Bats and Birds Research, Pian Upe – Mt Kadam Zone

18-27th March 2023, Bats and Birds Research in Pian Upe – Mount Kadam Zone for Karamoja Conservation Zones initiative. Written by Brian Lokutae, Kara-Tunga Foundation Field Coordinator.

The research team

The team was led by Chris Ketola and 10 other volunteers from Fauna Forever International which is a Peruvian non-profit organisation. Their mission is to build a world where nature conservation and sustainability thinking are cornerstones of a society’s development and wellbeing, resulting in a healthy and prosperous Planet Earth for all.

Focus area

The rapid assessment was conducted at Pain Upe Eco Camp landscape focused on netting of Bats and birds with the aid of mist nets. The nets where placed in strategic locations for two days in a row for each different habitat for a period of ten days.

After the netting both the bats and birds are processed for data to determine the species, sex, age dimensions and health condition. The birds are there after ringed for future reference while a part of the bat’s wing is punctured for a small piece of skin for proper further study. After the processing is done, both the birds and bats are released back to the wild.

Preliminary findings

Other than bird and bat netting, trap cameras were set at different locations around the landscape to capture pictures of mainly bigger mammals and reptiles passing through the landscape.

Highlights

Pian Upe Eco Camp is surrounded by four mainly kinds of micro-habitats that each harbor some specific kind of biodiversity in close proximity namely;

• Open Savannah grassland and shrubs
• Savannah woodland and thickets
• River-rhine cover and thicket
• Montane highland forest

Open Savannah grassland and shrubs

The Open Savannah grassland and shrubs had a special bat of genius hipposideridae and is a habitat to various bio-diversity like Karamoja Apalis which is endemic to the area due to the abundance of the Whistling Acacia that is a source of food to the bird.

Savannah woodland and thickets

Savannah woodland and thicket provided abundant biodiversity especially those that are undergrowth and thicket dwellers like the thrushes and camaropteras.

River-rhine cover and thicket

The River-rhine cover and thicket offered an oasis to most of the biodiversity around the landscape because of the river that runs from the mountain towards the valley. One of the trap camera placed along the river captured images of a bushpig genus potamochoerus that is much of a forest dweller. Many footprints of other animals where spotted along the river like the leopard, buffalo, impala, warthog, hare and many other.

River Oasis that is a source of water all year around for the bio-diversity that lives around the Camp landscape

Montane highland forest

The highland montane micro habitats provided some unique species ranging from bats and birds. The unique bat was of genius triaenops while the bird species were the narina trogon and yellow whiskered Greenbul.

Areas of improvement

The landscape is at high risk of pressure from human activity like tree cutting for charcoal and pole which is a treat to the existing eco system calling for immediate action to protect the area and these micro habitats that are home to particular species and also provide alternative IGA to this particular groups of people.

The savannah open grassland and river-rhine areas of the landscape are sources of pasture and water to the pastoralist communities of Pokot and Pain that neighbor the landscape who over graze the landscape hence chasing and hunting wildlife in the area. If a permanent water source is planted near this communities then there will be need for them to come to the landscape looking for water.

Conclusion

Pain Upe Eco Camp is a diverse habitat with smaller micro habitats each supporting smaller individual ecosystems which calls for more engagement with the communities neighboring the landscape not to graze their cattle in the landscape neither should they hunt down the wildlife in the area since some species like the Karamoja Apalis and the Fox’s weaver are endemic to that particular area.

By the end of the assessment, the team was able to process data and collect samples from more than 10 different species of bats and also ring about 110 different species of birds at landscape.