coastweek.com

NEW SHIPWRECK OFF FORT JESUS

.N.M.K. TO SEEK U.N.E.S.C.O.WORLD HERITAGE
LISTING FOR the MOMBASA OLD TOWN

NEWSLETTER NOTES FROM THE FRIENDS OF FORT JESUS - MOMBASA

Coastweek - - National Museums of Kenya have announced that they now have a team based in Mombasa devoted to marine archaeology, and that they will be investigating another shipwreck that has been found close to the wreck already excavated off Fort Jesus.

The new wreck is thought to be that of an escort ship to the previous one.

• Those of you who came to Mkongani on our trip last year will be pleased to know that we have taken Mr Jimbi Katana and his colleagues from National Museums of Kenya (NMK) up to see Wavell's grave and the Arab Rifles' grave.

NMK now have GPS position readings for the two monuments, and will be looking to have them gazetted as historical sites.

It is hoped that funding can be found to restore the Arab Rifles grave, which is pitiful condition with the railings broken down.

• NMK have held a couple of meetings with stakeholders to lay strategies for listing Fort Jesus and Mombasa Old Town in the UNESCO World Heritage List, and an application is currently being prepared.

If the Fort is listed, it will join Lamu, Lake Turkana and Sibiloi Game Reserve as Kenya's natural and cultural heritage sites.

• The database for our photographic collection has now been set up, and we are enlisting the help of a young computer expert to scan in our 3000 odd negatives and many prints.

It is a major undertaking, but when finished will give us the ability to search the collection by date, plot number, name of building, person photographed, etc.

We hope to be able to give you a demonstration of the database and a preview of the Collection at the Fort before too long.

• Nature Kenya is running another Fundamentals of Ornithology Certificate course at Naivasha from 20-27 October.

The course is intended for amateur and professional bird guides and costs 25,000/-.

Places are limited so contact 020 3749957 or office@naturekenya.org for booking/ further information.

• If you are a keen bird-watcher, don't miss our overnight outing to Sagala Lodge in early March.

• KESCOM tell us that incidences of turtle poaching at Tiwi, Shelley Beach and Old Town have been reported, and the indication is that the meat is being sold at Likoni Ferry and in Old Town.

Some turtle species are endengered; if you come across any such incident, please report it to kescoms@yahoo.com or 0733 621375.

• Our Chairman, Annie Appleyard, is leaving Kenya, and our Vice Chairman, Kokila Doshi, who will be the newsletter editor from now on, will take her place. Kelvin Mazera will fill the gap as Vice Chairman until our next AGM.

We thank Annie Appleyard for her commitment and superb stewardship of the Society during her two terms of office. (AA & SK)

NEW MEMBERS:

We welcome a number of new members this month, and look forward to seeing them at our events: Mr and Mrs McGovern, Mr Chris Soper, Ms Ewa Renstrom and Mrs Thurl Jackson.

PAST EVENTS:

Saturday 21st January: Bird Walk with Marlene Reid.

In total contrast to the last walk, this was a really exciting walk.

Firstly we saw several male and female Northern Wheatears.

A migrant that proved totally elusive last season.

They were running round on the grassland and then flying up displaying their fine white tail feathers. The whole area is very dry but trees amazingly green with Leopard Orchids already beginning to flower in the doum palms.

Exciting bird seen were a Common Kestrel sitting in a palm for all to see then exhibiting his amazing flying skills low down in front of us.

There were several Red Tailed (Isabelline) and Red Backed Shrikes and literally hundreds of Barn Swallows dipping and swooping over the pond.

A special treat was the Green Sandpiper together with a more common Greenshank.

Local specialities African Darter, Purple Heron, Malachite Kingfisher, not to mention close views of Yellow Throated Longclaws plus about 25 other species thoroughly made up for the dearth of birds during last month's walk. (MR)

Tuesday 24th January: Talk - Dr Kairo: Restoration and Management of Mangroves.

Kenya's own renowned marine biologist, Dr. James Kairo, who is a senior scientific research officer with the Kenya Marine Fisheries Research institute, spoke on the management of Mangroves.

Mangroves, by creating the bio-mass that acts as sink for the atmospheric carbon dioxide, a global threat today, are in-valuable resources apart from acting as barriers to damaging action of oceans to the shoreline.

As the only plant specie that is viviparous, the amazing water forests are breeding grounds and refuge to a self-sustaining eco-system.

These tropical hydrophilic trees also provide the third largest economic sustenance to the poor of the developing countries.

This talk, relating science and social issues, was an eye opener indeed ! (KD)

Saturday 28th January: Outing - Kaya Kinondo and Chale Mangrove Forests.

After meeting at Diani, fourteen members drove south down the beach road to Kaya Kinondo.

This Kaya, the most senior sacred forest of the local Digo people, is the only Kaya open to the public in Kenya.

The Digo community representative greeted us and explained the history of Kayas.

The Mijikenda people, of which the Digo is one of the nine tribes, fled their homeland some 6-800 years ago, settling along the coast of Kenya and making their settlements in thick forest for security.

The forests were not only places to live, but were used to commune with ancestral spirits through worship and sacrificial offerings.

The Digo people only left their forests after the coming of Europeans, when security from warring tribes was no longer a problem, but they continue to regard them as sacred places and rituals are still performed there.

For this reason, they have been spared the destruction being meted out to most other indigenous forests of Kenya. Kaya Kinondo covers an area of 30 hectares (75 acres) and 187 plant species, 45 species of butterfly and more than 48 bird species have been recorded.

The forest itself is quite unspoilt, with ancient trees including a huge cycad some 30-foot tall with many branches.

We were asked to wear the traditional black wrap of the Digo people, and were then guided around the forest and shown many interesting trees and plants, as well as spotting a colobus monkey and three Casqued Hornbills.

The forest is well worth a visit, and can be combined with a visit to Kinondo village to meet a medicine man and visit the local primary school.

The Kaya is closed every fourth day; so do telephone first to ensure it is open before you visit. Tel: 0722 344426 or 446916.

We then continued down the coast road to Chale Island jetty, where we picnicked among the mangroves and watched the many birds on the sand as the tide came in.

Our two boats arrived having motored from Diani in rough seas - we were glad we had driven down - and we set off for a tour of the mangrove forests around the Chale Bay.

We saw a lot of birds, sacred ibis, yellow-billed storks, egrets great and small, cormorants and darters.

There were unfortunately not so many smaller birds, and only one kingfisher was spotted from our boat.

It was interesting to see the mangroves, as many of us had heard Dr Kairo's fascinating talk, and could see the seeds and flowers that he had been showing us, including on one tree one of the tennis ball sized brown shiny seeds, which many of us had never seen before.

Dr Kairo's base at Gazi is just the other side of the bay.

Our boats returned us safely to the jetty, where we bargained for fresh fish before returning up the coast road.

We were lucky to see more colobus monkeys feeding at the side of the road.

It was an excellent trip, and the boat service was very good.

The organisers, Aqualand, do all sorts of watersports - diving, fishing, kite surfing, parasailing, and other trips, and can be contacted on 0735 781792

FUTURE PROGRAMME

Tuesday 14th February: Video - The Eagle Odyssey.

The white-tailed sea eagle is back where it belongs, on the spectacular coasts and islands of northwest Scotland.

But it hasn't always been so.

After centuries of persecution, the sea eagle, one of the largest birds of prey in the world with a wingspan of eight feet, became extinct in the UK last century.

Today dozens of pairs breed successfully in Scotland and many visitors come specially to see them.

What brought this about ? Come to see the film to find out.

Saturday 18th February: Bird Walk with Marlene Reid

Meet at Ratna Square at 4.00 p.m. for this month's ornithological outing.

Marlene Reid always manages to find us exciting birds, so do give it a try.

Saturday 25th February: Old Town Walk with Judy Aldrick

Our founder member and past chairman, Judy Aldrick is back in Mombasa for a visit, and has kindly agreed to lead one of her famous Old Town Walks.

Meet outside the Fort at 4.00 p.m. for an interesting afternoon in the alleys and byways of Old Town.

Bring along tea for a picnic in the rehabilitated park on the seafront next to Mombasa Club.

Tuesday 28th February: Talk - Oliver Fowler: Seashells of Kenya.

This talk, postponed from last year, will introduce us, with the aid of photographs, to the marine shells of the Kenya Coast, with a brief overview of some of the main families and unusual shells.

Mr Fowler will address conservation issues, habitat, visiting the reefs, and cleaning and preserving a collection.

We all see shells every time we visit the beach or the reef, and this talk will ensure that we learn more about them.

Saturday/ Sunday 4th & 5th March: Overnight Trip to Sagala Lodge at Voi.

Sagala Lodge is situated off the Mombasa/ Nairobi Road opposite Tsavo East.

It is wonderful bird-watching country with over 125 species on the checklist.

Activities include walks to the Sagala Hills for a bird's eye view of Tsavo East Park.

Accommodation is in simple twin bandas scattered in lush gardens and there is a swimming pool, lounge bar and restaurant.

It is intended to go up in shared cars on Saturday morning, coming back on Sunday afternoon.

The full board rate per person, plus extra lunch, sharing in a twin will be Kshs 2,300/-, plus contribution towards the transport.

Full payment will be required by 10th February.

Please let Kelvin Mazera know if you want to join this trip on 0720 928783.

Tuesday 14th March: Video - A Place on the Planet.

Care for the Wild International funds a unique project for the rescue and rehabilitation of Kenya's orphaned elephants and rhinos.

This video follows a year in the life of two rescued rhinos, now living in Nairobi National Park, and three elephants as they leave the nursery for a new life in Tsavo East National Park.