
Olive baboons
A playful group of Olive Baboons, Papio anubis, Mount Meru, Arusha National Park, Tanzania, April 2013

Feeling tiny
feeling tiny… Serengeti Ndogo, Mount Meru, Arusha National Park, Tanzania, April 2013 it’s night…
My fieldwork
My field work, Serengeti Ndogo, Mount Meru, Arusha National Park, Tanzania, April 2013 for catching stonies… I place a simulated intruder, a stuffed decoy of a male stonechat, within a territory. Ann sets the trap which will immediately close when a bird sits on its perch. I also attach a caller to playback local song […]

Mount Meru
Mount Meru, Arusha National Park, Tanzania, April 2013 … one of my most beloved places to be on earth.

My journey of elephants
My journey of elephants… Tsavo National Park, Kenya & Arusha National Park, Tanzania, April 2013 I encounter them very often these days… actually, wherever I go I meet huge clans of Bush elephants, Loxodonta africana. I fell in love with them!!! They make me happy… and at the same time sad… because I know how […]

African stonechat
Male African stonechat, Saxicola torquata axillaris, Taita Hills, Taveta, Kenya, April 2013 Unexpectedly, this stonechat population is not breeding right now… Thus, males are not as territorial as usual… thus, they are not as responsive to our simulated intruder, a stuffed decoy within their territory. They also do not sing at all during the nonbreeding […]

Rhinoceros beetle
Our friend the Rhinoceros beetle or Dynastinae (Scarabaeidae), Taita Hills, Taveta, Kenya, April 2013 Every night he was waiting on our doorstep. Each Rhinoceros beetle has a horn on the thorax and another horn pointing forward from the center thorax. The horns are used in fighting other males during mating season, and for digging. The size […]

Taita Hills
Home of butterflies, moths and macadamia… Taita Hills, Taveta, Kenya, April 2013 my precious Taita Team myself. Jack Gatu Kiiru. Lawrence Wagura. Ann Gathitu (from left to right) … Lawrence made our stay just perfect! He invited us to stay at his ‘nyumbani’. He is an incredible ‘encyclopedia of Nature’ – you can ask him […]

Chyulu Hills
Chyulu Hills… Kenya, April 2013 amazingly beautiful place on earth and home of African stonechats

Long-tailed widowbird
Long-tailed widowbird (Euplectes progne)… Kinangop Plateau, Kenya, April 2013 … in breeding plumage happily displaying for his harem of thirty females

Ann’s nyumbani
Ann’s nyumbani…Kimuri, Kinangop Plateau, Kenya, April 2013 Ann is one of my field assistants and luckily many stonechats of Kinangop call the fields of her family their home. I am always warmly welcome to stay with them. everyone has to work hard in the fields at the moment. all day long… ploughing and planting all […]

Chimala Wildlife Conservation Club
by Musa Makomba, Beate Apfelbeck and Michael Luwago Chimala Wildlife Conservation Club

First minutes of life
The first minutes of life… Morungaru Kinangop Plateau Kenya April 2013 first breath first sight of mum first time ever standing.

Delicious maggots
delicious maggots… Mataara, Aberdare Mountains, Kenya April 2013 … or rather scary maggots? female stonechats are just curious about these ‘supposed to be’ prey in my traps. no wonder – they have about the same size!!! we have ploughed every corner at every farm here in Kinangop… nothing. only these giants from Mataara. my precious […]