Comments on: A bed full of wings

By: the muzungu

the muzungu — Mon, 11 Jan 2021 17:35:51 +0000

I couldn’t have chosen a better place to spend lockdown…
When the President closed schools in March 2020, I jumped on the Link bus to make sure I was here on the edge of Kibale Forest- and here I still am – almost one year later. Every day I thank my lucky stars that this is my home.
I have frequently felt isolated but I always feel safe.
Every morning I walk to the edge of the forest. Just a few minutes reconnecting with nature is enough to reset my brain. Lockdown has been the most amazing opportunity to learn more bird calls, develop a rudimentary knowledge of butterflies, and reconnect with nature on a deeper level.
Follow my #LockdownDiaries for stories about the birds, butterflies, moths, beetles, monkeys and other primates that inhabit this beautiful corner of Uganda.

By: the muzungu

the muzungu — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 14:34:14 +0000

In reply to Lizziema.

It is with great regret that we announce the untimely – or should I say unseasonal – demise of Easter!
We had all become rather fond of his gob-gob-gobbling noises but he is no more. Last week s/he was attacked by one of our neighbour’s dogs so we had to put him out of his misery. Given the circumstances, no-one had much of a stomach for the inevitable …
RIP Easter.

By: Lizziema

Lizziema — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 08:41:45 +0000

Perhaps you could bring my baster home for Christmas. There could be something to baste!

By: the muzungu

the muzungu — Wed, 22 Aug 2018 10:49:44 +0000

In reply to Lizziema.

LOL Ma.
Easter seems to have become a permanent fixture! We love his gobble gobble noises! And he’s a great ‘guard dog.’

By: Lizziema

Lizziema — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 18:23:47 +0000

I was very interested to see Easter turkey. Is it the same as Christmas turkey? Have you dispatched it and if you have did you use the baster??

By: the muzungu

the muzungu — Mon, 23 Apr 2018 17:02:37 +0000

Yes indeed this was elephant dung. One night at around 9 o’clock, I heard lots of children screaming and shouting. It took me a while to realise that the elephants had invaded the crops of the farms behind us and it was ‘all hands on deck’ as the whole family made as much noise as they possibly could to try and chase them away. It’s one thing to enjoy seeing elephants when you’re on safari but an altogether different situation when you’re a subsistence farmer who has no other way of surviving other than through crop farming. Later on Saturday afternoon, we found a huge pile of fresh elephant dung on Julia’s land. With the toe of one of his gumboots, Sebastiano opened up the pile of dung to show a jackfruit seed. “We need evidence like this to show Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) that the elephants have been crop raiding.” Jackfruit trees are cultivated in people’s gardens. Today I had a chance to meet Wilson, one of the villagers who is employed by UWA helping to excavate a 2 km long trench that will help to protect villagers from the hungry elephants. This trench skirts along the edge of the forest between the village of Kyabakwere and Sunbird Hill. This should make a huge difference to local people. Sebastiano almost had to drop out of school when his family’s crops were destroyed by elephants (meaning there was no money for school fees). This dilemma is everyday life for many Africans and a subject I came to learn a lot about when I was a volunteer with the Uganda Conservation Foundation, fundraising for solutions to human wildlife conflict. Here's a favourite blog from Ishasha in Queen Elizabeth National Park: "Why I love elephant dung."