Pied Wagtail nest in Mahale dhows

By Gabriel Mushi- Guide, Greystoke Mahale.

African pied wagtail is one of the birds found in mahale mountain national park, especially to the lowland open parts of the forest. This bird is black and white in color and you can diff btw male and female by the black breast band in which male band is broader than female. They have a tendency of waging their tail up and down when resting hence the name.

There is one pair that is often seen around Greystoke camp, and this pair mostly accompanies our boats on the way in and out up to the certain distance and fly back either to nearby trees or back to camp awaiting the boat return. Their habit of following the boats especially MV Gwekulo, is because they have their nest in the cabin of the boat. They enter the cabin of the boat through the small opening in front of the boat. Sometime you will see them with grasses and thin roots bringing them to the boat for nest making. Their nest is like a bulk cup composed of dry grass, stem and roots. After laying eggs one will continue to incubate and raise the chicks when the boats depart to the airstrip sometime up to 7 hours before coming back. They are among the birds that have the habit of reusing their nest, so they have used their nest in the Gwekulo boat for some few years now by repairing it when nesting. The reason for them using the boat for nesting is probably because Vervet monkey and Yellow baboons do not get in to the boat so protecting their eggs from predation by these Monkeys. 

Chimps in canoes?

By Mwiga Mambo- Tracker, Greystoke Mahale.

It was 23^rd Sept when we were tracking chimpanzees in the evening. The chimps were heading to the northern part of their home range, and when we reached one trail known as G5, there was a dead Pcnanthus log. When the chimpanzees get to this log they have a habit of licking it as if they were licking rocks to get salt minerals. The log has now fallen down because it has rotted more, and where the chimps were licking has developed a shape like a local canoe.

When the chimps we were following reached this dead log some ignored it but one juvenile chimp known as Matsuya could not resist such a simple pleasure, so she gets into a place that has developed itself like a canoe and leaned her shoulder from one side to the other as someone paddling a canoe. After that she started shaking it and standing on top of it and tried to drum it but lastly she get in again and feeling tired she get out and tried to drag the log, but it was far too heavy for her so she left.