February 11, 2011

Sunday, February 20 Field Trip: Birding with Michael Mills

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Gabela Akalat, endemic to the central scarp forests of Angola; endangered. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.

THIS FIELD TRIP IS NOW FULL. On Sunday, February 20th the Angola Field Group has the opportunity to go birding with South African bird expert, Michael Mills. A professional birding guide, Michael has been coming to Angola to study birds since 2003. (Scroll down to previous post to read his bio.) We will be heading northeast, taking the Caxito – Uige road where there are still some stands of forests and where the endemic Turaco can be found. In order to get in some morning birding, we will be leaving the city at 5:00AM. This will be a full day trip and no guarantee that we will be back in Luanda before dark. A four wheel drive vehicle is necessary. We must keep numbers to a strict limit so please only sign up if you’re serious about going. Final trip details including our meeting location will be given once you’ve signed up and are confirmed for this trip.

Monteiro's Bushshrike, endemic to the central scarp forests of Angola; data deficient. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.

When you are registering for this trip please indicate:

 

* if you have room in your vehicle for more passengers and how many can you take
* if you do not have transport and need a lift
* if you will be leaving from the city or from Luanda Sul

To register for this trip, email Henriette Koning at: angolafieldgroup@gmail.com. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk.

Pulitzer's Longbill endemic to Angola's central scarp forests; endangered. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.

 

February 2, 2011

Thurs Feb 3 Presentation: Protecting Angola’s threatened birds and their threatened habitats

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Gabela Helmet Shrike, found only in Angola. Photo courtesy Michael Mills.

Angola is considered off the beaten path when it comes to ‘birding tourism’ and remains a poorly known region in the realm of African birds. Ironically 30 years of war protected some of the rarest bird species that now are being threatened by development and a growing population. The Angola Field Group invites you to a presentation “Protecting Angola’s threatened birds and their threatened habitats”, at the Viking Club, Thursday February 3rd at 8:00 PM with Michael Mills, a South Africa bird expert who will talk about bird conservation in Angola and the important bird species that are being studied. (www.birdsangola.org) He will also update us on his projects including the well-known Mount Moco forest project in Huambo province (www.mountmoco.org) and give us a look at other projects he’s involved in such as Africa’s third largest bird skin collection on display in the Lubango museum.

Michael is a South African conservation biologist and has been watching birds for 25 years and guiding birding expeditions since he was 16. He has been studying birds in Angola for almost 8 years and works for BirdLife (www.birdlife.org), an international bird conservation organization. He also leads bird watching tours in sub-Sahara Africa. The first CD sound guide dedicated to Angolan bird calls, over 100 species, recorded by Michael Mills, will be on sale.

Everybody is welcome to attend. The talk will be in English. In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, coupons must be purchased. The Viking Bar opens at 7:30 PM! You can download a map showing the location of the Viking Club on this website’s Join Us page. The Viking Club is on the main floor of the former Swedish Building at Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 in Maianga, across the street from the new Panela de Barra restaurant.

Field Trip: We will be going on a birding expedition to the Denbos with Michael Mills in February. Date and details will be given on Thursday, February 3 and on this website.

 

January 26, 2011

Friday Feb 4 – Annual Turtle Trip!

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Olive Ridley female preparing her nest in which she will lay up to 120 eggs. Photo courtesy Pat Chilton.

THIS TRIP IS NOW FULL.
Friday, February 4th is a holiday. The Angola Field Group will will join biologist Michel Morais and his research team from Agostinho Neto University for our annual Turtle Trip. For the past nine years the university’s biology faculty has been tracking turtles south of Luanda, but this is the first year they’ve extended their Projecto de Conservacao de Tartarugas Marinhas as far south as Rio Longa at the beach where the river empties into the ocean.

We will spend Friday night walking up and down the beach in teams hoping to find turtles laying eggs. At this point in time we can even witness newly hatched baby turtles on their first ever journey, heading to the ocean. We will camp on the beach and leave the next morning back for Luanda. (See posting below for more info.)

We plan to leave the city at 9:00 AM on Friday. Participants must supply their own food and camping gear – highly recommended to have a fly for your tent since we’ve been having a lot of rain. A four wheel drive vehicle is necessary. We must keep numbers to a strict limit so please only sign up if you’re serious about going. Final trip details including our meeting location will be given once you’ve signed up and are confirmed for this trip.

When you are registering for this trip please indicate:

* if you have room in your vehicle for more passengers and how many can you take
* if you do not have transport and need a lift
* if you will be leaving from the city or from Luanda Sul

We are collecting $25.00 from each participant to donate to the Marine Turtle Conservation Project. To register for this trip, email Henriette Koning at angolafieldgroup@gmail.com. All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk. Make sure you read the previous posting for more details.

Baby turtles just hatched heading straight for the ocean. Photo courtesy Pat Chilton.

 

November 12, 2010

Dona Ana Joaquina’s palacio

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The palatial home of Angola’s famous slave trader Dona Ana Joaquina, 1788 to 1859. At the time it was one of the largest houses in Luanda and today Luanda’s provincial courthouse stands on the site of Joaquina’s ‘palacio’. Scroll down to the next page and read the October 1 blog post to see what the building looks like today or click here: http://angolafieldgroup.com/2010/10/01/thursday-october-14-presentation-mulatta-slave-trader-dona-anna-joaquina.

 

August 12, 2010

September 3-7 Field Trip: Camping in Bie Province

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Fruit sellers along the road to Bie.

The Field trip to Cuando Cubango has been postponed due to logistic difficulties. In lieu of, the Angola Field Group invites you to go Camping in Bie Province, the source of the mighty Kwanza River, September 3rd to 7th.

We will drive right through the geographic center of Angola and stop for fotos at the little known Cristo Rei statue there. We’ll proceed on to Umpulo and camp at the edge of a miombo woodlands that spreads undisturbed east and south of here. This is as close to the source of the Kwanza River one can get by road. Enroute we will tour the capital, Kuito, the city hit the hardest during the civil war. We will also visit Dondi, once the largest mission station in Angola where many prominent Angolans were educated.

Dondi, once the largest mission in Angola, lays abandoned.

Friday: September 3rd, depart Luanda at 12 noon (earlier if possible) and arrive in Huambo 9 hours later.

Saturday: Early departure for Bie. Visit site of Dondi Mission, located in a lush river valley. Pass through geographic centre of Angola at Camacupa. Continue to Umpulo, establish camp in the bush
Sunday: Explore natural surroundings, hiking, bird watching and fishing in the Kwanza river. Hopefully spot some hippos. Accompany local hunter at night to try to spot wildlife
Monday: Drive back to Huambo and enroute tour Kuito with local guide who endured the 9 month siege during the war. Time permitting shop at Natural Medicine shop run by community.
Tuesday: Drive from Huambo to Luanda
Friday and Monday night we will be accommodated in a homestay run by our guide/host, who will also be providing meals while camping. Cost will be on a per person basis. You are responsible for your own tent, sleeping gear and water.

* * *All Angola Field Group trips are at your own risk. We will be traveling through 6 provinces so you must have original passport with valid visa with you. A complete itinerary and map will be emailed to confirmed participants. To sign up for this trip or if you have more questions please send an email to Henriette at angolafieldgroup@gmail.com . Please let me know if you have room for any more passengers* * *

Kuito's downtown was nothing but bullet ridden buildings but today reconstruction is in evidence everywhere.

 

June 19, 2010

Campanha Reviver celebrates the city of Luanda on June 27

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The Elinga Theatre is still in use today.

On June 27, our friends at Campanha Reviver will once again celebrate the city of Luanda with a focus on the historical Elinga Teatro (Theatre). The event will start at 2:00pm at the Largo do Baleizão (opposite Hotel Continental) running until 7:00 pm.
Festivities include:
-          2:00 pm – Opening
-          2:30 pm  – A Guided walking tour and a guided bus tour of the historic town centre

Signing up on the day at the site on a fist come first served basis, from 2pm at the Tours stall.

-          2:45 pm – Capoeira, Bassula, folk dancing from Luanda, theatre, poetry
-          4:45 pm – A Presentation on the Elinga Teatro building by Angela Mingas and Cristina Pinto
-          5:30 pm – Live music by guest musician
-          7 pm – Finishes

Dr. Angela Mingas teaches architecture at Lusiada University.

There will also be: an exhibition; an activity for children for civic awareness of Luanda’s cultural heritage; a handicrafts bazaar and food and drinks stalls.

Take Part! Bring your children and friends and take the opportunity to part of this initiative that promotes the rehabiliation of the historic town of Luanda. Click to download the announcement in Portuguese:

 

April 23, 2010

April 29 Presentation: Rehabilitating Angola’s National Parks

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Iona National Park, 15,150 sq. km.

Angola has six national parks and some specially protected reserves. During and after the civil war, the parks and reserves lay neglected, victimized by uncontrolled hunting and human encroachment. Now some parks are beginning to be rehabilitated. The Angola Field Group invites you to a presentation Rehabilitating Angola’s National Parks, at the Viking Club, on Thursday April 29th, at 8:00 PM with Angolan environmentalist Vladimir Russo, former Director for Environmental Management within the Ministry of Environment.

Iona National Park.

Iona National Park.

Cangandala National Park, 630 sq. km.

He will discuss the current status of Quiçama, Cangandala, Bicuar and Iona national parks, focusing on their rehabilitation and development of conservation programs and he will explore the ongoing challenge of how to deal with poaching and the increase in agricultural, mining and housing activities around these protected areas. The presentation will also look at how the national parks contribute to biodiversity management in the country and the opportunities for tourism.

Cangandala National Park.

Our presenter helped  found the first environmental association in Angola in 1991, Juventude Ecológica Angolana (JEA). For the past six years he has been involved in biodiversity related activities which include the development of the Angolan National Biodiversity Strategy and supporting national park rehabilitation and conservation. Vladimir has a Masters Degree in Environmental Education from Rhodes University in South Africa.

Quiçama National Park, 9960 sq. km.

Everybody is welcome to attend this presentation. In close cooperation with the Viking Club, this event is offered free of charge. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages and snacks are sold at the bar, $3.00 each. For a location map of the Viking Club visit our website’s Join Us page. The club is on the main floor of the ‘Predio Maianga’ at Rua Marien N”Guabi, No 118 in Maianga, across the street from the new Panela de Barra restaurant.

Quiçama National Park.

 

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