Biodiversity in East Africa 2024

Victoria, Alise & Brianna

The long journey home!

On the morning of the 18th, we made our way to breakfast when we were greeted pleasantly by Hannah a lovely vendor selling beautiful souvenirs. Hannah had an array of merchandise such as t-shirts, keychains, bracelets, shoes, bowls, and much more! Notably there was an eye-catching collection of postcards that Hannah detailed were handcrafted by an 87 year old artist in town. With a warm smile, and excellent pricing we all eagerly acquired final gifts for friends and family (and admittedly ourselves!).

We had a relaxing day at the Kolping Conference Centre while waiting for our red eye flight to Amsterdam. We had a final briefing on the guidelines and expectations for the final critical review, and got the chance to talk to Dr. Lougheed and Dr. Wang about our final papers which many of us found relieving! We also spent some last moments together signing each other’s field books & sharing some of our favourite memories.

Harrison absolutely outdid himself for our last Bunduz meal in Kenya with fried tilapia, potato wedges, and guacamole for lunch chef’s kiss. The meals provided on this trip were incredible, and we are so thankful to the Bunduz crew for always preparing enough for seconds, thirds … And fourths!!

Right before leaving for the airport, we said our thanks to Carol, Dr. Lougheed, Dr. Wang, and Dilini by giving them thank you cards. This was an incredible experience that would not have been possible without them!

We then made our way to the airport soaking up our last views of the city Nairobi and then said our sad goodbyes to our wonderful Bunduz staff.

We had some time to kill at the Nairobi airport which was spent eating, buying coffee as well as other souvenirs, and sleeping! Our first flight went smoothly, landing us safely in beautiful Amsterdam. With a two hour layover, some of us took the opportunity to peruse the stores, and take pictures with a giant clog. Our second flight went by quickly, and soon we were saying our final farewells, emotions were high with multiple group hugs.

We’d like to send a huge thank you to Dr. Lougheed, Dr. Wang, Carol, and Dilini for crafting an unforgettable experience and sharing valuable knowledge in the form of lectures and activities across the ecologically diverse locations of Kenya. We are deeply grateful to have been guided by such passionate individuals who encouraged us to explore complex conservational and socioeconomic topics.

We’d like to thank Mukhtar, John, John, Lucas, Kevin, Harrison and the entire Bunduz staff for joining us on this journey. You provided safe transport, exquisite food, meticulous planning, Swahili lessons, and most importantly friendship. Your support and companionship made this trip truly special.

We are so grateful to have had participated in a field course that had been created and delivered with such passion and care. This journey not only expanded our understanding of conservation, ecology and the socio-economic landscape of Kenya; but also enriched our lives with unforgettable memories and lifelong friendships.

This experience has profoundly impacted us, and we look forward to applying the knowledge and insights we’ve gained to our future endeavors. Thank you once again to everyone who made this trip possible and extraordinary.

Class photo in Schipol Airport before Katie departed

Clog shenanigans in the Amsterdam airport

Jomo Kenyatta Airport before the myriad security checkpoints

Our final farewell to the Bunduz crew

Sarah presenting written messages from the class for Dr. Wang, Dr. Lougheed, Dilini, and Carol

Our last moments at the Kopling Conference centre hanging out and signing journals

Hannah

‘We have all the souvenirs we need’ they said. ‘We are all shopped out’ was heard. ‘I have few shillings left’ was the refrain …

Kearsten, Katie & Sarah

Happy birthday to Vikas!!!! 

Last night, we rung in Vikas’ birthday by staying up with him until 12am and serenading him with our scratchy, Tusker influenced voices. Furaha ya kuzaliwa! Nonetheless, it put a smile on his face. 

A bittersweet last morning it was in Maasai Mara today. As the camping experts we have become, we all quickly disassembled our tents and enjoyed our last breakfast out in the field, being sure to take in the taste of the chai as much as possible before heading home. We all gave a hand to the Bunduz crew in packing while we tearfully said our goodbyes to our newfound friends at the Tayari Luxury Tented Camp, Alex and Jackson. Some of us were rinsed of our Kenyan shillings by the Maasai vendors, but you all will be thankful for this back home when you see the beautiful souvenirs. I think it’s safe to say this was a favourite place of many of ours. We then set out on our travels back to the Kolping Conference Center. It’s a crazy thing to think about that we were once at this center still learning each other’s names and faces – and now we can’t imagine going back home away from each other. 

On our way back, we made the long awaited stop at the Sandgrouse Curios Souvenir Shop. Given only 20 minutes to look around at the whole store and bargain, we all rushed around the store. Annnnd all made it back after about an hour and a half. Laughable that we were thought to be capable of making quick shopping decisions. It’s like rounding up cats as Dr. Lougheed would say. After making one more stop for the bathroom (but some of us ended up getting reeled back in for more shopping) we completed the last stretch back to Kolping. We got some amazing things to bring back, even though it may have broke the bank for some of us (ahem Adam) – but when will we get a chance to do something like this again. There’s no doubt that we will all be thankful for the memories as well as these physical items as a reminder of this life changing experience. 

What a bittersweet feeling for us all to be back in the Kolping Conference Center where we began this adventure. While the rooms appeared way bigger and the bathrooms more luxurious, our group felt much smaller and closer now that we have lived as a family for over two weeks – it’s safe to say many of us have gained a greater appreciation for the different ways of life we have experienced over the last couple weeks. 

For our last dinner together we had an amazing pizza party with a variety of toppings, some familiar and some unfamiliar (like tiki vegetarian). After dinner we watched an emotional slideshow that Dr. Lougheed put together for us – each of us contributed 4 pictures, two of people and two of wildlife/nature. Right when the slideshow ended Lukas walked in with the cake that we all got to surprise Vikas for his birthday (thanks to Olin for orchestrating). Needless to say it was a very emotional evening and we will miss all the memories and friends we’ve made on this “safari” (journey in Swahili). We cannot thank Dr. Lougheed, Dr. Wang, Dilini, Carol, Lukas, Kevin, John, John, and Harrison  and all the other amazing people that were part of this experience for all of their hard work and dedication in making this the most memorable and informative trip I’m sure most of us have and will ever have.

Now off to go play our one last final game of mafia together. Kwaheri kwa sasa (goodbye for now!) <3. 

Loading up Mukhtar’s Land Cruiser for his next gig

So many choices …

Tearing down the camp

Vikas and his birthday cake.

Pizza dinner for last night in Nairobi

Nicely patterned gecko

Getting it to fit

Breaking camp

Dilini, Yuxiang and Steve grading our field books

Outside the curio shop

Isobel, Adam and Cassidy 

Today was our last day in the field, and while this was bitter sweet, our day at Tayari Luxery Tented Camp started with a bang when we were served amazing roasted potatoes for breakfast by our new chef Harrison. After this a few of us started washing our clothes in the sink to make sure we have clean outfits for the last two days, optimistic that they would dry nicely in the hot Savannah sun. 

At 10am, we had a great class discussion headed by Dr. Lougheed about the factors that contribute to the formation of the various ecosystems we have visited on this trip to this dramatically diverse country. Debates recommenced at 11: Renee, Rosstin and Hannah started us off with Hannah unveiling her alter ego as Stephen Lougheed for her debate persona to much laughter from the rest of the class. Sarah, Katie and Kearsten presented their debate next, prompting lots of lively discussion about women in conservation. While we debated, Jackson (the camp security guard) set up a blanket displaying various goods for sale, and some of us bought Maasai blankets and knives. After lunch, a herd of goats visited our campsite and had a grand time feasting on shrubs and our garbage to the delight of all (despite Mikaela trying to shoo them away). 

Later in the afternoon we listened to the final two debates, Olin, Mikaela and Lauren and Mica Mae, Megan and Isabella gave us a strong finish to our in-country assignments and Dr. Lougheed thanked us for our efforts that led to such invigorating discussion on conservation and social issues. Popcorn, tea and hot chocolate were a welcome addition to the final debates. Dr. Wang was shown a snake by Lukas during the debates and a few minutes were spent snake hunting once the debate finished but to no avail. Only Dr. Wang saw the long green guy but thankfully he snapped a picture to prove it was there. 

As the rain persisted, we started up a game of mafia and Isobel played God. Once again our evening concluded with an incredible meal and lots of laughter – Isobel took a slow motion tumble out of her chair which contributed to even more giggles. There are whisperings of heading to the camp bar/restaurant to end off our last night in the field but you’ll have to check in on us tomorrow to hear how that unfolds!! We are looking forward to eventually settling in for our last night in the Bunduz tents. We will miss camping and being in the wild dearly but some of us are definitely looking forward to sleeping in beds again.

Bye for now 🙂 

Mikaela, Lauren and Olin debate

Isobel questioning gravity

Dilini in her bright green shirt

Megan, Isabella and Mica Mae debate

Popcorn! Popcorn!

Another delicious dinner

Working under the big tent – no tiny car, giant shoes, no big red nose

Washing

purple grenadier, one of many birds flitting about our camp

Isabella, Megan & Mica Mae

Today we started our day bright and early excited to take on Maasai Mara! We had breakfast at 6:00am so we could make the most of what Maasai Mara has to offer. We were greeted at the entrance with ladies selling colourful jewelry, wonderful carvings, and much more – Mikaela was not easy to persuade but ended up buying 16 bracelets.

As we entered the park we quickly identified some topi and impalas. Next, we joined a traffic jam up ahead wondering what all the commotion was about, until we heard one of the passing cars say “lion”! We got so excited as we slowly approached the bush where she was sunbathing in the grass, completely unbothered. We were even able to spot her cubs rummaging around in the bush behind her! Vikas was very enthusiastic to capture a photo of this beautiful beast. Shortly after, we passed a family of elephants with a fresh newborn strolling through the park. Farther along, we noticed a Maasai giraffe elegantly moving across the long grass, making use of his lateral jaws.

Many of us were thankful to see a bathroom, and as we burst out of our seats, a plane began to take off! Others were occupied by the extravagant array of trinkets displayed across blankets at the stop.

After our quick break, Isabella jumped out of her seat at the sight of a cheetah making its way across the field. As we carried on, some vultures caught our eye – when all of a sudden we were stunned by the sound of cackling hyenas zipping out to steal their food. Moving along, we finally got up close with a young male lion taking refuge under the shade on this hot day.

John (the first) took us on a bit of an off-roading trek to find the optimal spot for lunch (away from the lions of course). We enjoyed pancakes, pasta, and fresh watermelon under the cover of the trees. We had some smaller visitors, Harold and Matilda – the praying mantises (as named by Sarah). After a beautiful break, we packed the truck up with Kevin and Lucas, and got on the road again.

One bumpy ride later (to no fault of the wonderful John) we stopped for a group photo at the border of Kenya and Tanzania – it made for a quick layover. Then, we took a hike along the Mara river, with hippos and Nile crocodiles snapping their jaws in the distance. Robert and John (the third) took us on a lovely tour, stopping for photos with us at the end.

Later on, we walked back to the big red truck, and leisurely drove to the gate, in no particular hurry. On the ride, we passed a ground horn bill and a secretary bird – Dr. Lougheed was especially excited to capture a few pictures. As a final goodbye to the park, a parade of baboons crossed the street in front of us – ending our once in a lifetime Maasai Mara journey – one for the books.

beautiful light

Sarah with Harold

Kevin and Hannah

John our skilled driver

At the Kenya-Tanzania border

lunch in the savanna

Katie

hyena with prize

lesser striped swallow

lioness with cub

marabou stork

secretary bird

dozing crocodile

bustard

Olin, Lauren and Mikaela

Today our group embarked on the long journey from our camp in Kakamega to our final destination of Masai Mara Nature reserve. We woke at 6:00 packed up our camp and bags, and had breakfast. But before we could bid adieu to our home of three days, the troop of baboons made one last walk through of our camp, as if to let us know who’s home it really was. 

We began the 8 hour bus drive to Maasai Mara after the Tetris game of packing the Bunduz bus, or at least we thought we were leaving… Dr. Wang forgot his sunglasses. We proceeded to reverse approximately a kilometre, in reverse, through the forest. Dr. Wang bounded out of the bus, grabbed the glasses, hopped back on and affirmatively announced, “got it!”

Our first stop was to drop our guide Job off in Kakamega town, where we bid a tearful goodbye to our fearless guide. We wish him well in his native forest restoration efforts, and have no doubt he will reign victorious over the invasive plants!

From there we continued our venture. Our next stop was at a mall in Kisumu, a town near the famous Lake Victoria, where we stopped for a “tinkletorium” break and got snacks and some books too. Here we saw . Our merry band entered the mall to stock up on snacks for the trek to Maasai Mara – Safari Puffs, Bang Bang Chilli Chips, and the like. We trickled out and got back on the bus, on the road again. 

It’s interesting – many people on this trip dread blogging the travel days. It’s seems a daunting task to describe a 9 hour journey to you all and make it as exciting as some of our more action packed days (stay tuned for our Game Drive tomorrow). However, when closely examined it is revealed just how amazing the seemingly ordinary can be.

From the smiling faces of school children accompanied by their shouts of joy as we whizzed by, to the bustling markets of Kenyan towns, big and small, draped with colourful fabric and filled with bananas, cabbage, and trucks full of tomatoes, life in Kenya was all around. We drove through rolling hills marked by endless fields of tea, speckled with men and women tending the crop. The rich, red soil that defined the areas around Kakamega slowly transitioned to a dusty brown as the trees thinned. Forest and plantation turned to savannah and grazing herds, the colourful silhouette of Maasai herders juxtaposed against the pale yellow-green of Mara. As we approached our camp, the sun shone through the clouds, its rays dancing off the backs of zebra grazing on the endless sea of vegetation. 

We are now in the prototypical “African Ecosystem.” It is what we and all of you back home imagined when we first broke the news we’d be heading to Kenya this summer. But if this course has taught us anything thus far, it’s that Kenya is defined by its diversity, both cultural and biological. It is normal here to speak three to four languages – as Lucas from Bunduz has taught us. Lake Naivasha, Kakamega forest, and now Masai Mara each have their own unique biological order. All this is captured in the unique beauty of one country – Kenya. We’ve only just scratched the surface.

PS

Mom please answer my texts – Mikaela 

Renée, Hannah & Rosstin

Some of us began the morning with a quick walk through Kakamega forest, guided by our knowledgeable guide Job, while others stayed back and caught up on sleep. We were finally able to see the coveted Brown Throated Wattle Eye (bird), which has been teasing us with it’s iconic call since the first morning we arrived here. Amongst others, we also saw a couple of other bird species that are exclusive to Kakamega forest and surrounding areas including the Buff Spotted Woodpecker, and the Uganda Woodland Warbler. What a way to work up an appetite for breakfast!

After breakfast, Dr. Lougheed talked to us about the word of the day, autodidacticism, or self-learning, a skill that we are expected to develop and exhibit throughout this course, asking Dr. Lougheed, Dr. Wang, our guide Job, and Carol the National Director of Wetlands in Kenya all sorts of questions, seeking to broaden our wealth of knowledge.

We also had a short debrief regarding our frogging endeavour last night. We discussed how frogs compete for acoustic space, ideal areas for males to call and attract females. Dr. Lougheed also told us about the sneaky satellite males, that hang out around a “handsome” sounding male to steal the females that they attract. How rude!

We then took part in the highly anticipated, and exceedingly discussed art activity. The activity took place in three parts and was aimed to teach us how to properly observe, and to notice the details that make each species unique. Dilini ventured into the forest and found us many different flowers, leaves, and other treasures for us to draw. We started by attempting to recreate our chosen plants by sketching them without looking at the page. This was done to teach us the special dynamics of each species, and we all had a good laugh looking at the horror that was displayed within our field books. Next, we moved on to every artists worst nightmare, drawing hands! We had to capture the current state of our hands, in all of their camping glory, every vein, every scratch, and every birthmark to teach us how to be more detail oriented. Finally, we ventured out into the forest in our groups, and chose our own objects to draw. For this we each had one colour that was the dominant colour of our chosen object, and also the only colour we were allowed to use. While the art talent varied, I think we can all agree that we had a lot of fun.

After last night’s exhilarating frog expedition, we couldn’t resist the lure of the pond again (after all, one can never catch too many frogs). Leading our intrepid band of students was Job. Like a wise wizard, guiding young adventurers through a magical forest, Job expertly navigated us through the depths of Kakamega, revealing its hidden biodiversity with every step. Elizabeth’s keen eyes soon spotted a feisty baby African Bush Viper. Dr. Lougheed, armed with his snake tongs (aka. A big salad tong), eagerly rushed to examine the magnificent creature. Dr. Lougheed always complains that whenever he brings out the “Gentle Giant” that are his tongs, the snakes mysteriously disappear, but the mighty curse was broken today. Surrounded by us biology giants, the small viper valiantly tried to compete with Dr. Lougheed but could only manage to strike at his boots.

At hiking intersections, Job played bird sounds to lure out some of Kakamega’s avian inhabitants. We were thrilled to see a Buff-throated Apalis hopping around on the branches, a species that is intriguingly endemic to the Kakamega forest. Dr. Wang, along with some students, continued his water ecology observations. Comparing the results with last night’s findings, we noted that the dissolved oxygen levels were still low as the pond was recuperating from the high CO2 production from plant respiration and metabolism of the pond residents throughout the night. Through the prickly plants, amid admiring dragonflies, we trekked to a fast-flowing stream, there we collected more water samples to learn about the different abiotic factors shaping the evolution of organisms around us. This adventure not only deepened our appreciation for the forest’s rich biodiversity, but also underscored the delicate balance of its ecosystem. By the end of our hike, everyone was exhausted and starving for lunch.

Today was also the day that we began our formal debate exercise, where each group took on the roles of proponent, opponent and moderator to discuss highly current and important ecological topics. With a patient baboon amongst our spectators, the first group to present was Victoria, Brianna, and Alise who discussed whether or not National Parks are a good means of conservation. We then heard from Celina, Elizabeth, Vikas and Betty, moderated by a special guest (Dr. Steven Lougheed himself) who debated the topic of whether ex-situ conservation practices are beneficial for biodiversity. Then we heard from our final group of the day, Cassidy, Adam, and Isobel who discussed whether or not folk medicine is useful, and if it leads to the destruction of habitats. All of our groups did amazing, and so did the rest of the class who followed each presentation with a heavy and heated debate.
Ending off the evening, Dr. Wang gave us a quick talk about the often understudied abiotic factors of an ecosystem, such as elevation as well as dissolved oxygen or pH levels in water that shape the distribution of species around them.

We closed our last night at Kakamega forest with an owl night walk, playing calls of the African Wood Owl in hopes of attracting them out into the open where we’d be able to see them. Dr. Lougheed was finally able to coax one near enough to just barely be able to see its eyes as they reflected the light from our headlamps!
We’ll be writing to you from Masai Mara tomorrow, the last leg of our trip!

bush viper close up

dragonfly in glade

Betty, Celina, Vikas & Elizabeth

Good morning star-shine, the earth says hello:) 

Early this morning we were woken up abruptly by the pounding rain hitting our tents. After quickly falling back asleep, we again awoke for our usual breakfast call time at 8:30 to baboons invading our camp site. After gathering around to capture pictures of them and being careful not to taunt, chef John (the second, named by John, the first), Kevin and Lucas prepared a delicious breakfast for us. After munching on our yummy yummy breakfast, accompanied by “MMM’s!!!”, we began preparing for our lepidopterathon (aka butterfly-a-thon). This was a friendly competition where we split into groups and competed to see who can identify the most butterflies species in 3 hours, with the wonderful help of our guide Job. Our group identified 26 butterflies with  the class identified 55 unique butterfly species all together. Our personal favourites were the African Map Butterfly, the Blue Vagrant and the Kakamega Forester. The Kakamega forest is home to over 400 species of butterflies so this is far from an exhaustive list. During the competition we also came across some baboons, and a Forest Cobra. 

It was a long and hot morning, so when we all came back to the camp site, we were welcomed by the scent of a delicious lunch. We are incredibly grateful to the wonderful Bunduz crew for their immense support and hospitality during our stay. We wouldn’t be able to do or see as much as we have without them holding down the fort. 

After lunch, we learned from the final article presenters (Cassidy, Sarah, Mikaela and Betty), about their associated articles. Then we all started scheduling and practicing our debates, our next and final academic assignment during our stay here. We then had some free time to use as we please, some of us used this time to relax ourselves, and others used this time to rest.  

Yet again, chef John prepared a DELICIOUS dinner for us. If you can’t tell, we eat a lot here, so don’t be surprised if we come back a little more rotund than when we left. 

We then took a trek to a nearby pond to go frogging Dr. Lougheed and conduct some water chemistry experiments with Dr. Wang. Some of us tried to stretch ourselves to do both activities, which was very difficult due to the depth of each of these independent observations and how easily carried away one can become with them independently. 

In the frogging exercise, we quickly familiarized ourselves with the frogs in the wetland. As we arrived to the pond, Job quickly made clear the  Eastern Groove Crowned bullfrog on the log submerged in the green matter (similar to Lemna or pondweed back home) infested waters. Following this, Professor Lougheed got extremely comfortable on the forest floor, setting up a “leaf stage” for what was to come. Individually, students would approach him with frogs they managed to capture, both in the water and on tree leaves by the shore (we learned how to use a gentle cupping motion with our hands), and set them up in the spotlight for Professor Lougheed to capture in celluloid (well in digital really). He had to switch his current lens for a new one, highlighting that he had brought this so he might as well use it! We found out later that these species were: Hyperolius kiviuns, Common Reed Frog, Hyperolius viridiflavus, Hoplobactracus occipitalss (Eastern Groof Crowned Bullfrog), and Xenopus victorianus. They were incredible to see and capture up close!

With the water chemistry experiments, Dr. Wang explained how elevation plays a role in water oxygen and pH levels. We collected samples at night and collected our data, and we plan to collect more data tomorrow during the day, to test Dr. Wang’s hypothesis, that during the day water contains higher dissolved oxygen content and higher pH compared to at night. 

After getting back from this very exciting activity all of us were very tired and went to sleeph

Lala Poha (Sleep Well in Swahili). 

Common Reed. Frog, Hyperolius viridiflavus

Groove-crowned bullfrog

Looking at something

Hannah enthusiastically agreeing that the word ‘tinkletorium’ should be entered into the popular course lexicon.

Frog on frogologist

Walking the Dracena-lined trail

Night selfie

Elizabeth and Vikas looking back

Night maneuvers

Advert for Nikon

Alise, Brianna, and Victoria

Hello! We’re officially halfway through the trip!

Today was our first full day in Kakamega, in the beautiful rainforest (and yes, it rains everyday – usually in the afternoon after some morning hours of sun).

But first, we had quite the time falling asleep to the sound of dogs… or so we thought… John the driver informed us that they were in fact olive baboons that live in the forest around our camp.

We started the day off at 6:45 AM greeted by sunshine and colobus monkeys, ready for our bird walk with our guide Job. Job is very skilled at leading bird walks, with tools such as laser pointers to indicate the location of birds, and bird playback tools including an app, and his own whistling skills. He almost immediately located a tambourine dove high in the tree which he recognized via its song. He also heard the call of a brown-throated wattle-eye; unfortunately it never became appeared, but Job and the bird called back and forth to each other a few times. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous and we saw many incredible birds along our walk including the turacos, purple-throated cuckoo-shrike, African thrush, and tinker birds. We even saw a brown-capped weaver building its nest! Although the walk was intended for seeing birds, we also happened to come across a red-tailed monkey (one of 5 or 6 primate species that can be seen in the forest) and many species of butterflies, including the imperial butterfly and green-banded swallowtail butterfly. The forest path was littered with guava fruit – the monkeys had obviously been snacking! It was great to have someone guiding us, sharing details about the specific species in the forest.
After breakfast we listened to four more paper review presentations from Adam, Isabella, Katie, and Renee wherein we focused on political and managerial perspectives of conservation and their associated implications on biodiversity and conservation, specifically in regards to the lands of Indigenous peoples.
It was a big laundry day today. We learned how to dry our clothes optimally by laying them onto bushes in direct sunlight – this is what the locals do. But we had to make sure they were taken inside before the daily afternoon rain.

After lunch, we had the chance to ID the many species of butterflies that are attracted to the guava around the area. The most common was the blue mother-of-pearl which was beautifully purple-blue on the inside of its wings and brown on the outside to allow it to camouflage, looking like a dead leaf.

Next, Dr. Lousheed came running down from posting the blog with lots of excitement for us to find out that he had a snake in this jacket pocket, a stunning black Lineated blind snake he had captured by the stream. This species is seldom seen as it lives a rather solitary life underground or beneath cover.

Later in the afternoon, we returned to the rainforest to further explore. This time we saw olive baboons, learned about host-parasite relationships in tree species leading to some interesting architecture (e.g. hemi-parasitic figs growing over their ‘host’ tree). Job informed us that the seeds of the tree are viable once they have passed through a bird’s digestive tract, and are left as feces on a host tree. He gave us more interesting information such as the fact that the Dracaena fragrans is a culturally important shrub and that when a young man inherits the land, this particular plant is used to mark boundaries of inherited land. He also mentioned that many trees – such as the Ficus lutea, and Ficus bobo have buttress roots that are a important characteristic for supporting very tall trees in the shallow tropical soils. Many of the trees were around 300-500 years old. It takes many years to achieve this circumference due to competition for light. As we neared the end of the walk, we heard the call of a red-chested cuckoo, also known as the rain bird which told us it was about to rain, and sure enough it did!

While the rain was pouring, we took cover under the canopy and had a very interesting lecture by Dr. Lousheed about environmental DNA and its current and seemingly ‘futuristic’ capabilities in collecting more data about species, their food web, their interactions, and their range!

To end of the eventful day we’ve had, we had a night walk through the forest where we did playback for African wood owls. One did respond; however it was too far away for us to see it. We were hoping to see some frogs and snakes but did not have any luck. Hopefully we have better luck
tomorrow!

Tutaonana baadave (See you later)!

blue mother-of-pearl

Ross’s turaco

Class in front of large buttress roots

Kearsten, Katie & Sarah

After another night of intense games of mafia around the fire with both bonding and (healthy) discord we caught one final glimpse of a hippo grazing out of the water. We’ve made some progress in holding back screams of excitement when spotting them. Key word, some. Before going to bed, we all helped the Bunduz crew take down our large tent and tables which was an arduous task – but many hands make light work! Many of us also made our final phone calls to families and friends before losing service for the next 4 days as we venture into the afro tropical rainforest.

In the morning we awoke bright and early to take down our tents and pack our bags before breakfast at 7am. The hadada ibises and Egyptian geese formed a cacophony in the background as always. They will be greatly missed (not by Olin) as we partake in the next leg of our journey to Kakamega forest. The Bunduz crew made us yet another delicious breakfast and this time there were pancakes!! It was Lauren and Kearsten’s favourite part of breakfast and they made sure to eat as many as possible before the 7 hour long road trip. There was also some arrowroot which was a new food item for some of us – it tasted like starchier potatoes and had cool purple streaks in it. Then we all got together to pack our lunches for the road – there was a huge selection of options for sandwich creations and snacks kindly prepared by the Bunduz crew. While loading the bus, we played the ultimate game of Tetris carefully loading everything onto the bus to begin our long day on the road. The silly little vervet monkeys wasted no time in coming to take care of all our garbage and leftovers. At first Katie attempted to fend them off but to no avail – she eventually had to admit defeat and succumb to their mischief. The monkeys then took this time to try and steal Mikaela’s lunch, but had no success. 

During the bus ride most of us slept, but some of us gazed out the window at the changing scenery. Before Nakuru we stopped at a gas station for a quick break – some of us went to use the washroom which was very different from such facilities back home – with a simple porcelain system on the floor with no raised toilet – an interesting experience. The rest of us went to buy some snacks (Chili boom boom and tingly salt and vinegar chips)! Back on the bus we noticed Lake Ementaita in the distance – ten thousand years ago Lake Ementaita was part of one large lake together with Lake Naivasha and Lake Nakuru, but today they are all separate lakes. We also saw many areas with road repairs after the significant flooding of the past few months. Some smaller tea plantations dotted along the side of the road were another notable aspect of the drive’s scenery. While some towns seemed to rely on more traditional ways of life, others seemed to have a much more successful economy. Some towns seemed to rely on more physical labour and various methods of farming, while others had large houses, malls, and shops. We saw some people chewing on pieces of sugarcane outside of stalls selling long stalks! After this long bus ride some of us will be relying on Victoria’s back cracking and Renee’s back massaging skills for some relief. 

We finally arrived at the campsite in Kakamega at 5:40pm and hastily set up our tents and unpacked before nighttime fell upon us. The bathroom at the campsite was again somewhat rustic with a simple hole embedded in porcelain – we will need to get used to this over the next 4 days! Afterwards we gathered at the tables under the cabana and Job (our new guide for the next few days) introduced himself to us – He has lived in Kakamega his whole life and he can identify any bird we hear by their call even if he can’t see it! Some of us played some cards games and caught up on our field books while waiting to eat. After our delicious dinner, exhausted from the long drive and set ups, most of us decided to pack in early in preparation for an early start tomorrow on a bird/forest walk with Job. Stay tuned for pictures from our walks tomorrow!

Cassidy, Adam, and Isobel

Yesterday’s excitement continued after the blog had been uploaded, with a hippo coming out of the water and being discovered a few metres away from a group of students playing mafia. Later that night Megan woke up at 2 am to discover another hippo grazing just outside her tent (behind the fence of course) and she snapped a great photo! We woke up to our new normal of a goose alarm clock.

After breakfast we got ready for our first official Birdathon; the stakes were high as the winning team had been promised a plate of fries from the campground restaurant. With two and half hours to identify as many birds as possible, we set off, binoculars and cameras at the ready. As with our practice exercise a couple days ago, we were in groups of three to four and could only use field guides to assist us in identifying the birds we spotted. The winning group – Lauren, Mikaela and Olin – identified a whooping 31 birds! Some highlights included a Giant Kingfisher eating a fish, Lilac-Breasted Rollers, several species of Sunbird, Red-Eared Cordon Bleu and a Paradise Flycatcher. The flycatcher was an especially exciting find as Professor Lougheed used his speaker and a recording to call the bird out of the bushes.

Post Birdathon, we had another fantastic lunch prepared by Lukas, Idris and John before we were given some time to relax ahead of an afternoon of enlightening presentations. Some of us spent the break working on our field journals while others worked on friendship bracelets or showed off their yoga skills. Elizabeth started us off with presentations before Alise and Megan spoke about their assigned papers. Next Carol, a co-instructor of the course, gave us the rundown on her work and educational background. She’s the director of wetlands at NEMA (Kenya’s National Environmental Management Authority) and in her work enforces laws regarding fishing and pollution in places like Lake Naivasha. She discussed the unique challenges this year has brought, with Kenya experiencing intense flooding due to rainfall; Carol and her colleagues are currently helping relocate 2,500 families who were displaced by the flooding.

Once Carol wrapped up and answered any pressing questions we had come up with, we embarked on a group adventure to the campground restaurant so the winning Birdathon team could claim their reward. Turns out, our professors took pity on all of us and kindly treated the whole group to fries.

We picked up class discussions once again with Isobel leading us off, followed by Victoria and Celina. Overall, today’s talks covered a range of topics spanning various ecological issues from plant-pollinator interactions to coral bleaching.

Dinner was great as always, then Lukas built us a campfire to sit around and enjoy the rest of our last evening on the edge of the lake. We hope Dr. Wang will finally act on his promise to dance in the shadows of the fever trees for us, but you’ll have to wait for tomorrow’s blog to find out – stay tuned! Some of us remain hopeful that another hippo will grace us with its presence on land before we move onto Kakamega Forest National Reserve bright and early tomorrow morning.

Megan’s 2 am hippo

Adam, Rosin and Cassidy putting on a fierce birding show

at work under the canopy tent

Taking a break at the local restaurant – a gustatory pleasure with fries

skink

paradise flycatcher

colobus

colobus

camaroptera

evening campfire by the shores of Lake Naivasha

presentations in the early evening