So here’s one more story about the last few days in Kenya. Kayla and I left Mpala with the undergraduates at the end of August and on our way to Nairobi we all stayed at this incredibly fancy game lodge in the middle of Aberdare National Park. It’s aptly named “The Ark” and gave us … More The Ark
Hello Everyone, I’m back in the states, and I apologize that it’s been a while since my last posting. Shortly after that entry we were joined at Mpala by 15 undergraduates from the University of Michigan, two professors, and their families. Kayla, Walker and I moved with the students to another location without power, let … More Final Mpala Wrap-up
While at Baboon cliffs (see previous post for silly pictures of me watching the sunset) we found a snake that had been fairly well eaten by a bird. The bird was gone but the snake was still pretty intact (viscera were missing but the head and body scales were actually in good shape) so we … More Boomslang
Well, it’s been another month… and things are getting pretty ridiculous. I’ll let this photo speak for itself. It was taken by a friend at Baboon cliffs – a great new spot with an amazing vista.
So, here is a picture of one of my grasshopper cages. I have 18 of these spread out over three different transects. I’m going to be collecting the grasshoppers from the cages on Thursday. Hopefully they’ve enjoyed their stay and have grown a ton! Fingers crossed. I’ll keep you informed.
So, Walker and Kayla are off to live in a nearby community for the next week or 10 days. Their adventures will be sufficiently harrowing (at the very least two deep river crossings in the car) that they decided to take “baby” and I’m now renting a new Land Rover. If any of you are … More New (old) car!
I’m really sorry I don’t have a picture to go along with this day and a half’s fiasco! There’s no way I could have though, my hands were such a mess I’d have completely destroyed my camera. So, the next step in the insect research is to get a sense of the flying insects that … More Tanglefoot Craziness
Sorry for the long lapse in posts. This week has been extremely busy! I don’t think I’ve taken a single photo from out in the field and so didn’t have anything to share. This is a quintessential “Black Cotton” savanna picture to serve in place. I started midweek by finishing setting up the grasshopper experiment. … More Research Update
One thing I’ve learned working in the savanna filled with mammals and here, filled with cattle as well… the ticks are ferocious and plentiful. I can’t begin to count the number of ticks I’ve picked off my pants to date. Luckily only about 1 in 10 actually makes it past the pants and into my … More Ticks!
As part of my research question I am trying to demonstrate that because of the high productivity in the glades (remember?) we’ll find more primary consumers (herbivores) and secondary consumers closer to glades than farther away. Well, the lizard stuff is looking good but it’s time now to start sampling those consumers in the shape … More “An elegant weapon for a more civilized age”
Colin Donihue 