12 
Bulletin ofthe EANHS 28(1) 
from the 2,531 individuals recorded by Din and 
Eltringham (1976) in an aerial survey in September 1974. 
The presence of the flamingos on all three lakes 
during a period when they are normally absent could be 
indicative of a future attempt to breed in the area, but 
no physical evidence was found to support this. The lakes 
are small for breeding sites. None is larger than 3 km 2 
and they lack the inaccessible expanses of mudflats 
preferred by the Lesser Flamingo for breeding (Brown 
et al, 1982). The two northern lakes are also within 3 
km of Kashaka fishing village on the snores of Lake 
George where there is a resident population of at least 
ten Marabou Storks Leptoptilos crumeniferus. As 
Marabous are a major predator of flamingos (Brown, 
1958) their presence could be a major impediment to 
any breeding attempts on the lakes. 
However, since the 1994 survey, work by Achilles 
Byanihanga has shown signs of flamingos nesting on Lake 
Maseche in 1995, 
Andy Brock-Doyle, Fauna and Flora International, 
Great Eastern House, Tenison Rd., Cambridge CB1 2DT, 
UK. 
References 
Brown, L. H., Urban, E, & Newman, K. (1982). The 
Birds of Africa, Vol. 1. London: Academic Press. 
Brown, L. H. (1958). The breeding of the Greater 
Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber at Lake Elmenteiia, 
Kenya Colony. Ibis 100: 388-420. 
Din, N. A. & Eltringham, S. K. (1976). Early records 
of the lesser flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) in 
western Uganda with a note on its present status. 
East African Wildlife Journal 14: 171-175. 
EARTHWATCH 
As you may have noticed, we have recently introduced a 
column where our Earth watch fellows can report on their 
trips. But, you may be wondering, what is Earthwatch? 
Earthwatch is an international and science education 
foundation. It is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) 
which supports field research projects in the life, earth 
and social sciences. At any one time there are about 
140 projects around the world. The normal way in which 
Earthwatch supports these projects by finding ‘ volunteers’ 
who are willing to pay to spend their holiday time working 
with scientists. The research project team benefits from 
the volunteers’ labour and financial contribution. 
However, a proportion of places are funded by the 
Earthwatch Fellowship Programme. This is where 
EANHS comes in. 
An Earthwatch Fellowship is an opportunity for 
relevant people from the science and conservation 
communities in Africa to join an international scientific 
research team for two weeks. The Fellowship teaches 
the scientific methods of the project, and gives the 
experience of working on a field research team, in an 
international environment. It is also an opportunity to 
meet other conservationists and scientists, and to make 
important international contacts. It relies on Fellows 
making the most of the experience by talking to, and 
learning from, the scientists and other team members 
in what will often be a very informal atmosphere. The 
experience is consolidated by enrolment in the Alumni 
Association, and in some cases, by regional seminars. 
In order to select Fellows, Earthwatch works through 
local partners in their respective countries. The East 
Africa Natural History Society is the Earthwatch partner 
in Kenya. From time to time, when Earthwatch is able 
to allocate a number of Fellowships to Kenya, EANHS 
assists with the selection and nomination of candidates, 
and with administration. 
THE MALLORCAN THRILL 
I was happy when I received the Earthwatch Fellowship 
to Mallorca, Spain. The location for the project was 
S'Albufera Natural Park where the Earthwatch team was 
involved in the monitoring of biodiversity. A great deal 
of work was done during the project which covered 
various fields of research: ecosystem studies, 
biodiversity studies, monitoring, park management, 
interpretation and education, and programme 
development. We also managed to establish a baseline 
of the marine biota of the park. May of the activities 
overlapped and the various fields of research were 
interconnected. The project had a holistic programme 
which fitted into the objectives of the S’Albufera Natural 
Ffcrk. Each volunteer had a chance to participate in each 
activity. 
Description ofthe project activities 
The following is a brief account ofthe work done, which 
I personally participated in: 
Mammal population studies (leader Rob Strachan) 
The team members assisted in setting traps ad making 
records of captured animals. This formed part of the 
ecological studies of small mammals. 
Abundance and distribution of the orchid Orchis 
palustris {leader: Nick Riddiford) 
This involved counting the number of O. palustris to 
determine the density. A very high density of 
approximately 700 individuals in the park was recorded. 
Herbarium development and curation 
We assisted in changing the herbarium material in the 
plant presses as required. 
Bird transect counts (leader: Nick Riddiford) 
This was usually done in the early morning. We covered 
four 25 m transects, each covering different habitats. 
The bird species were identified and counted using either 
sightings or calls. 
Microlepidoptera studies (leader: David Agassiz) 
Moth caterpillars were collected from white poplar 
trees Populus albus , and other plants to momtor the 
emergence of moths and parasitoids and also study the 
