Viellot's Black Weaver in Mahale

By Gabriel l Mushi - Guide, Greystoke Mahale.

Viellot’s black weaver is one of the passerine birds found in Mahale National Park. The male is glossy black and the female is olive green in plumage coloration. The first thing to warn you of their presence is the ball shaped nest hanging at the tip of reeds branches growing along the lake edge/shore, and others in the shallows and along the River Lubulungu.

They are very vocal and shy birds, fly away when approached very closely. The number of males seems to be many more than that of females. Like other weavers they are polygamous, whereby one male mate with several females. Males court the females by preparing several nests and calling from the nest site while fluttering his wings to attract the female. The female will fly by inspecting the nest and in the world of survival for the fittest she will choose the male that will be able to protect and guard the eggs and chicks, hence pass their genes to next generation. Though there are many nests, only few will be utilized and the remaining ones left for confusing the predators. Though they nest down at the lake edge they as well venture in the forest to feed on fruits mostly in the morning and late afternoon.

Oil palm and its uses in Mahale

By Suleiman Juma - Tracker, Greystoke Mahale

The Palm tree is one of the trees found in the Mahale Mountain forest, mainly dominating the lowland part of the forest. It was introduced once upon a time by the Tongwe people who lived in the area before it was acknowledged as a national park.

This tree has many uses, both to wild animals and local people living adjacent to national park. It bears palm nuts as fruits in big clusters, which many animals use as food. Yellow baboon, Red tailed monkey, and Vervet monkey mostly feed on the palm nut yellowish outer flesh and drop the kernels on the ground hence make it accessible to other mammals like Bush pig and Warthog that cannot climb up to pick the nuts. Palm nut vulture, one of the big bird of prey found in mahale feed on the outer flesh of the palm nut fruit, hence the name palm nut vulture. Many locals has planted the tree outside the national park where they are living and uses the palm nut fruit to produce palm oil that they uses for cooking, and as medicine for eyes washing if you have sore eyes. They burn the male part of the palm to produce smoke that is used as mosquito repellant. Also the palm trunk once cut leaks a sap. Locals put a pot toward the end of the trunk and let the water from the trunk seep into the pot to make palm wine.

Cadmus and Primus trick greedy alpha male

By Mwiga Mambo, Tracker - Greystoke Mahale

On Thursday, one of the days usually clients leave and new one comes to Greystoke Mahale camp, we went out in the evening to track and see where the chimps could nest that night. Knowing where they are nesting gives us clue of how chimping would likely to be next morning.

Up on top of a hill where we normally go to listen for their calls, we heard a lot of calls not far from where we were. We knew there was something going on. We rushed to that spot and find chimps ready to hunt red-colobus. There were a lot of screaming, barking and calls of different kind. Red-colobus got confused and started leaping from one branch to other. Alpha male Pimu rushed quickly up on a tree strangled by climbers and got a female red-colobus with her tiny baby clinging by the belly. He killed both mother and the baby.

He then, climbed down off that tree, sat on a ground and started to eat. Other chimps both males and females gathered around begging from him, but he wouldn’t give meat to anyone. He go on scaring or attacking those that got very close to where he was sitting. Poor Nkombo, she humbly approached Pimu and seeing no signs of aggressive from him, she stretched out her hand to take meat. Pimu grabbed her by hand and badly beat her. No one could dare coming closer to him anymore.

But on a tree, sat two brave, intelligent males; Primus and Cadmus watching what was going around. At once they both climbed down from that tree, and walked toward Pimu each one coming toward him from opposite direction. Pimu seeing that, he got up to challenge Cadmus who was a bit closer to where he was than Primus. Reluctantly Cadmus stopped, and Pimu fiercely charged him. When charging Cadmus, Primus get a chance to steal the prey, he took the female red-colobus and start to run away with it. Pimu seeing his prey taken, stopped charging Cadmus and go on charging Primus to have his meat back. Cadmus took that chance and takes away the remaining kill of the tiny baby colobus. Pimu couldn’t catch Primus who went through thick undergrowth. He came back for the tiny baby, which too was taken by Cadmus. Greedy Pimu nothing left with him, and in desperation wandered from one thicket undergrowth to another.

Picture - Michael Poliza

Wagtails attacking their reflections

By Kakae Saiteu - Guide, Greystoke Mahale

In this flat beautiful bay where Greystoke Mahale camp is located; there are several species of birds. One fascinating species is the African pied wagtail. The African pied wagtail prefers wetland, rocky-river channel and sparsely vegetated sandy beaches beside large bodies of water. And of course they are well adapted to human modified habitats. This site where the camp is located is a perfect habitat to these birds.

African pied wagtail are territorial and become more so when in breeding season. One pair of this bird is now using Greystoke Mahale’s Mess building as a core of their territory. They are often seen perching on the roof or frames of the mess building, resting, scanning for intruders, which normally are conspecifics, or waiting to hawk or pick insects when spotted.

They have fascinating social behaviors. However, that of attacking their own reflected image from shining framed pictures of local chimpanzees, hanging from the mess building wall is inspiring. While sitting at the mess building, you can see this pair of birds attacking their reflections perceiving as intruders. They blow so hard and sometime fall to the ground as a result of that smash. Amazing these birds! Despite hard smashing, still go on doing it again until they got exhausted and leave. Next time they pass by and see the reflection the game starts once more.












Picture by Sonja Zweegers

Earth tremors in Mahale

By Lazaro George, Guide - Greystoke Mahale

Here in Mahale Mountains we are on the belt of the rift valley. Lake Tanganyika is formed by this rift in the earth. Either side of the lake, which is 50km wide, there are the same huge mountains as our Mahale mountains. The belt of this rift valley started far north in Jordan-Red sea-Ethiopia-Kenya where western and eastern rift valley started. The western valley comes down through Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi to lake Tanganyika and joins with the eastern rift valley near the Tanzania and Malawi border. Then the valley goes farther down into Mozambique through lake Nyasa.

And now days, because we’re in this zone we feel it when earthquakes appear. Recently an earthquake appeared and it was night time and I was reviewing my notes in my note book. Ifeel like my tent vibrating and I had water bottle on my desk at the same time I saw water in the bottle vibrating too.

At the next morning I had other staff asking about it but some of them (including the sleepy managers) they could not feel any thing about. According to the people who are living at the nearest village, they wonder at our reaction because is really normal thing in this zone.