Mount Moco Project Update Report: January 2013, available to read as a two page PDF here.
The tree nursery employees and one additional assistant, standing proudly beside the nursery and in the area now planted with 108 trees. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.
The report is written by Michael Mills. Summary: “Very satisfactory progress was made with the reforestation project during the January 2013 field trip to Mount Moco. Eighty six new trees were planted onto the mountain, bringing the total of planted trees to 108, and covering an area of about 100 x 20 m. Two new nursery areas for growing tree saplings in bags were cleared inside a nearby forest patch and more than 300 saplings were planted into bags, to join the ninety trees already in bags and not yet planted back on the mountain. I estimate that 80 of these plants will be ready for planting by the next field visit.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Notes on birds in the Lubango Bird Skin Collection, Angola 16-18 January 2013 by Michael Mills, member of the Angola Birders. “During January 2013 I had the privilege of visiting the Lubango Bird Skin Collection in Angola for three days, to study some of the 40000 bird skins in the collection. This was the first step at studying various taxonomic questions related to Angolan birds, and clarifying various identification questions. Some notes based on this visit follow…” Click here to download the report (it is a 13 MB PDF due to many photos).
Birds in the Lubango Bird Skin Collection. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.
Birds in the Lubango Bird Skin Collection. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Red-crested Turaco, Conservation Icon and National Bird of Angola © Sheryl Hughes
An update from our friends at the Angola Birders, the 2012 Annual Report: Bird Conservation and Research Activities, compiled by Michael Mills:
“This year was a year of consolidation. Three important tasks were initiated and two of these were completed. Firstly a project vehicle was purchased and registered in Luanda and secondly Michael obtained a work permit for Angola. Both activities required a month in Luanda, without the option of traveling, which limited field time this year but should greatly enhance efficiency in the future. The third action was to initiate the registration of an Angola bird conservation society, a process which is still ongoing. Other highlights of the year were the publication of several papers, constructing a new nursery facility at Mount Moco and Aimy Cáceres commencing field work for her PhD at Kumbira.“
To download the 10 page report (PDF) click here.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
A FEW BIRDING FIELD NOTES:
The egg collection of the weavers in the Lubango Museum has been digitised and added to PHOWN (photos of Weaver Nests, http://weavers.adu.org.za/phown.php). Read more about this data at http://weavers.adu.org.za/newstable.php?id=240 or go directly to a listing of the records at http://weavers.adu.org.za/phown_query.php?ask=Angola. PHOWN is a Virtual Museum, citizen science project of the Animal Demography Unit at the University of Cape Town, to collect and monitor breeding distributions and colony sizes of weaver birds globally.
Thank you to avid birder Michelle de Cordova for sharing this list of birds she spotted in her garden in the Alvalade area of Luanda.
View some incredible photos taken by Kostadin Luchansky during our January 6 birding trip here.
For your reference, a list of 170 birds found in Angola -including scientific names AND references to the birds spotted on May 8th- can be downloaded in a Word document here, courtesy of our resident birder Ronnie Gallagher
Below are photos from our May 8th trip to Quicama National Park and the wetlands of Saco dos Flamingos, taken by Ronnie Gallagher:
Namaqua Doves
Black Bellied Bustard
African Fish Eagle
Red Billed Helmet Weaver (centre) and Yellow Billed Hornbill (right)
January 2008 birding field trip:
Hornbill © Kostadin Luchansky
Butterfly © Kostadin Luchansky
Flamingos © Kostadin Luchansky
Field Group birders © Kostadin Luchansky
To view more of Kostadin’s photos taken during Angola Field Group birding excursions visit:
