November in Kasanka

 November Update

Yes, it’s almost the end of December and I’m only posting this now, but I’m really battling with the internet here!! I wrote this a few weeks ago:

Baboons at play! It doesn't always appear very gentle!

Things have been going great- I’m slowly but surely learning all the baboons. I’m quite confident with all the adult males now and I’m getting there with the adult females. These are the most important individuals to learn as the research is very much focused on them at present (especially their interactions). I’m already starting to form my favourites, and my least favourites! They all seem to be ok with me; there haven’t been any serious or aggressive incidents so far (touch wood!!)

Bat season sign

One of our lovely signs as a gentle
reminder to tourists

This isn't the bats in the morning,
but rather the evening from Fibwe Hide.

   



Alex and I finally made it up the BBC hide to watch the bats come in one morning, it was literally indescribable. The stunning dawn sky only added to the whole experience. It’s one thing to watch them fly out in all directions from one place in the evening, but to see them come from all directions back to that one spot of forest is just spectacular. 

Elephants outside camp (smelling us!)

Elephant outside camp!

On my last night alone at camp while Liz was away, I was awoken around midnight by some noise outside my tent. It sounded like something taking a huge breath and it took me a few seconds to realise it was an elephant! I was scared, but definitely equally, if not more, excited. I don’t think I’ve ever lay as still as I did then! It stayed at my tent for about 15 minutes and even touched it a few times. I’m amazed by how silently they can move; when it left I didn’t hear anything bar the sound of its breathing gradually moving away and the occasional twig snap. So even though I’d been within metres of an elephant, I couldn’t technically say I’d seen one here yet. However, the herd did move passed camp about 2 weeks later so I finally got a sighting! The camp attendant from the scout camp came to tell us they were near and we got to see around 15 of them crossing the road outside our camp. Incredible to think we live with them!! I also got to see them all again crossing the Chinyangali Plain, which was amazing, but not as special as having them right on our doorstep! 

The herd crossing the Chinyangali Plain

The river at Pieter's farm

I got to visit a local farm owned by a South African man named Pieter. He is very much into organic farming and has started tobacco farming. It was lovely to visit the farm and see everything, especially his orchard and garden which were full of fruit and vegetables (which are a real treat when you live in the bush!). A beautiful river runs through his property and we went down to see it joking that there was going to be a crocodile (as many people swim there) and sure enough there was a 2m long croc near the river bank! Crazily, Pieter still went for a swim! 

Liz taking measurements of the dead baboon

Unfortunately, a baboon got trapped in a snare on Pieter’s farm (obviously Pieter didn’t set it!) and died before he could rescue it. While this is sad and further proof of the poaching problems here, it did have a benefit in that Liz and I were able to take biometric measurements from the body (it was a sub-adult male). We buried the body in the hope of retrieving our first full Kinda baboon skeleton once decomposition is complete. 

We also had a barn swallow fly into the dining room one night and perch near us- a sure sign something was wrong. Sure enough the poor little creature was dead the following morning, but once again it wasn’t without a benefit! It turned out the swallow had been ringed in Cape Town in 2008 and we were able to contact the University and pass on the GPS co-ordinates of where it died. 

The swallow in our dining room

The rains have finally arrived in Kasanka. Torrential
rain from inside the dining room!

Rainy season has finally started in Kasanka. After threatening since I got here, we hear thunder and receive at least a bit of rain almost every day now. Plus there’s the occasional full-blown, amazing thunderstorm. And with the rain has come a new lease of life in the park. Everything is green now! When I arrived only a few weeks ago, the landscape looked dead and brown, but now there’s luscious green everywhere. Edible mushrooms have started to appear on anthills; these are absolutely delicious fried with butter and garlic! We also came across a rare and stunning Black Lily (Amorphophallus abyssinicus), as well as a tortoise (who was kind enough to quickly pose for photos with us!). While it’s lovely to see everything come to life and flowers appear everywhere, heavy rain does hamper our research. But there’s also work to be done on the computers so time is never wasted here at Kinda Camp! 

Me with Mr Tortoise

Edible mushrooms fresh from the forest (safely ID'd by our scout!!)

The beautiful Black Lily (Black Arum)

I got to travel to the nearest town Serenje (about an our and a half drive away) twice this month. Firstly, I went with Liz to pick up some shopping and also just so she could show me around the town. I then had to return on the 27^th November as my Business Visa was expiring and I needed an extension as my Work Permit has yet to come through. Zambia only gives month long visas, and even though as an Irish citizen I don’t actually require a visa, I still need a stamp every month while I’m waiting for my work permit. Serenje is a small and typically African town, but you can buy a cold drink, fruit & vegetables and, most importantly, chocolate! There’s not much more you need really.

A view of Serenje market

With the Conservation Club Girls; Charity,
Selina, Agness & Victoria
(Photo by Elizabeth Winterton)

I also got to meet the girls who are members of the Girls Maths, Science and Conservation Club which Kasanka Baboon Project coordinates. They come to the Conservation Centre just outside the park and receive lessons in (obviously!) maths, science and conservation, as well as computers and life skills. They seem like a lovely group and I can’t wait to work with them over the next year. I feel so privileged that not only do I get to conduct research on primates, but I also get to be involved with the community and have a whole new range of experiences. I couldn’t have wished for a better job; it ticks every box for me! Feeling very lucky and looking forward to December, Christmas (!) and 2013! 

Oh Africa!

News from Zambia!!

I have been in Zambia for two weeks already (although with the internet being very iffy here, it’s likely this will be posted quite a bit later than that- I was right, here I am on 11th Dec finally with some decent internet connection!!) and I’m only now finding the time to sit down and write something! It has been extremely hectic for these two weeks; settling in, meeting everyone, meeting the baboons!

The sign for the entrance to Kasanka National Park, an unfenced, privately-owned and run National Park, and my new home!

Here’s a synopsis of my first week here:

I had my graduation on 25^th October and left for Zambia less than 48 hours later at 6am on Saturday 27^th October. I had a sleepless night followed by a sleepless flight, but, as always, KLM were brilliant. Great food and service! I was met at the airport by Liz (current camp manager) and several friends she’d made at the backpackers. I knew pretty much straight away that we would get on great! We all headed to a bar for a drink but at that stage I was nearly delirious from lack of sleep so I definitely felt the effect of one bottle of cider (Savanna! Back in Africa- back to drinking Savanna!)

This is my current bedroom. There’s a bed in there and
enough room for all my stuff so it’s great. I will be moving
 into a larger safari tent once Liz leaves though.

The following day, 28^th October, we visited the Sunday market at “Arcades” where I gave into purchasing stuff (a bag and a painting) despite the crazy amount of luggage I already had- KLM allowed two bags for free. We got a Zambian sim for my phone and began organising my application for my work permit. We then went by mini bus (quite the experience in Africa!) to another shopping centre called “Manda Hill” and later again we went to another, “Levy”, to do the monthly shopping for camp at Pick ‘n’ Pay (another familiar name to me from South Africa). I already love the heat and being back in the sun! We stayed at Lusaka Backpackers that night and had a few drinks with people, as well as a lovely BBQ for dinner.

This is our basic little kitchen equipped with a gas stove and
a sink (there’s a barrel on the roof that we fill to get running water!) 
We can make an array of food between the stove and our
little brick oven outside- banana bread, pizza, fried rice, pancakes, 
wraps, yum!

This is our little dining room/office where
I’m sitting right now.  It’s lovely and col during the day
and is where our one and only power source is.
When we’re not out in the field- this is where the
magic happens!

The following morning, 29^th October, we headed to hand in my work permit application and all went well except for the fact that my degree certificate from UCC is in Latin and they won’t accept it. So we’ve had to organise for it to be officially translated and I’ll need to wait a little longer for my work permit. Unfortunately, while visiting the fruit and vegetable market, my iPhone was stolen from my bag while it was on me without me even noticing (TIA!). Quite upsetting and stressful on my second full day in the country, but of course it could have been much worse (my passport/purse/whole bag!). So I’ve lost all my lovely going away texts and notes I’d made, but other than that I had most of it backed up luckily. It just means no mobile internet for a while, and also no Instagram which is a real shame as I’m involved in a nature photography group there (@InstaNatureLover- check it out!) and now can’t access it. Hopefully insurance will be sorted out shortly! In the meantime, luckily Liz has a spare old Nokia so I can at least make contact with home!

At 3pm that day we got on the bus for the 8 hour trip to Kasanka National Park. The trip was fine and it was bizarre to see such a long road with so little on it, including very few roads off it. I really am going to be isolated! We arrived just after 11pm and we collected at the gate by scouts and brought to Kinda Camp; my home for the next year!

One of my first photos and sightings of the
Fibwe Troop of baboons I will be studying for the next year.

Another of my first sightings. Notice the pure
white infant! Kindas give birth not only to black infants
(as is the case with all other baboon species)
but also white, black & white, grey and black & grey.
We are unsure of why this is, but presumably it’s
down to genetics.

The next morning, 30^th October, I unpacked in my little tent (equipped with a bed- luxury! But no electricity. I can’t complain though, we are one of only several points in the park that have a charging point from solar power) I also got to visit Fibwe Hide which I previously wrote about. Strange to visit it after reading about it so much. We then headed out in the afternoon to track the baboons! Myself, Liz and Marley (our armed scout) checked in their usual spots and managed to find them. I got a great view of them as they almost paraded passed (perhaps checking me out as much as I was checking them out!) and now the difficult task of learning to individually recognise them begins. Luckily I have some experience from working with vervets. 

A distant view of bats exiting the bat forest;
literally thousands pour out at a time. Amazing!

We went to watch the bats fly out in the evening (I’ve also already written about this). It was absolutely amazing and really is indescribable! Liz invited people from Wasa Lodge (~7km way from us) over for dinner that night and we sat around a camp fire. It was great to get to meet everyone; from the general manager Ernst, to the park ecologist Frank, to two new Dutch researchers here to study shrikes. Bed early as we were up at 5.30am the following morning! 

Once the sunset starts to kick in, it’s absolutely
stunning to watch the bats. I’ve watched it every day
for almost 2 weeks now and I’m still in awe.

Research is split into two blocks of ten days per month and each day is split into morning and afternoon research (~6am-10.30am & 3pm-6.30pm). We headed out again the following morning, 31^st October, and that afternoon I went out alone with Marley as Liz was going on holiday with her parents and needed to get the bus. That night was my first night at camp alone and there was a HUGE thunderstorm. It was amazing and I hadn’t experienced a proper storm in so long. I counted one thunder roll lasting over 30 seconds and every few minutes the tent would light up from lightning. Funnily enough I felt extremely safe that night as I figured not much would be out in the storm! 

Attempting (and failing!) to get internet signal
up our private hide. I had slightly more success on
Fibwe Hide.

Marley and I went out again the next morning, 1^st November, (I got to use my wellies already!) but couldn’t find the baboons anywhere. We walked over 10km searching for them but they completely eluded us. I got to see much more of the area though which was great. Marley then finished his blocked of work so I had free time until Liz returned in 5 days time (6^th November). Alex, a volunteer with Kasanka Trust for the bat season and living near us, came over at lunch and I went out with him to put up a sign in the afternoon. I didn’t realise quite how long it was going to be and ended up traipsing around Chinyangali Plain in flip flops (and without a scout!). In the evening I started watching videos of the baboons to help recognise them and went up our private hide (which is great for phone signal!) Desmond, our camp attendant, makes great food and I had delicious wraps for dinner. 

The Chinyangali Plain in some beautiful light.
You’re guaranteed to see Puku here, and possible warthogs
and bushbuck. And maybe even an elephant.

Very bad quality as I had to use webcam
 so I didn’t scare him, but here’s Sparky the pygmy kingfisher
on my head!

The following few days were spent adjusting to my surroundings, exploring camp, reading methodologies and looking at photos/videos. On Friday 2^nd November, I cycled to Wasa Lodge with Alex just to see the place (and also borrow their internet!). It’s a lovely little lodge run on solar power and overlooking Wasa Lake. I also got to see a group of zebra that the Trust have bought to release in the park. We also went out at 4am on Saturday (3^rd) to watch the bats come back in which was just as spectacular as seeing them fly out. We hoped to go to the BBC hide to watch (the hide nearest to the bat forest) but unfortunately there were guests. We went to Fibwe Hide just after dawn to look for Sitatunga antelope and I finally got to see my first one! 

While I was back at camp working, a pygmy kingfisher (which is often in our dining room/office) flew in and landed on my head for several minutes! As I was working on the laptop, I managed to surreptitiously open the webcam programme to get a video and a few photos! I’ve named him “Sparky”!! 

And here’s a better photo of him to show how incredibly beautiful these birds are.

And that has been my first action-packed week in Zambia!