Churchill: Polar Bear Capital of the World

For a long time, I have wanted to go to Churchill for birds. Between the prospect of seeing Ross' Gulls, and all the nesting shorebirds, Churchill always seemed to me a place where the tundra was accessible place than say, Alaska (probably due to my east coast bias). But while this place has been on my radar for its birds, Churchill is perhaps far more famous for it other wildlife. Enter the big mammals (particularly the big white mammals).

Caribou. While not abundant around Churchill, if you spend enough time, you will see some.

Starting in June, when the mouth of the Churchill River opens up, hundreds of Beluga Whales arrive. The whales move into the river not only to feed, but to breed. It is a spectacular sight, seeing that many whales in one place. The whales stay around the mouth of the river until late August or so, when they disperse and head farther north. During this time, a lot of people come to Churchill to see the whales. Tour companies take boats out to see the whales, and you can even kayak with them.

That white blotch out there in the water is a Beluga. That's about as good a photo as I got of a living one. I did get better looks at them though.

Dead Beluga on the beach.

Of course, the respective stars of the show are the Polar Bears. Churchill is known the world over as being one of the most accessible and reliable places to see Polar Bears. Part of the reason Churchill is such a good place to see bears is because of the geography of the region, and Hudson Bay itself. All of the bears that live on Hudson Bay come ashore in the summer because the Bay completely melts (in other parts of the world, bears will stay on the ice all year long). Bears that come ashore typically don't eat, and so they depend on their fat reserves to get them through the summer. As it gets colder and colder in October and November, bears congregate around Churchill because it is the first place on Hudson Bay that ice forms. As soon as the ice forms, the bears leave the land and go out so they can hunt seals.

During October and November, Churchill is truly bustling with tourists. People come from all over the world to see the many Polar Bears that gather around Churchill, which are waiting for the ice to form on Hudson Bay. Many people who travel to Churchill to see bears ride around in Tundra Buggies, which are enormous bus-like structures that ride around on the tundra to get up close and personal with the bears.

The Tundra Buggies

My first Polar Bear!

We watched this large male Polar Bear on the ice as it was eating a seal it had just caught. After it finished its meal, it meandered across the ice toward shore. Since the ice was so chunky, he often fell into the water, and would have to climb out.

A young male bear just wandering around and resting.

Two large male bears during a brief disagreement. They shortly went on their way and went to sleep in the rocks

While the Polar Bears that we saw were awesome, their presence around Churchill meant that we had to be particularly careful when doing field work. We always had to be vigilant, and carry a shotgun around with us for protection. At the study center, we kept track of all the Polar Bear sightings around the area, so that people doing field work would know whether a bear was spotted in their study area, and can be extra vigilant.

The white board: where we sign out when we leave the Study Centre each day, and where Polar Bear sightings are posted

The Final Kenya Blog

*Note: Text and all photos in all Kenya posts are by Shawn Billerman unless otherwise noted.

So, with Nick still away, and me finally having a break from classes, I thought I would finish up some of my Kenya blogging. Hope you have enjoyed these guest posts!

Day 15-16 – July 9-10 2008

I realize that I am jumping ahead multiple days at a time, but, to be honest, not much happened in those other days. I added few new birds in those days, and we pretty much just worked on our final projects and papers. One new bird that I added that requires a bit of recognition though, is the African Green Pigeon. This was a bird that I very much wanted to see, but didn’t think I would. But, one morning, I woke up, and wandered around my tent before breakfast, and noticed a dark lump of a bird in a snag just across the river. I saw it, and thought it looked pigeon like, but hadn’t recalled seeing Speckled Pigeons around camp at all. Since I was looking east, the bird was very silhouetted, so I walked down-river a bit, and looked back, and, lo-and-behold, it was GREEN! As I was watching it, it flew upriver a bit, out of sight. I went back to my tent, and looked up, and there were 2 Green Pigeons right across from my tent. As the sun came up over the hill, I got much better looks at them, and I just sat, staring at these birds for a good 20 minutes. As I was watching, it suddenly got very foggy, and cloudy. With the sun covered, I was able to get more detail on the birds. I finally made my way to the mess tent, elated with my sighting.

African Green Pigeon (Treron calva) (photo by Jess Marion)

Anyway, back to Day 15… this was our last full day in Kenya, our last day at Mpala, and thankfully, we had no work left to do! This was a day for a game drive and some clean-up. We went to the hippo pools again (well, I went again, the class went for the first time), and got to see most of the hippos lounging on the far shore of the pool, some grazing on the bank. Others still were in the water, but most were out on the bank. Surprisingly, I added 4 new species to my trip list that day, including Common Sandpiper (my first, and only Scolopacid for the trip), Red-chested Cuckoo, African Hawk-eagle, and a group of 4 Pink-backed Pelicans that circled overhead. Also around were a group of Green Wood-hoopoes, a flock of 15+ Red-billed Oxpeckers (some foraging on the hippos), and the Malachite Kingfisher I had seen on my birthday. There was also a Hamerkop roosting on the far shore, which was actually one of the few I saw not flying (most mornings I would see a pair flying upriver by camp).

Hippos and hippo watching; Habitat at the hippo pools; Malachite Kingfisher (Alcedo cristata) (really, its there); Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) (photo by Jess Marion)

From the hippo pools, the plan was to do the typical airstrip loop, but those plans fell through when Dustin’s brakes stopped working. We all then piled into Irby’s van (all 12 of us, plus Harry, Ben, Jamie, and Colistus), and headed back to camp, while Dustin went to the center to get the brakes fixed. We spent the rest of the day packing, cleaning, and just getting ready to leave the next day. After dinner came our last bit of fun. We made smores, and Harry and Irby both sang to us, Harry with his “Be my little Warthog,” and Irby with his rendition of “My Humps,” by the Black-eyed Peas (altered, of course, to the more appropriate, “My Camel Humps”). I was pretty tired that night, since I was still getting over being sick the day before, so I went to bed after the main festivities, missing the planned pranks later in the evening.

Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur) (photo by Jess Marion)

The next day, we left the camp, and Mpala, by 8 in the morning. The ride back to Nairobi was pretty depressing. We made a brief stop on the Equator for some more shopping. Luckily, Dustin had given us a lesson in bargaining, so I did quite a bit better for myself.

Further south along the road, back into the greener forests in the hills, Irby stopped by this marshy pond on the side of the road for me, where I saw dozens of Common Moorhen, a few Grey Heron, Sacred and Hadada Ibis, more Yellow-billed Ducks, 5+ Black Crake, and three new species, Red-knobbed Coot, African Jacana, and White-faced Whistling-duck.

While Irby was traversing the busy streets of Nairobi, trying to get us all to the airport safely, I added my last bird of the trip to the list. Sadly, this was not even a life bird, or even an exciting bird in any respect; last bird to be added to the trip list from my spectacular trip to Kenya was nothing more than Columba livia, the Rock Pigeon. I tried desperately to see something else that would be new… anything, a swallow, a sparrow, anything, but, alas, my last bird was the Pigeon. Back at the airport, we said our goodbyes to the two Kenyan students who joined us, and to Dustin, Irby, and Jamie. Once we were through security at the airport, we had 7 hours to kill, so we did what any sensible tourist would do, and we shopped! We also ate, and sat around, and had a fun time recounting our many adventures. By 11:30 PM Kenya time, I was on a plane, leaving Kenya. But, I had an incredible time, and it was certainly a life changing experience.

For those who are interested, my final tally for the trip was 218 species of bird (of which 214 were new), in 72 families (of which 33 were new). Mammal-wise, my final tally for the trip was approx. 42, with highlights being Aardvark, Leopard, and a pack of 17 African Wild Dogs, along with seeing the classic African megafauna.

Sunset over Mpala

Thanks for reading about my adventures in Kenya! There will be more mini-posts about Kenya in the near future!

Happy Hyrax Rock

*Note: Text and all photos in all Kenya posts are by Shawn Billerman unless otherwise noted.

Around the middle of the trip, our adventures had slowed down, as we buckled down and worked mostly on our projects. However, on one particular afternoon, Irby took the group to Clifford’s Rock, a kopje where Rock Hyraxes lived. And, of course, where there are hyraxes, there is the very distinct chance of seeing a Verreaux’s Eagle (Aquila verreauxii), which feeds almost exclusively on the dumpy, furry creatures. En route to Clifford’s rock, we passed a covey of Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum). These really are quite bizarre creatures, and definitely more exciting than Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris).

Vulturine Guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) (photo by Jess Marion)

We pulled up to the base of the outcrop, and began ascending. On the way up, we noted some of the fauna that is adapted to these rocky outcrops, like Klipspringer, which look a lot like a large Dik-dik on its tippy-toes. I also noticed a high abundance of Cinnamon-breasted Rock-buntings, and Marico Sunbirds. Also present were African Black-headed Oriole, and my first Red-faced Crombec. We did not see many hyrax at first, but certainly evidence of hyrax presence.

A perfect Hyrax skull found on the ground on the outcrop

For a while, we all just wandered around the top of the kopje, taking in the awesome scenery.

View from the top (or near top) of Clifford's Rock; the class climbing some lower rocks; Neat rock formations

But, our time of relaxation was short lived. Back to work! We all gathered, and we had two of our paper discussions on Clifford’s Rock. One of these discussions was appropriately on hyraxes, and we were under the watchful eye of a pair of Rock Hyraxes as we discussed their meta-population structure. As we were discussing hyrax populations, a Verreaux’s Eagle blitzed by, all the while Wire-tailed Swallows were foraging above our heads.

A pair of Rock Hyrax (Procavia johnstoni) watch as we discuss their metapopulation structure

As Nick pointed out to me in an earlier draft of this post, I talk about talking about Hyraxes, which is silly. So allow me to go into some detail about these bizarre, dirty mammals.

Hyraxes are in their own order, Hyracoidea, and the family Procaviidae. Hyraxes now fall into three genera, Dendrohyrax (tree-hyraxes), Heterohyrax (bush-hyraxe), and Procavia (rock-hyraxes). Hyraxes are part of the Afrotherian radiation, which include Elephants, Dugongs (Manatees), Elephant-shrews, Golden Moles, Tenrics, and the Aardvark. Hyraxes actually form a monophyletic clade with Elephants and Dugongs (Nishihara et al. 2005; Murata et al. 2003).

Now that I've covered the Hyraxes' bizarre evolutionary relationships, allow me, if you will, to go into some of their bizzarrre natural history. Hyraxes feed on graze and browse (Rock hyraxes graze, while Bush hyraxes browse), but do not chew cud. It is due to this inefficient way of extrating nutrients from vegetation that has forced them into marginal niches (source). In addition, hyraxes have poor thermoregulation, and are required to bask in the sun, and huddle for warmth (the necessity to bask leaves them very vulnerable to predators like Verreaux's Eagle). Hyraxes also utilize latrines, which may be hundreds of years old. Latrines may act as scenting areas where all members of a group collect the same scent on fur and feet (Kingdon 1997)

Unlike many mammalian social systems where males disperse and females remain in their natal territory, female Rock Hyrax disperse to neighboring kopjies. However, the number of females that actually disperse is quite small. This leads to lots of inbreeding, where males aquire large harems, often including sisters and daughters (source). (Gerlach and Hoeck 2001)

A final interesting aspect to Rock and Bush hyraxes is that they often live on the same kopjies. In fact, Rock and Bush Hyrax babies are raised in the same nurseries. Although it may seem strange that two different genera will raise each others young, to which there is clearly a cost, the cost of predation is far greater; by sharing duties raising offspring, they can keep better vigilence for predators (Barry and Mundy 2002).

For more pictures, and fun anecdotes about hyraxes, check out this website.

References:

Barry, R.E. and P.J. Mundy. 2002. Seasonal variation in the degree of heterospecifc association of two synoptic hyraxes (Heterohyrax brucei and Procavia capensis) exhibiting synchronus parturition. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 52:3, pg. 177-181.

Gerlach, G. and H.N. Hoeck. 2001. Islands on the plains: metapopulation dynamics and female biased dispersal in hyraxes (Hyracoidea) in Serengeti National Park. Molecular Ecology. 10:9, pg. 2307-2317

Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon Guide to African Mammals. 296-298. Academic Press, San Diego, CA.

Nishihara, H., Y. Satta, M. Nikaido, J.G.M. Thewissen, M.J. Stanhope, N. Okada. 2005. Molecular Biology and Evolution. 22(9):1823-1833

Of Rhinos and Camel Meat

*Note: Text and all photos in all Kenya posts are by Shawn Billerman unless otherwise noted.

Day 10 – July 4, 2008

The next noteworthy adventure that we went on was a trip to Sweetwaters Game Reserve. This park is special because it is a rhino sanctuary. In Kenya, all rhino sanctuaries are fenced to prevent rhinos from leaving, and all rhinos are heavily guarded to protect them from poachers. Sweetwaters has both Black and White Rhinos, both of which had to be reintroduced to the park from other parts of Africa. We spent much of the day driving around Sweetwaters, and I was able to add 5 or 6 new birds, including Red-capped Lark, Black-winged Lapwing, and Grassland Pipit. Around lunch, we went to an area of the park that was like a visitor’s center. There were many school children there on field trips, and many tourists. After we ate, we entered a fenced enclosure with an armed guard to see Morani (Maasai for warrior), a tame Black Rhino. It was actually very depressing. Morani is over 30 years old, and was rescued as a baby, after poachers killed his mother. When older, he was re-released to another rhino sanctuary. While there, he got into fight with another male, who castrated him (apparently what male Black Rhinos do to other male Black Rhinos intruding in their territory). Injured, he went to live at Sweetwaters, where caretakers kept a close watch on him. Now, Morani is blind, and his horn was removed last year when it got infected. When we saw him, he just lied on the ground, as we all lined up to pat his back.

Can you find the Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris)?; Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus) (photo by Jess Marion); Morani the Black Rhino (Diceros bicornis); Giraffe (Giraffa reticulata); Crowned Lapwing (Vanellus coronatus) (photo by Jess Marion)

Common Ostrich female (top) and male (bottom) (Struthio camelus) (photos by Jess Marion)

Just before leaving the parking area, I noticed a Yellow-throated Longclaw perched atop an acacia. What an awesome bird. Anyway, after seeing Morani, we drove around the park for another hour or so, during which time Harry serenaded us with his new song, “Be my little Warthog.” After we left, we stopped in Nanyuki to be tourists. We visited some shops to get souvenirs. Part of visiting these shops is bargaining, which, needless to say, I suck at. That first day I definitely got ripped off. No matter. When we finished shopping, our van took a slight detour before going back to Mpala. Irby took us to a part of Nanyuki not often seen by tourists, to a camel butchery, to buy some camel meat. We ended up getting 1.25 kg of meat, and 0.25 kg of hump, which is pure fat (looks like Crisco). We left with the camel to head back to Mpala. On our way back, I spotted another new bird, a Pin-tailed Whydah, which, sadly, was my only Viduid for the trip. Also on the way back to camp, I noticed a great place in a small village between Nanyuki and Mpala: Mwangi’s Keg Den. Many people were disappointed they couldn’t have taken me there for my birthday. For dinner that night, the camp staff cooked up the camel we had purchased in Nanyuki, and most people were at least willing to try it. I’m just glad that it wasn’t the main course, and that there was plenty of other food to eat that night. It didn’t taste bad, it was very much like beef, but it was very tough and chewy. I later thought to myself, “how many other Americans are celebrating the 4th of July with camel meat?” If anyone has an answer, please inform me.

Irby and Dustin standing in front of the Subira Camel Butchery (photo by Eric Denemark)

There was an interesting difference in mousebird abundance between Mpala and Sweetwaters. At Mpala, Speckled Mousebirds were particularly common, and I saw perhaps only a single Blue-naped during my entire stay. However, at Sweetwaters, Blue-naped Mousebirds were by far the more common species. The guide I was using was unable to offer any insight into the difference in habitat preference, and if anyone has any experience with these two mousebirds and can shed any light on the situation, please let me know.

The Dead Giraffe

*Note: Text and all photos in all Kenya posts are by Shawn Billerman unless otherwise noted.

There was one part of our trip to Kenya that we kept coming back to, over and over. It wasn't anything that was living, but it used to be... it was a dead Giraffe (Giraffa reticulata). On our first game drive, we came upon the carcass in question. Our guides told us, on our fist day, that this particular had died 2 weeks earlier, after it had broken its leg in an altercation with another male Giraffe. Unfortunately, because the kill was already 2 weeks old, the vultures had come and gone, and presumably most of the big carnivores. Much of the meat that was left was either rotted and being consumed by maggots, or hardened into a kind of Giraffe jerky (yummy!). I know I wasn't expecting much from this kill, but I think Dustin and Irby knew things that we didn't.

Photo of the Giraffe on the first day (note the position of the head, or rather, that it still has one)

Photos of two very strange flies that were found on the Giraffe carcass. These flies, when distressed seemed to split the head apart, and expand this strange whitish blobby thing from between the eyes. It could then retract this blob and return to a normal state. (Photos by Eric Denemark)

On our first night drive, we passed by the Giraffe, and found a pack of Spotted Hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) around the carcass, picking what they could off of it. While watching, it was fun watching the social interactions between individuals. We could clearly identify the dominant female, as she harassed the others. After a couple of days, we found ourselves passing by the Giraffe early in the morning. As we were passing we noticed a Hyena at the carcass, tearing dried flesh, and gnawing on bones, trying to get out marrow. After we stopped, we saw a couple of other hyenas in the distance, waiting until the alpha female had her fill of boney bits. After about 10 minutes of watching, the female started walking toward the Giraffe's head, grabbed it, and started trotting off with it, proud of her trophy. One of the other hyenas started to chase the dominant female with the head. She continued on, walking slowly, and stopped for a bit to chew on the skull for a bit. After another 5 minutes, the hyena picked the head up again and trotted off into the bush, and we were never to see the head again.

Hyena, carrying off her prized Giraffe head into the bush

We jump ahead now to the end of our trip, 2 weeks after our first encounter with the Giraffe. I don't think I will say anything, but just let the pictures speak for themselves...

What's left of the Giraffe... the hyenas did quite a bit cleaning. The top image shows the neck of the giraffe. Giraffe have the same number of vertebrate as you and I, so they just have longer vertebrate

African Wild Dog

*Note: Text and all photos in all Kenya posts are by Shawn Billerman unless otherwise noted.

Africa is home to a number of large carnivores, including several species of Felids, as well as multiple species of Canids, including the familiar genus Canis (Jackals), and the African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus). The African Wild Dog is a rare and declining species, and is listed by the IUCN as Endangered (Source). Like the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus), Wild Dogs hunt in packs, preying primarily on gazelle and zebra. According to the AMNH (Source), Wild Dogs are the "most endangered" of African carnivores. In addition to being persecuted by humans trying to protect their livestock, the Wild Dog is especially susceptible to diseases, such as rabies and mange which is spread by domestic dogs. Due to its status, there are many groups and researchers studying these spectacular animals. One particular group is based at Mpala: the Samburu-Laikipia Wild Dog Project. This project is aiming to study how Wild Dogs and humans and their livestock can coexist in an increasingly crowed landscape. In addition, the group aims to determine how dogs move in the landscape, and how ecotourism may be used as an incentive to local people to protect the dogs. The Laikipia district in Kenya is particularly famous for its Wild Dogs, as the dogs have recently repopulated the district after being extirpated. Although many threats face the African Wild Dog, the outlook is promising.

On one particular day, about 6 or 7 days into our class, we were neck deep in writing up projects. It was that one lucky day when we had the opportunity to work on three papers at once, in three different groups. Just as we were sitting down to work, Dustin walks in with some news: he tells us that we have two options at this point in time, 1) continue writing our papers, which we thought was the only option, or.... 2) go see a pack of 17 Wild Dogs, including pups. There was a momentary silence, as everyone in the room just stares, somewhat stunned, then all at once, everyone jumps up and races for the vans. Of course, we ended up sitting in the van for 10 minutes before we finally left, but we were on our way to try and track down this pack of Wild Dogs.

We didn't have to drive very far. This group of Wild Dogs was being studies by the Wild Dog Project, and known to be spending a lot of time uphill from the Center, and was thought to have a den nearby. After some interesting maneuvering around Acacias and across some questionable "roads," we soon found ourselves looking upon the pack of Wild Dogs. Now, enough words, here are a small fraction of the pictures I took while we spent nearly an hour watching this group.

Photos of African Wild Dog (Lycaon pictus). Note, in the 3rd picture from top, the dog is collared.

Van one intently photographing the pack; habitat where we saw the Wild Dogs: this location was just above our tented camp (early the morning we saw the dogs (4am early), camp staff and some students heard the dogs from camp)