all, I don't think any of us are actually keen on leaving this Tanzanian wonderland... except maybe for cheese!
Science
This phase is well underway! The Research begun during phase 081 is either moving ahead full throttle or coming to an end. The large mammal transects have proven far more interesting than those conducted before. The animal movement in the area has increased and we are often coming home with two pages of animal track sightings. Elephants continue to dominate the list followed by buffalo and waterbuck. The smaller animals such as duiker and bush pig also feature prominently. We continue to struggle through the tall razor grass and must occasionally travel in huge circles around rivers but, all in all, the transects are good fun. Data analysis is a routine part of our camp days and while analysis is slow, the initial results are interesting. We have flown through them this phase and with two weeks remaining we only have five transects to repeat.
Butterfly work is coming to a close with the impending departure of our butterfly expert. We have completed three sites this phase, bringing the total to eight different sites. We are now on our last site out a total of nine. We hope to survey a few more sites moving into the next phase but it will depend on how much time we have. Each site generates an impressive list of different species, making entry and analysis a time consuming affair. Initial observations suggest that Eurema species are especially abundant in the grassland sites while Euphaedra and Parnassiinae are abound in the forest sites.
With the end of the rainy season our frog work is quickly coming to a close. We have surveyed eleven sites of a mixture of natural seasonal pool sites and rice paddy sites. This is a highlight of our research program for many of the volunteers and they all enjoy competing for the prize of top frogger. Toby currently holds this position with a top score of thirteen frogs in one hour. Close behind are Katharine with eleven and Lisa with ten. Frogs continue to be more abundant in rice paddy sites than in natural pools.
Our small mammal work has taken a back seat to the frog and butterfly projects for the last couple of weeks but will soon take off again. This phase, we have repeated three sites that were first surveyed in 081. Rodent numbers have decreased very slightly across two sites while the third saw a huge increase. At Zoosite 1 in 081, we only caught one Mus across five days of trapping. In 082 our total increased to fourteen. Species diversity has changed considerably across sites with the most abundant rat (KMH 35618) being virtually absent during this round of trapping. We have one remaining site to repeat in 082 and are looking to add a new site to the mix. Large mammal activity across the rodent grids has increased considerably, a trend reflected in our monitoring programme.
Carnivore stations this phase have been extremely successful. Most all stations have attracted either civet or genet and we even had a leopard visit one site! In addition to our standard carnivore stations we have also been experimenting with camera traps. The success of this programme has been extraordinary and we have recorded pictures of leopards, civets, genets, aardvarks, baboons, porcupines, waterbucks and bushbucks. Thanks to our conservation apprentice, Liam, for making this a reality.
The last component of our research programme in 082 revolves around community work. We have surveyed nine villages on their uses of traditional medicine and the passage of knowledge between generations with our wonderful Community Liaison Officer, Nizar. Villagers much prefer western medicine but most remember their parents and grandparents collecting traditional medicine. On occasion, members of the community will be very passionate about their choice to use traditional medicine and it is always a pleasure to hear their opinions. Lastly, we have visited four different primary schools across six visits and taught environmental education to Standard III pupils (8-9 years old). The pupils enjoy the interactive lessons and they leave knowing more about the environment around them. As an added bonus, we also teach English to various standards to give the teachers a much needed break.
All in all this phase has been extremely busy and we are looking forward to winding down several research programmes and beginning the analysis process. Everyone is excited about the possibilities and has been working hard towards our goal of conservation in the Kilombero Valley.
Rainy days and butterflies on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 1st May 2008
It's been two weeks since we drove into the darkness of the Sayari camp to find a snake residing in the RA banda - What a welcome to the Savanna! Fortunately, it was soon persuaded to move house and we settled in for the night.
Since that auspicious beginning, we've been settling into the routine of camp life with butterfly catching (not a very manly pursuit, according to Toby), setting up the rat traps and going out frogging. One of these frogging trips had to be cut short when we reached a suitable site only to hear lions roaring in the - not terribly distant - distance.
That day, lions were also heard at camp and tracks found nearby, necessitating trips to the loo in pairs during the night for moral support! We have found leopard tracks at two carnivore stations, seen baboons several times and found hyena tracks. One group out on an LMT were startled by an elephant snorting at them 20m off the track - they picked up their feet and marched back to camp double time!
The weather has also improved. To begin with, the daily rain dampened our spirits (quite literally!) but now the sun is out and the RA banda no longer smells like a wet dog.
One of the jobs in Ifakara today is to process the films from the camera traps where we found the leopard prints, so watch this space...
Science Update
For the last three weeks we have been doing a myriad of science work in the savanna project. The rain has constantly tried to get in our way but despite the rivers of water pouring down we managed to get the first four large mammals transects done. We found many interesting tracks in these including elephant and porcupine. We began a cool new project on Aardvarks looking at burrows and setting camera traps. In addition, work on small mammals and the relationship to large mammals is going well. We completed one zoosite for that research, where we found six species of mice and will be starting the second site tomorrow at sat camp.
In our carnivore stations we have had civet and leopard activity. The tree that we baited had signs of leopard and we are anxiously awaiting the pictures from the camera trap. We spent five nice days fetching butterflies which, despite the rain, ventured to fly, giving the RAs a nice opportunity to sharpen their ID skills.
We have done a few nights of frogging under much rain and an overnight frog camp which despite the leech attack resulted in many nice species of frogs being caught. Also, we recently started the social survey aspect of our work for this phase, which promises very interesting days visiting the villages of Ulanga district.
All creatures great and small on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 1st April 2008
After a couple of days at Shamba Camp doing behavioural observations on the endangered Iringa Red Colobus we made the big move to our new camp, Sayari Camp. All the RAs and staff chipped in to help make the place our own.
The first thing to go up was the bar and it is now a favourite hangout after a long day in the field. Just a few days ago, we hosted our first party of the phase and everyone came dressed up as mythical creatures – something that is easier said than done out here in the bush!
Science work at Sayari started and is well under way and we are now done with our first Zoosite, although we only had one small mammal capture! The results were more exciting on our large mammal transects where we have been finding elephant, buffalo and zebra tracks. Some lucky RAs have even spotted bush pig and hartebeest.
In a few days we leave for our first satellite camp where we will continue our Zoosite work and start doing bat surveys in the evenings! The time has flown by and I can’t believe we are in our third week already. I can’t wait to see what fun the next seven weeks bring!
Science Update
Following our move to Sayari Camp, everyone is extremely enthusiastic about the science that awaits us. We spent the first few days of phase at our old camp, Shamba Camp, collecting a bit of extra data on the endangered Iringa Red Colobus. We have been following the same troop in a highly fragmented habitat for over a year now so it was nice to check up on the monkeys and to confirm they were all still accounted for. More importantly, it gave us a bit more data to better understand their behaviour. However, the area around the old camp is highly disturbed and people are pouring into the area to establish small farms. Thus, it was very refreshing to arrive at our new camp in the middle of a pristine wilderness. After a day of building we dove right into the science program.
First up was our Zoosite work. This phase we are focusing on mammals and butterflies/moths at our Zoosite locations, hoping to continue collecting biodiversity data on butterflies in the area and to explore the interactions between large herbivores and small mammals. Thus, RAs have been jumping, running and doing cartwheels all in the hopes of catching that elusive butterfly. In just one Zoosite we are already finding some species in the Papillionidae family, bright big colourful ones that are few and far between at previous sites. Checking the canopy traps has become quite the ordeal as each one is stock full of butterflies! After only two days of surveys everyone can recognize on sight some of the more common species such as Junonia terea elgiva and Bicyclus safitza safitza - two species that are likely to show up again and again. This phase we have also added moths to the mix.
On the mammal front the results have been a bit less exciting. With one hundred small mammal traps set we had high hopes of finding some interesting rodent species. Unfortunately, through five nights of trapping we have only come up with one lonely mouse - and a Mus minutoides at that! The large mammal transects through the Zoosite have been much more exciting. On their first trip out the RAs were quite pleased with their tracking skills when they identified several zebra tracks on their own. Other tracks included buffalo, duiker, sable and hartebeest. The highlight of the first Zoosite was sighting several hartebeest amongst the traps.
Large mammal tracking has also begun in earnest. Our new camp is only 20-30 km away from the Selous Game Reserve and animals are known to move from the reserve to Kilombero floodplain. With our large mammal transects we will be quantifying this movement in an area that has not yet been studied. On our first trip out we came across fresh elephant dung and saw two bush pigs lounging in a glade, a rare sighting on any occasion! To reach the second transect we walked through an amazing wilderness of open glades, dense riverbeds and rocky outcrops and were rewarded with many tracks and signs despite the difficulty of tracking a day after the rains. To top it off, the transect ended at the base of a large hill that we plan to climb in February. Throughout this phase, we’ll be doing over twenty of these transects so odds are good that we will come across some interesting tracks and hopefully have a sighting or two of large mammals thrown in there!
Tomorrow we’ll pack up camp and head off on our first satellite camp to run another Zoosite, continue with large mammal tracking and begin bat surveys.
Football and elephants on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 1st March 2008
Incredibly we only have a little over two weeks left of the phase. None of us can believe how fast it's going! After a month of rain things have started to dry up, although we hear its only for a few weeks before the long rains begin!
We've all enjoyed the frog surveys and each outing is a competition between the RAs as to who can catch the most. Our large mammal transects get more and more interesting and we continue to see signs of elephants and some small carnivores such as genet and civet. Ironically the big carnivore prints we've found have been right around camp!
We're in the middle of the last zoosite with a few more butterfly and spider surveys planned. Everyone is hoping for a chance to play one last football game with the local villages. We've played three games this phase and after losing the first and tying the second we finally made it over the hump on the third and won, 2 - 1! We'll see what a possible fourth game will bring!
Science Update
This phase is drawing to close and we are busy finishing up planned field work for this phase. We are in the middle of our last zoosite and the small mammal and butterfly data continue to be interesting. The small mammal numbers around our new site are considerably lower than those around our last camp, an area highly disturbed. This is part of our hypothesis so we are quite excited to start the analysis. Despite low numbers we have very high diversity and when catching only nine mice we often have four or five different species! The carnivore density in the area is low and our carnivore stations are attracting small cats and civets on sporadic occasions. In contrast the large mammal movement through the area is high and in areas with more large mammals we have been catching less small mammals. The butterfly assemblages vary depending on the site and some are full of the beautiful Charaxes species while others seem to contain a high proportion of the less spectacular Junonia species. This work is continuing on from last phase and through ten sites we will have a good idea of the factors influencing these assemblages.
Our large mammal work continues and just this week we hit our goal of 24 transects. The animal movement through the area mirrors what we find in the small mammal grids. Buffalo, elephant, bushpig and hartebeest are the most common throughout however some LMTs have included much rarer species (in the area) such as eland and sable. We have surveyed an area of 7 sq km and upon analysis will have a good idea of animal movement and direction. We have been noting the direction of every animal path and after analysis we will be able to tell if animals are moving systematically from the Selous to the Kilombero or if the movements are more random.
In the past few weeks we have moved past the pilot stage in our amphibian work and are looking at exciting relationships between amphibian assemblages in pristine forest and those in local rice paddies. Fertilizers and pesticides have an adverse effect on frog populations but in this area more frogs are found in local farms than in forest areas. Through systematic surveys we will document exactly how the use of herbicides, pesticides and fungicides affects the amphibian population here. We have already surveyed five farms and two forest sites and the diversity and density is much higher in the farm plots. As this project is just beginning we are all excited to see what the results will bring. In another new project the mysteries surrounding the presence of Golden Orb spiders in an extremely high density in this forest are on their way to being solved. We have surveyed and measured over 30 spiders across several different plots. The spiders are so abundant in this area that overnight new spider webs appear in the road, in our eating banda, everywhere.
Throughout the month of February we conducted social surveys in ten local villages. Two surveys were run simultaneously, the first looking at attitudes to western vs. traditional medicine and the second looking at the local peoples' perceptions of the environment. Traditional healers continue to be highly revered and they are seeing their customer base expand but the vast majority of local people say that they prefer western medicine. The results of both surveys are still being tabulated and should tell us invaluable information about local attitudes in the area. We will use the results to better engage the community in local conservation efforts.
Lastly, in addition to social surveys we also visited four different schools in February. This phase we combined these visits with an environmental education lesson for the standard 7 children with English and Maths lessons for the younger levels. The kids were extremely interested in our environmental message and bombarded us with intelligent questions at the end. Two school days also ended in friendly football matches between the children and Frontier staff & volunteers. After drawing the first match we came back and won the second match!
We are all excited to sit down over interphase and enter and analyze all of the data collected so far. The preliminary results are promising but we can't say anything definitive until all the data has been collected!
Red colobus and elephants on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 1st February 2008
So we made it to sunny Tanzania- and I can't believe how much fun I'm having already. When we first arrived we spent a couple of days at Shamba camp, a breathtaking set up situated in the middle of acres of luscious forest, and we were immediately involved with really amazing activities such as behavioural observations on the endangered Iringa Red Colobus which was something I've always wanted to do - I've never been that close to a wild animal before. The monkeys were so interesting to watch as they interacted with their beautiful natural surroundings- their behaviour is almost human!
We then made the big move to our new camp, Sayari Camp, by pickup truck! It was so incredible to be racing across the savannah in the blazing sunshine with the breeze through our hair, catching sight of lions pacing across the plains and even having to stop to let a group of elephants cross the road! The first thing we did when we arrived was set up the vital bar area, which is now a favourite hang out at the end of a busy day in the field! Just a few days ago we threw our first party of the phase and everyone dressed up as mythical creatures- something which is easier said then done in the bush and therefore resulted in some pretty interesting outfits! We had an awesome time partying under the stars in the warm night air filled with the sounds of wild animals- a real dream come true!
The research work at Sayari is now well under way and we are now done with our first Zoosite- a zoological trap site. We've already spotted bushpigs and hartebeest and we've got some really exciting results from our large mammal transects, discovering herds of elephants, buffalo and elegant zebras which has really brought it home that we are out adventuring in real African wilderness.
In the last few days we leave for our first satellite camp where we will continue our Zoosite work and start with our night time bat surveys. This will involve us leaping after bats, nets outstretched, and having loads of fun in the process! I can't wait to see these fascinating creatures up close- the whole experience of this project has been an absolute dream come true and the time has literally flown by, I am going to be so sad to go home. I can't wait to see what the next 7 weeks will bring!
Science Update
Following our move to Sayari Camp everyone is extremely enthusiastic about the science that awaits us. We spent the first few days of phase at our old camp, Shamba Camp, collecting a bit of extra data on the endangered Iringa Red Colobus. We have been following the same troop in a highly fragmented habitat for over a year now so it was nice to check up on the monkeys and to confirm they were all still accounted for. More importantly it gave us a bit more data to better understand their behaviour. However the area around the old camp is highly disturbed and people are pouring into the area to establish small farms. Thus it was very refreshing to arrive at our new camp in the middle of a pristine wilderness. After a day of building we dove right into the science program.
First up was our Zoosite work. This phase we are focusing on mammals and butterflies/moths at our Zoosite locations hoping to continue collecting biodiversity data on butterflies in the area and to explore the interactions between large herbivores and small mammals. Thus RAs have been jumping, running and doing cartwheels all in the hopes of catching that elusive butterfly. In just one Zoosite we are already finding some species in the Papillionidae family, bright big colourful ones that are few and far between at previous sites. Checking the canopy traps has become quite the ordeal as each one is stock full of butterflies! After only two days of surveys everyone can recognize on sight some of the more common species such as Junonia terea elgiva and Bicyclus safitza safitza, two species that are likely to show up again and again. This phase we have also added moths to the mix.
On the mammal front the results have been a bit less exciting. With one hundred small mammal traps set we had high hopes of finding some interesting rodent species. Unfortunately through five nights of trapping we have only come up with one lonely mouse and a Mus minutoides at that! The large mammal transects through the Zoosite have been much more exciting. On their first trip out the RAs were quite pleased with their tracking skills when they identified several zebra tracks on their own. Other tracks included buffalo, duiker, sable and hartebeest. The highlight of the first Zoosite was sighting several hartebeest amongst the traps.
Large mammal tracking has also begun in earnest. Our new camp is only 20-30 km away from the Selous Game Reserve and animals are known to move from the reserve to Kilombero floodplain. With our large mammal transects we will be quantifying this movement in an area that has not yet been studied. On our first trip out we came across fresh elephant dung and saw two bush pigs lounging in a glade, a rare sighting on any occasion! To reach the second transect we walked through an amazing wilderness of open glades, dense riverbeds and rocky outcrops and were rewarded with many tracks and signs despite the difficulty of tracking a day after the rains. To top it off the transect ended at the base of a large hill that we plan to climb in February. Throughout phase we'll be doing over 20 of these transects so odds are good that we will come across some interesting tracks and hopefully have a sighting or two of large mammals thrown in there!
Tomorrow we'll pack up camp and head off on our first satellite camp to run another Zoosite, continue with large mammal tracking and begin bat surveys.
Attracting lions on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 10th December 2007
Life on camp is drawing to a close and it's hard to believe the amount we've packed into the last few weeks. Time has flown by since our initial arrival when we were given our first tour of the camp attractions including the delightful long drop toilet, something I know find hard to imagine life without!
The last couple of days have been spent on a satellite camp set deep in the unexplored African bush and we've had fun adjusting to a life even more basic than base camp! This was a fantastic opportunity to gain a better access to the sites where we continue our research into the effect of varying levels of disturbance on butterflies, spiders, rodents and birds in the area.
We have enjoyed regular encounters with snakes, new and exciting species, tropical thunderstorms and torrential rain followed by bright, bewildering African sunsets! If this wasn't enough excitement, evenings have offered a selection of often strange but delicious meals, ranging from scrumptious homemade pizza to chapatti wraps and banana and pineapple crumble!
Some of the most exciting work we've been doing surrounds research into lion calls. This involved playing recordings of animal calls such as hyenas, buffalo calves and other lions over large speakers and observing the response from the lions. This has produced some interesting results and plenty of exciting spottings of both lions and hyenas, a highlight of the trip for many of us!
We've had fun getting to know the local people culminating in a much anticipated football match with the local kids ending in a humiliating defeat for us! Aside from losing at football we did have a chance to save face and teach our rivals about something we were actually good at. Lessons about the research techniques we were using and the results we'd gained during our visit to their country seemed to go down well.
Now the end of phase is drawing near, along with the welcome of Christmas. I will miss the African sun, the excitement and adventure this country brings, and I speak for all the RAs when I say this will not be our last visit to this magnificent country.
Science update
A hectic phase draws to a close as we work from a satellite camp (‘Wadudu Camp)' sampling at our fifth and final zoosite, in an area of undisturbed miombo woodland. This completes our assessment of rodents, ants, spiders, frogs and butterflies in a range of miombo habitat displaying different levels of disturbance. Throughout the last two zoosites BTEC projects have been well underway, investigating the effect of different canopy trap heights on butterfly captures, catching mantids and compiling bird species lists. Research surrounding the Udzungwa red colobus has been progressing very well, with all the trees used by the monkeys numbered and specimens taken for identification. Focal observations of the monkeys enable us to determine which trees are utilised by the monkeys for a range of different activities.
Community work has also been conducted this phase, so far 16 villages have been surveyed within the Ulanga and Kilombero Districts, assessing the impacts caused by crop raiding, large local companies' activities, and immigration. We have had three rewarding education days at the local primary school, addressing environmental issues from the sustainable utilisation of resources to the importance of wildlife corridors. We introduced children to some of our research techniques, and our last visit culminated in a football match that we lost 2-0.
The other exciting activity occurring for one phase only has been research assessing the effectiveness of a range of different lion call-in techniques. This involves the playback of lion calls, hyena calls, and a calling buffalo calf. So far several hyenas and lions have been spotted, and this has been a hit with everyone, despite the lack of sleep!
So phase is nearly at an end, and we are in the process of wrapping up research at Shamba Camp, before spending the last few days finding a new camp for Savanna, ready to begin a new year and a new exciting research plan.
Prowling leopards on Tanzania Savannah
Tanzania Savannah - 30th October 2007
Our first four weeks in Tanzania have proved to be very exciting. After an initial introduction to the hustle and bustle of Dar es Salaam we had a very scenic train ride to Ifakara through the Selous Game Reserve. Upon arrival at Shamba Camp we enjoyed getting the camp shipshape and preparing for the science work in store for us.
Cooking on camp has been an interesting challenge, with some ‘different' variations on bread being produced! But we have achieved bean burgers and pizzas, not to mention pineapple crumble and banoffee pie, and our culinary achievements are sure to continue to impress.
We have become fast friends with Malaria Cat, the very cool camp cat, rat catcher extraordinaire. And we have another feline visitor to camp, Mr. Chui the leopard has been heard on several occasions prowling the camp's boundaries. Makes you think twice about those late night visits to the long drop!
The science programme has provided us with opportunities to overcome our fears of mice and creepy crawlies, and chasing after spiders is really good fun - we've caught some monsters. We've also discovered that mice are really cute and that ants, other than the siafu - the cause of several field strip-teases - are pretty cool too! We're looking forward to the challenges ahead, and hope that the coming rains will reduce the temperatures - its absolutely boiling here, a nice change from England!
Science update
The end of the dry season has seen much of the miombo woodland surrounding Shamba Camp alight. This has given us a considerable challenge in finding suitable areas for our zoosites. So far we have completed two 7-day zoosites, where we are sampling small rodents, butterflies, spiders and ants. At our first trap site we were trapping 45 rodents a night, out of 100 traps! Numbers returned to the expected 15 a night at the second zooosite. Collecting spiders and ants is proving to be interesting as there are plenty of species that we are collecting through a range of sampling techniques. The butterfly trapping is as productive as ever, with RAs running through the forest after those elusive Papillionidaes; a bounty now rests upon their capture.
The surveying of the Udzungwa red colobus habitat and focal observations of the monkeys themselves is going well. Following an initial scare when the monkeys proved very elusive they have now been located and are entertaining us throughout the focal observations. We have succeeded in numbering all the trees within the fragmented patch of riverine forest that the monkeys inhabit, now the challenge is to identify them.
Possible development with the science programme may include lion callback surveys and social survey work, but many variables have to be addressed before work can begin.
Discovering colobus monkeys on Tanzania Savanna
Tanzania Savanna - 31st August 2007
Well we are all preparing to head home now after a fantastic and eventful 10 weeks here in Tanzania. After 5 weeks we moved from the cosy forest camp to the new setting of Shamba camp next to the flood plain and in the midst of the open Miombo. This has brought with it enffcounters with buffalo on camp and the shrieks that accompanied Christina’s discovery of a green Mamba in the long drop! The truck only got stuck once, however pulling a 15 tonne truck out of thick mud was exciting to say the least and fortunately Malaria the cat has returned to camp, much to Ely’s pleasure, although so have the Tarantulas!
Forays into the surrounding woodlands and forest fragments have rewarded us with the pleasure of daily research on the endemic and highly endangered Udzungwa red colobus and given us glimpses of Sykes monkeys. Working in the local villages undertaking social surveys to try and discover the impact animal crop raiding has on the local community has brought us into close contact with the people directly affected by the wildlife we’re trying to conserve. This has given us great opportunity to become involved in the local school, teaching and playing sports, not to mention beginning a pen pal scheme with a UK school and fundraising for a new roof. If this all sounds too much, we have had the pleasure of an Italian chef cooking pizza, camp Olympics (won by Duma, although cheating was accused ) and our very own wedding (although I will avoid the details).
I must go now the camp bar beckons for one last beer to enjoy sitting under the palms as the sun sets………..I hope you’re all jealous!
Science Update
The move to Shamba Camp halfway through phase proved to be fruitful. This followed a period of intense research as part of a pre felling biodiversity for the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC). The research assistants are extremely confident with large mammal transects and have found more antelope species within the open grassland habitat such as puku, eland, hartebeest, sable and waterbuck. A separate group of staff have been working near the town of Lupiro as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment for KVTC. This has been intense but it is going well; finding fresh leopard kills was an exciting twist! Social surveys have been carried out in Lupiro to gather information regarding crop raiding as part of the EIA. Surveys have also been carried out in the Kilombero Valley to investigate crop raiding, wildlife utilisation and predator perception. The research into the Udzungwa red colobus monkey has also been stepped up a gear by integrating a habitat composition survey into the focal surveys. This work has also been complemented by a social survey along their habitat to investigate the pressures and human-wildlife conflict in the area.
We have also been building relationship with the local primary school in Namwawala; participating in English lessons, sports events and general maintenance. The four BTEC students have provided us with vital research as part of their BTEC surveys, on elephant crop raiding, the impacts of wildlife utilisation upon local communities, persecution of the Udzungwa red colobus monkeys, and vegetation mapping of primate habitat.
Tracking leopards on the African Savanna
Frontier - 31st July 2007
The time spent with Frontier has been one of the most rewarding, exciting and often exhausting experiences of my life. From long days spent tracking elephant, leopard, and large mammal prints to chasing butterflies in the sweep nets and trapping and identifying reptiles and amphibians - there was never a dull moment.
I have learnt vast amounts of science survey techniques whilst being surrounded by beautiful miombo woodland scenery in the Kilombero Valley and discovering spectacular waterfalls providing refreshing showers after a long trek upriver. During my life on camp I cemented lifelong friendships and developed great bushman camping skills.
I will never forget this Tanzanian adventure and most importantly the experience and skills which will prove invaluable to my career development in the environmental sector.
Science Update
After nearly a year away July observed the return of Frontier Tanzania research program to Simba Camp in the Kilombero Valley. From this base we’ve been under a heavy time pressure to complete a survey of 600 hectares in order to provide recommendations for the environmental management of the area. The first weeks have been tense traversing rugged terrain conducting butterfly surveys, traipsing after our resident ornithologist. At dawn and dusk we had the privilege to capture some of Tanzania’s ‘little 5’ – elephant shrews!
The data collected during his phase will help a local Tanzanian organisation to better manage woodland providing a sustainable income for Tanzania and giving our volunteers a taste of what conservation work is really about.
The next few weeks will be equally challenging as we return to Shamba Camp to continue our ongoing research,. The valuable work that we’re collating – on large mammals, Red Colobus monkeys and environmental degradation – will help to determine the next step for conservation in the Kilombero Valley.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st June 2007
Week 10 has just started and no one can quite believe how quickly time has flown by! We've been really busy the last few weeks with two satellite camps at Tengo camp near Mlimba, a six hour drive from camp through mountains with stunning views of the valleys and waterfalls. While we were there we were lucky enough to spot duiker, sable, crocodiles, hippos, warthogs, as well as hearing elephants, leopards and lions.
Camp life is amazing fun: the siafu are still around keeping us on our toes, and the rainy season has definitely not ended yet! A lot of our bird transects go through flooded fields but its quite refreshing to wade through knee-high water in this heat.
We have just finished the BTEC surveys which included social surveys in local villages, rodent capture and identification and an experiment to find out how fermented butterflies like their bait.
We are all becoming excellent chefs too, with some of the best pizzas and pasta I've tasted being cooked on our open fires. Sadly our football skills are not quite as good, we played the local village team on our day off and they beat us 4-2. They take their football very seriously out here!
Finally, we've got some new members on camp at the moment as the farmer that we live with has got 3 puppies, Arnie, Squiffy and Chili. They are busy keeping camp duty distracted during the day and delaying our fieldwork by stealing socks.
Science Update
Science work is drawing to a close as we start week 10, having completed a number of large mammal surveys, bird counts, primate observation, rodent work, butterfly capture and identification and vegetation transects. We have also successfully carried out two satellite camps at Tengo camp, near Mlimba. Bird surveys were carried out on the river where we identified numerous kingfishers, and even saw crocodiles basking. We finally saw some wild animals during SAT camp game drives, with duiker, sable, warthog and hippo all found in the area.
The BTEC surveys have finished now, with a range of topics being studied including rodent diversity, butterfly canopy experiments and some questionnaires directed at local farmers to discover issues they face with animals in the area. We discovered that there are still elephants using the Ruipa corridor from the surveys, and a few days later found tracks near camp.
The primate surveys have become more successful throughout the phase as we have explored the Ifakara river, mapped vegetation and found where the colobus hide from us. Bird surveys have also improved with fewer bird calls escaping identification now.
We also managed to place six camera traps in the surrounding miombo woodland in hopes of snapping some animals using the area. We'll find out if we got any in a few weeks when the films are developed and studied.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st April 2007
We had barely touched down in Dar es Salaam before we were squashed into the "chimpanzee" bus with the locals for our eight hour journey to Ifakara. Yet for such a lengthy trip, time passed relatively quickly due to a combination of stunning scenery and some good sightings of elephants, giraffe and zebra along the way.
We used our two days in Ifakara to fill our bellies with as much food as possible in preparation for ten weeks of rice and beans before we finally deployed to our camp in Kilombero Valley.
Now we've been here for just over a week and have begun to fall into something of a routine: the days are filled with varying amounts of surveying, lectures and camp duties. Of course, carefully laid plans are also subject to change in the event of the truck breaking down quite likely), torrential rain (very likely) and leaving camp for malaria tests (inevitable).
So far in the field we have been introduced to multiple bird species, the black and white colobus monkey and its scarcer relative, the red colobus, as well as learning to track large mammals by their prints and
- more often than not - their poo. This is not to mention the very poisonous boomslang snake by the food banda, the lines of ferocious siafu ants patrolling the slops bucket, and the yellow baboons which congregate in the trees behind the long drop.
We are looking forward to starting more surveys, going on satellite camps and the promise of more unique party nights set against the spectacular African sunset.
Science Update
The science work of phase TZS072 is just beginning after a week of training. The volunteers were given talks on large mammal tracking, primates, macro-invertebrates, birds and butterflies in preparation for an exciting programme of work in the threatened Ruipa wildlife corridor.
As in last phase we are monitoring the movement of animals through Namwai Forest, an important island of miombo woodland surrounded by farmland in the wildlife corridor. We are expecting elephants to move through this phase, coinciding with the rains. We hope they do as this will indicate the good health of the corridor. We already know that buffalos are in the area - we saw several hour-old tracks the other day while conducting bird surveys.
The primate surveys are continuing, with a special focus on the IUCN Vulnerable Udzungwa red colobus. This phase we plan to survey the Namwai area comprehensively so that we can assess the population status of this beautiful monkey.
The bird surveys have already turned up one new record for us since working in the Ruipa area - the red-backed shrike. We have also been treated to some glorious views of martial eagles, the largest African eagle.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st March 2007
We were attacked this morning with shouts of surprise from our cook who discovered a herd of buffalo outside of our camp. Luckily her cries frightened them off - or maybe they were just passing through - and they continued on their way, wandering off into the distance.
Buffalo is not the only creature we have been fortunate to see this phase: red colobus monkeys jumping from tree to tree, giraffe ten metres from our bandas when we went out on safari, four lions (from a distance!), and a leopard on our camp! Not to mention the newest member of the Tanzania savannah project-malaria the kitten.
As usual, the Frontier team was thrashed at football when we did one of our community days. As usual, we've woken up every day to bright sunshine and the calls of exotic animals. As usual this phase has had its ups and downs (many more ups then downs). As usual some days were more trying than others. As usual, in Africa, nothing is usual!
We are about to leave camp behind us, packing up the mosquito-bitten people and careworn things that have occupied savannah camp from January to March 2007. Although we will leave no trace behind us, we will take with us an amazing experience on the Tanzanian savannah.
Science Update
During the second half of this phase TZS conducted more large mammal transects in Namwi Forest; continuing to assess a section of wildlife corridors that runs between the Ngzungwa Mountains Natural Park (UMNP), the Kilombero Valley, and the Selous Game Reserve. The densities of animals signs is high, with tracks of buffalo, kudu, puku, bush pig, leopard, and water mongoose recorded.
Five BTEC projects were incorporated into these exciting weeks and data was collected on: monitoring raptor activity in grassland; studying rodent and slug diversity and abundance in miombo woodland and grassland; the diversity and number of reed frogs was found to be high, including growth in high-density of a subspecies of Hyperolius eiridifladus was found in the Kilombero area. In a riverine forest strip along the Ifakara River, two studies were done on the rare and endangered iringa red colobus; behavioural change during habitutation of the red colobus, and on the association of the red colobus with the black and white colobus who share their habitat.
The science work undertaken this phase has been seriously limited by the ill-health of the research team; still the research assistants have acquired comprehensive fieldwork experience and developed practical research skills.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st January 2007
Our first few weeks in Tanzania have been fantastic! After a great evening out on our arrival in Dar es Salaam we all headed south to Ifakara by dala dala (local bus) with our bags on the roof! After a number of breakdowns, we finally arrived in Ifakara for a tasty ‘chipsi mayai' (chip omelette).
We hired a big truck to take all the equipment to the camp and set off full of anticipation. In the few weeks since the last RAs had left the camp it had been taken over by two-metre high grass, creating a great maze for us to run around in. The camp is located by the beautiful Idete River and has baboons, vervet monkeys and many fabulous birds.
Our first party night was great fun, involving some of the local drinks such as Konyagi, and Tusker and Kilimanjaro beer. Having parties in such a beautiful environment is like paradise. I don't know how I'm going to be able to go back to a dark London pub after this!
In our spare time we've been exploring the surrounding miombo woodland and grassland and it's been great learning all about the mammals, birds and butterflies. We've had plenty of baboon sightings, as well as the most amazing butterflies any of us have seen. We look forward to more!
Science update
We lost some of the first few days due to a camp move and game guard problems, but our work is now in full swing. We've had interesting lectures on large mammal tracking, birds and butterfly surveying. We've also had talks on environmental good practice and surveying and monitoring for the BTECs. Its been challenging surveying birds as so many of them can only be heard in the wooded habitat, but its very rewarding as we start to recognise all the species. The butterfly sweeping and canopy traps have been very successful.
There have been loads of signs of buffalo and bush pig in our area. We are in an important wildlife corridor between the Udzungwa Mountains and the Kilombero Valley. The animals go through this area on their annual migrations that tie in with the flooding and drying of the Kilombero floodplain. We are all excited at the possibility of glimpsing some of these shy creatures. There are also elephant, eland, sable and puku in the area.
The coming weeks will see us carrying out more transects of large mammals to assess the corridor for its mammal diversity and abundance, and the impact of human activities. We will also try to see the nearby groups of black and white colobus monkeys, which are beautiful. Our biodiversity surveys here will be some of the first carried out so we are excited at what we may find!
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st November 2006
We're into week 8 and time is flying as we've been busy in the field. Sat camp at "Hamna Maji Camp" was great. There was no water so most of us spent the time smelling! The rest used the water pump in the village, which was a bit of hard work collecting the amount we all used! Late one night during fire watch a leopard came very close to camp (all we saw was the eyes in the dark), which was exciting for everyone!
Then back on Siafu camp, we heard elephant nearby (and smelt them!). The other half of our group was away on sat camp so unfortunately they missed out on this experience!
We have been doing lots of BTEC work, there have been some wicked views from the top of some of the hills and some extremely steep climbs, all in the name of science!
We are spending the last two weeks on the floodplain on yet more Sat Camps. So not much time left to spend with the Siafu! Hopefully we will be able to use a small boat to survey the Crocs and Hippos in the Kilombero River. Wish us luck!!
Science update
Sat camp work has been really interesting in the wildlife corridor. We have been continuing large mammal transect work in accordance with other studies being carried out in the area. Notable finds, are tracks of a large herd of buffalo, elephant and puku.
We have also spent a few days at the Ifakara River, studying the Black and White Colobus monkeys. There is an increasing threat to this small population due to the encroachment of humans to this area. We will be speaking to local officials during this phase to initiate an action plan to conserve this population. Questionnaire surveys on crop-raiding in the local villages have been carried out by staff and volunteers with the help of our Game Scouts. Although raiding is minimal at this time of year, bird species such as weaver birds are causing great loss of maize to locals.
Around the base-camp area, miombo woodland and teak plantations are being compared as to the abundance and diversity of large mammal use and butterfly species found. Continued work along the Idete River have allowed us some great bird sightings; namely the long-crested eagle, giant kingfisher, long-tailed cormorant, saddle-billed stork, bateleurs and a pair of resident palm nut vultures.
The next 2 weeks are to be spent on Sat camp again on the floodplain. Using one of the Hunters campsites and their boat we will be able to survey water bird species along the Kilombero River and distinguish the habitats they use. Also we will assess if there is an impact on the diversity and abundance of these bird species due to the use of the river by the fisherman. Other work on the floodplain will include large mammal transects both on the river and on land. If groups of puku are found behavioural data will also be collected.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st October 2006
Well we are finally here after months of preparations and it has really been worth the wait! Tanzania is a whirlwind of sights and smells and we have all been captivated by its smiling, helpful people.
Our flight into Dar es Salaam went smoothly and upon arrival we were able to gorge ourselves on meat at barbeque village and later work it all off dancing to some classic songs in ‘Sweet Easy' bar. The next morning everyone was so busy staring out the window that we barely noticed the bus ride to Ifakara and we were able to see giraffe, impala and an elephant!
After acclimatising to Chipsi Mayai (chip and egg omelette) in Ifakara we drove out to our new ‘Tembo camp' (although it now seems to be named Siafu camp after the number of biting ants that keep appearing, especially in the banda and inside our mozi nets!!), everyone excited that we are the first phase to explore this area of the Kilombero valley. The building work to finish Tembo cemented the friendships betweens staff and team and our first day in the field was marked by an RA's 23rd birthday. Most used the hilly walk to zoo site one as a detox the next morning.
Science Update
The start of TZS064 has seen the project move from its previous base camp by the Mafinji River, to an area close to the village of Idete, north of the Kilombero River. The move, although strenuous in its undertaking, has provided us with a wealth of opportunities for extensive study in previous unexplored and undocumented areas.
The main aim of the work this phase and up and coming phases will be the study of the movements of large mammals from the Udzungwa Mountains National Park through the Matundu Forest Reserve and into the Game Controlled Area of the Kilombero Valley. Having undertaken discussions with various leading scientists in this field, some of whom are already involved in the study of wildlife corridors within the area of the new camp, this seems an ideal area of work in which Frontier can collect valuable data and contribute its expertise.
With phase only 2 weeks old, the work has been focused on the movements of large mammals close to the base camp. Notable finds are tracks of a large herd of buffalo, Syncerus caffer, passing through the area, sable antelope, Hippotragus niger, tracks and numerous signs of elephant, Loxodonta africana, even on the site of the new camp itself.
Bird and butterfly surveys are also being conducted throughout the area close to the camp. Notable sightings include southern banded snake eagles, bateleurs Terathopius ecaudatus, broad billed rollers Eurystomus glaucurus, and African grey hornbills Tockus nasutus. Butterflies are not as common in the area as was hoped for, but as previous studies of the area in 2005 have shown, this may prove to be seasonal and something that can be consolidated in phases to come.
Over the next few weeks, RA's and staff will be undertaking satellite camps to other areas of the Northern Kilombero Valley. This will allow the continued the study of large mammal movements throughout the area, along with conducting environmental education at a number of local primary schools.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st August 2006
With camp numbers dramatically reduced after the mass exodus of four week volunteers camp life at Simba has been somewhat quieter. However, those who remain have been greatly rewarded. Some of the most scenic zoosites to date, the presence of leopard and lion tracks close to camp, going to sleep to the cries of leopard and water mongoose, as well as the appearance of blotched genet, yellow baboon and, of course, the ever present vervet monkeys on Simba Camp have all helped to keep morale at an all time high. To top it off the recently completed satellite camp at the Namhanga KVTC Fire Tower yielded yellow baboons, African fish eagles, warthog and everyone's highlight the spotting of an impressive male sable, thought to be the ‘sexiest of the antelope species'.
Another day of environmental education with the local school children consisted of the flawless execution of three inspiring plays. There wasn't a dry eye in the school after a young Scottish tenor produced what many have described as a main highlight of the phase, a stirring, heartfelt, note-perfect solo rendition of ‘Flower of Scotland'. Fun times had by all. As with all of this phase time stops for no-one, and we find ourselves at week eight already. We look forward to the remainder of phase, which will include a trip to Sanje Falls within the Udzungwas National Park, where blue and white colobus and the endemic Iringa red colobus should be observed. We look forward to the time we all have left on phase.
The last few weeks' fieldwork has been extremely varied, including KVTC land biodiversity assessments, river surveys, wildlife corridor assessments, and crop raiding and land-use questionnaires. The Savanna Project is currently conducting biodiversity surveys based on 3 main taxa: large mammals, birds and butterflies both on and off KVTC land. It is thought that the protection offered on KVTC land against poaching and human disturbance has resulted in these areas holding abundant and diverse biodiversity, especially the large mammal community. Preliminary findings suggest that this is indeed the case with the occurrence of species such as eland, sable, buffalo and leopard higher on KVTC land. This work is ongoing and we aim to produce a final report at the end of this phase.
During a satellite camp to Namhanga a 35-minute drive from Simba Camp (our base camp) we carried out village questionnaires, lake surveys, and wildlife corridor assessments. A RA who is planning to use these findings for his BTEC project developed the village questionnaires. Issues covered in these surveys include the effectiveness of the Game Controlled Area (GCA) in the Kilombero Valley as a means to protect wildlife, and the main threats to wildlife conservation in this region of southern Tanzania.
Namhanga Lake surveys were conducted to aid in a second RA's BTEC project. A fishing ban was placed on the lake 2 and a half years ago, and we are assessing the species richness of fish-eating bird species pre- and post- fishing ban. Initial results would suggest that important wetland bird species such as the giant kingfisher has inhabited the lake since the fishing ban. The results from this survey may be important for predicting similar species richness changes following any potential fishing ban in the continent.
Finally, preliminary wildlife corridor assessments have been conducted within linear natural habitat patches running on the border of teak plantations to estimate the effectiveness of corridors at promoting wildlife movements. Initial findings suggest that corridors with an average width of 100 m situated between 2 cleared areas of land for teak is sufficient at encouraging elephant movements.
A final treat for the group was a mini game drive within a prime area owned by KVTC. The group was lucky enough to observe a number of impressive bird species including the African crowned eagle and several large mammal species of interest including warthog and sable antelope. This was a great way to finish the Namhanga satellite camp, and indeed the 8 weeks of phase.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st July 2006
After a luxurious five star accommodated start to our phase - courtesy of Kenya Airways - we arrived in Dar. Welcomed by the suntanned staff and briefed on what the next phase would entail. From there we headed to a local bar to watch England get embarrassed in yet another world cup game, our last brush with our glorious Nation before deploying to Simba Camp.
Bright and early the next day after a night out in Dar, some of us feeling a little worse for wear, we caught the Chimpanzee Express coach to Ifakara. Heading out into the countryside and through a few national parks we were able to rack up some sightings of elephants, warthogs, zebra, giraffe, baboons and gazelle.
Finally making it to Ifakara after a squashed and dusty 8 ½ hour journey we chilled out in the hostel for a few days with our new dirt tans, had a crash course in Swahili, stocked up on luxury items (jam, salad cream and emergency flip-flops) and tried the local cuisine (chip and egg omelette - eaten using cocktail sticks, chapattis and western variations of spag bol and ‘humbuggers'). We toured the town on rented bicycles, welcomed by small children running out of their houses shouting ‘Wzsungu! Wzsungu!' later translated to us as ‘stupid white traveller'.
A 2½ hour bumpy but exciting truck ride later, the last leg of the journey was complete and we rocked up at Simba Camp battered and exhausted with many questionable bruises. We settled in quickly putting up our mosquito nets in the brand new bandas (after a renegade tree trunk incident last phase) and washing the dust off in the river. After an eventful day and daylight ending abruptly, we were all fast asleep by 9!
Another free day to find our feet and settle into camp life, and then we got down to business. Our large group of 22 RA's was split in half and alternated river mapping and primate behaviour research with edge effects research and large mammal research on and off Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC) managed land.
After a few days getting used to the work and the staple diet of rice and beans, we'd all got into the swing of things, and a few evening lectures on tracks and signs and local birds and reptiles got us all more confident and independent in identification in the field.
Days on camp all merge into the main excitements - spotting civets, otters, hamercops, bushbabies, bee-eaters, monitor lizards, duikers, and leopard, and for some, the highlight of the phase, a bucket full of hand made potato wedges as a special treat.
Now we are starting to head off on satellite camps to Namhanga, and later Mofu. This should be a refreshing change from the woodland savanna environment at Simba, and opportunities to spot some more exciting stuff like hippo and fish eagles. Also as our Swahili improves, a more varied diet is becoming available through cooking lessons (with Diana and Redi, our cooks, teaching us how to make chapattis and doughnuts), and our dodgy attempts at garlic bread and chocolate sauces - all in the name of science of course!
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st June 2006
It's been a physically-demanding phase, but we have all enjoyed it. The phase began with camping near the village of Nakafulu at the Kilombero Valley Teak Company's (KVTC) house. We were based there for around 4 weeks and then moved to new camp for a fortnight, at a KVTC fire tower near the small village of Namhanga. The walks to the survey area were long distance and we all really feel fit after a month and a half of these treks.
Finally, we got down to the legendary Simba Camp for the last 3 weeks of phase. The rainy season had certainly taken its toll on Simba Camp. Upon arriving at Simba camp we were greeted with a huge tree lying across one of the bandas (a bamboo hut)! A couple of days of intense tree cutting saw to the end of that obstacle. A few quick fixes here and there and Simba Camp was good enough to live in. I think the vervet monkeys where pleased to have their neighbours back again!
Work has been fun this phase, with a number of different field techniques used. Everything has been based around elephant surveys and it just topped it all off to see the elephant herds on our camera trap photos. End of phase has come too quickly, but we are looking forward to our slap-up meal at BBQ village in Dar really soon.
Miombo biodiversity assessments, with the emphasis on elephant movement routes have been a major part of TZS062's work programme. The first assessments were conducted at an area called Nakafulu in the Kilombero Valley. Elephant activity within the Nakafulu region was considerable, and we even came across an elephant sleeping quarters in one of the surveyed areas, where a herd of around 6 individuals had obviously rested the night before. We set up several camera traps within the surveyed area, and we were lucky enough to get several herds of elephant on film, including a very small baby. Other species of interest that we recorded include sable and eland, both regarded as conservation-dependent antelope species. We were fortunate enough to have two professional ornithologists working with us this phase.
The findings from both the of this phase's assessments are currently being analysed to provide the Kilombero Valley Teak Company (KVTC) with land management recommendations, preserving main wildlife ‘hotspots' and movement routes through these miombo habitats. The report will include Global Information System (GIS) mapping of these routes, thus providing KVTC with pictorial representations of the biodiversity ‘hotspots' throughout the Nakafulu and Mafinji areas. These reports will contribute to the continued environmentally sustainable cultivation of teak plantations.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st April 2006
Two weeks in to our expedition and we're having our first party night. The theme is tribal and is bringing out the best in our creative abilities: who says that make-up, leaves, sarongs and beer don't mix!?
On first arriving into Dar we were immediately hit by the heat. The next day we endured a less-than-comfortable journey lasting an unexpected 13 hours (accompanied with several breakdowns) to the town of Ifakara. This was remedied with some amazing views of elephants, antelope, and giraffes whilst driving through Mikumi National Park. We spent a few days in Ifakara picking up supplies, experiencing some local cuisine and learning basic kiswahili.
Continuing our journey, we caught a ferry over the Kilombero River, and finally reached camp in the midst of a torrential downpour. Once settled, we spent a day setting up camp on Frontier's new site near a tiny village called Nakafulu.
During the first two weeks of phase 062, we've been busy conducting KVTC pre-felling biodiversity assessments in the Nakafulu area of the Kilombero Valley. Fieldwork has included large mammal spoor transects, human disturbance transects, butterfly canopy trapping, sweep netting and camera trapping. Initial findings suggest that this region of the Kilombero Valley is an important habitat for species like elephant. Other species of interest found within the Nakafulu block are sable antelope, and the southern-banded snake eagle.
During our human disturbance transect, a recent pitsaw site (where illegal logging occurs) was discovered. Human activity of this type has a deadly effect on wildlife in the Kilombero Valley and should be tightly controlled. The next four weeks will entail carrying out further biodiversity assessments in two other blocks in the Nakafulu area. The results from these surveys will be incorporated into a report to be produced by TZS in mid-May regarding the preservation of KVTC-owned land.
Volunteer Diaries
Frontier - 1st March 2006
As our time began to fly by in a haze of satellite camps, our thoughts briefly turned to the big football match: not Chelsea versus Barcelona, but Team Simba versus Itete FC, a local village! After weeks of intense preparation, we arrived at the pitch and begun the match. A great battle ensued: blood, sweat and tears flowed as two great footballing sides fought for supremacy. After a bruising encounter, Team Simba earned a deserved 1-0 victory - the first for Frontier in quite some time.
Euphoric from our football victory, we were rewarded with a meal prepared by staff. Legend has it that the staff meal is one fit for kings, and we were not disappointed. A menu fit for Gordon Ramsey was laid before us: samosas to start, then bangers and mash, with chocolate cake to finish. It must be noted that there were no "hells kitchen" incidents, so a big hats-off to the staff for a brilliant meal.
The last three weeks of phase have involved a variety of studies including continued crop raiding assessments, puku surveys, wetland bird surveys and miombo woodland biodiversity assessments. The issue of crop raiding was addressed in the Namhanga and Madabadaba regions to determine the magnitude of this human-wildlife conflict. Initial results suggest that whilst large game species like elephants are blamed for much of the crop raiding in these regions, other animals such as birds and insects may be equally as problematic. Puku surveys conducted at Mofu on the Kilombero Valley floodplain assessed the vigilance levels of the puku population. Early results indicate that mother puku are more vigilant than females without young. The position of the puku individual in the herd, and the age of the animal were less likely to influence the awareness levels. Wetland bird surveys were carried out at Namhanga Lake (at satellite camp) to assess the impact of the fishing ban on the bird community inhabiting the water source.
After packing up camp in a remarkably quick time, we were ready to leave our bamboo homes and return to Ifakara. After that it's onto Dar via Mikumi NP before everyone goes their various travelling ways. We all miss Simba Camp already!