August 1998 
9 
Number of processed birds 
A total of 47 species were ringed between 20 July and 
29 July 1998. A total of 965 individuals were processed 
with 271 retraps and 694 fresh trappings. Many of the 
birds ringed were warblers and were mostly caught from 
the wet reed habitat The average daily catch was 87 
birds. We caught a Moustached Warbler with an Italian 
ring. I was happy to see some species that are also 
found in Kenya but during winter. These included 
Golden Oriole, Marsh Harrier, Nightingale, and many 
warbler species. 
Searching for the Black Stork 
We left the camp to look for the Black Storks not seen 
in the ringing site. We went through forests and 
plantations for a total of two hours but with no success. 
We had a nice drive in to the Osca forest reserve. For 
30 minutes we provided food to the starving mosquitoes 
in the forest. 
Osca Museum and church 
We were taken to the museum to see preservations of 
the Hungarian culture. We saw a lot of what used to be 
Hungarian domestic goods (furniture and beds) and 
houses. I was impressed to see a church that was built 
in the 13th century. We had a very good view of breeding 
White Storks at the museum grounds. 
KNOWLEDGE GAINED 
Project 
The European Songbird Project at Osca gave me an 
experience that I would not have gained else where in 
the world. I now know how to extract birds from mist- 
nets. I can ring and obtain important biometrics. I now 
can determine fat content and tell a bird ready to migrate 
from a bird that has just reached its migratory 
destination. This knowledge will be central to studying 
migratory birds in Kenya and other parts of Africa. As 
a bird ecologist I will apply the knowledge gained in 
studying distribution and movement patterns of the 
Kenyan avifauna. I will use the same to train amateur 
ornithologists on how to carry out mist-netting. The 
project gave me an opportunity to closely observe and 
identify many bird species that would be impossible to 
identify in the wild. I saw species that I had not seen in 
Kenya and probably that 1 will never see again unless I 
go to Europe. I saw a crake trap that 1 had not seen 
before and I believe it would be useful in Kenya. I gained 
a lot of knowledge from the informal lectures given by 
the principal investigator Dr Tirbo. He explained how 
birds migrate, what makes them migrate, where they 
go and why they have to come back to same sites they 
came from. The project involved working with people 
from different parts of the world and I gained a lot 
from our discussions. 1 now think better, view the world 
differently and have more friends than I had before I 
went to Hungary. 
OTHER EXPERIENCES 
Weather and day light hours 
I had never experienced a summer before. I was very 
surprised to experience temperatures approaching 40 
degrees Celsius in Europe. It was unbelievable. I thought 
a summer should actually be cooler than any temperature 
within the tropics. Here the conditions were comparable 
to what exists along the East African Coast. How do 
the plants adapt to changes in temperature from below 
zero during winter to 40 degrees Celsius in the summer? 
Probably that explains why there is lower faunal and 
floral species diversity in Europe than in the tropics. 
Most striking was the time the day light breaks and 
disappears. I only used to read that different parts of 
the world have significantly different day light lengths. 
In Hungary day light was breaking at 4.00 a.m and the 
sun was setting at 9 00 p,m.. I was not used to working 
up to 9.00 p.m. then saying good night inthe day light. 
So after the day’s activities I stayed for around three 
hours to sleep at 1.00 a.m. 1 found nights too short, 
and true to say my sleeping timetable remained offset 
for the whole time I was in Hungary. I used to get in to 
my sleeping bag, then in what seemed like 30 minutes 
1 would hear Tirbos loud voice “control time” That 
truly meant that it was 6.00 a.m. and I had to wake up 
to go and control nets. 
Meals and drinks 
Hungary is a country blessed with a lot of food. Tirbo, 
the chief chef really took care of us. I saw a sausage the 
size of my hand. It was not only big but very delicious 
It was my first lime to eat mushrooms freshly collected 
from the wild. It was not only the variety but also the 
style. Everyday food tested different but more delicious 
than the previous one. I did not have a chance to wait to 
see their most delicious. I hope such a chance will come 
another time. 
Mosquitoes 
This was the most interesting of all the experiences. 
For two \)veeks we provided food for mosquitoes. I had 
to be alert all the lime. At least one hand had to be free 
all the time. They knew no day and mght. They were 
active throughout. They were not the mosquitoes I was 
used to in Kenya. These were big and very courageous. 
They pierced through any cloth. They sucked a lot of 
blood. Good news, they do not have malaria. To survive 
in Osca eat and drink heavily to maintain your life and 
that of the mosquitoes. 
Language barrier 
My stay in Hungary would have been more interesting 
if the Hungarians could at least speak English. Many 
of them could not speak or even understand this 
language. It was my first time to have an experience of 
using gestures to people who are not deaf. The language 
barrier was a great problem. It forced me to learn some 
basic Hungarian to be able to say that there were birds 
or no birds in the nets. 
