Squirrels!

Hi everybody,

My name is Ross, and for my behavioral ecology project I decided to study squirrels. I made this decision because my yard and neighborhood as a whole are filled with the little guys, and I have never taken the time to learn anything about them. For my experiment, I am testing a concept known as 'optimal foraging' or the process behind how and when the squirrels like to eat or gather food. To do this, I am placing various little piles of acorns in different places around my house, specifically high in the trees and at the base of those trees to see which ones they prefer. One thing I found very interesting is that through my observations, I have learned the squirrels can jump up to 8 times their own body length.

As for me, I enjoy acting, playing baseball, and hanging out with friends

more ants!

my name is maya and I also picked ants. They are everywhere and I was interested to study and learn more about which foods they prefer. Next picnic I can make sure not to pack that particular food. I have been studying them just in my backyard, and it takes about 4 hrs to coax them out with food. They seem to run into each other a lot, and they don't seem very organized in their trails. I recently saw one ant try to carry a a 4cm long piece of dried turkey all by itself it actually made it pretty far...
I really like gum, and listening to music. I really like jumping and flipping on trampolines.

Honeybees!

Hey, hey, hey, my name is Teo. For this project, I’m studying the apis mellifera, which everyone knows as the honeybee. Ever since kindergarten when I had gardening class, I’ve always thought that plants were pretty cool and I learned early just how incredibly important the little buzzing insects were for all plants to grow. My friends and I used to catch honeybees (with empty honey jars) off the rosemary bushes in the garden at my home, and my fascination with these little insects has lasted ‘til this day. For my experiment, I am mainly working in my garden in the backyard, which has olive, pine, orange, and avocado trees in it. I have created a “choice tube” so that I can look at the preference honeybees exhibit for the odor of one flower over the other. One of the coolest things I have observed is how the bees create the comb in the hive in the most intricate and perfect way. As for me, I’m a soccer player, a violinist, and I LOVE fried chicken.

HI!! My name is Marc, and for my behavioral ecology project I am studying Mallard Ducks. I chose to study this animal because I wanted to study an animal that was easy to find and somewhat large. I live in the city, so finding animals to observe in the actual city is very difficult. So the duck became the perfect choice for me. Im doing my observations from the bank of a man-made large pond. The pond has an grass island in the middle of it and the ducks are usually found there or swimming in the surrounding waters. The ducks are normally in large flocks of about 30 and maybe even larger. The male ducks are very different looking from the female ducks. The males have a green head, yellow beak and brown, white, black and grey body. The females on the other hand are a speckled brown, white and black color. At this time of year, the ducks are in the process of courting each other (trying to find mates), although they do not mate until the spring of next year. I also found through my personal experiments that the ducks will not eat colored bread (red, green and blue) as much as they will eat normal colored bread. The ducks are sometimes even scared by the colored bread or they will completely ignore it.

One of my favorite activities is playing soccer. But I also really like to explore/adventure around the Bay Area with my friends.

Western Scrub-Jays

Hi all! My name is Cora, and I am studying Western Scrub-Jays, which are a type of blue jay. These animals seem to always be around in my yard, and when I was little, I called them "clouses" and I used to feed them crackers. I've been observing these birds in two different places: my backyard and my school garden. In my yard, we have a lot of oak trees and other shrubs that the birds like to perch in, and there is a pair of Scrub-Jays that frequents my yard (they're very territorial, so I never see more than two at once). The school garden is such a nice place to go to do work, and sometimes I can find some of my birds up there, so I'll go up there after school, during lunch, or during free blocks sometimes and observe birds there. One of the coolest things that I've seen these birds do is store food for later in the winter. I watched one hop around with an acorn in its beak, wedge the acorn into the ground, then hammer the acorn further in with its beak. Then, it covered up the spot with a few pieces of bark. Another one wedged the acorn into the ground, looked around and saw that another bird was watching, and dug it up and buried it elsewhere. These birds apparently can remember hundreds of locations where they've cached food for the winter! As for me, I love to run on the trails around school and around my house, and I'm on the cross country team.

Ants

Hi! My name is Olivia Powers and for my behavioral ecology project I chose to study ants. I am mainly studying one colony that lives in the dirt next to my driveway. I decided to study ants because the are very present in my life and yet i know very little about. I figured that this was a good opportunity to learn more about them. I have found that there are three categories of ants: queens and males (both of which are winged), and wingless worker ants. Each has a specific job that keeps the colony running.
In my spare time I love to read, dance, and hang out with my friends.

ANTS

Hi! My name is Ruby James. I am studying ants for my behavioral ecology project because they are extremely interesting and right outside in my backyard. I also have always been curious about them every since they have been invading my house during the winter when I was about 9 years old. I have found an ant nest in a bush near my driveway. Every night the ants form an ant line across my driveway foraging for food. I have learned from my research that the ants use pheromones (smells) to communicate with one another which I find very interesting. I had never previously knew this but it explains why they are able to follow each other in ant lines so well. In my free time I like to hang out with my friends, listen to music, and go on runs.

Red Earthworms

Hi! My name is Julia Herbst and for my behavioral ecology project, I am studying the red earthworm (also known as the compost worm). I picked this animal to study because there are many in my family's compost bin and I didn't know that much about them. One of the surprising things that I have found is that these worms strongly dislike direct sunlight and are far more active on cloudy days.

In my free time I enjoy reading, hanging out with my friends and playing bass.

Honey Bees

Hello! My name is Becca. My my behavioral ecology experiment I chose to study honey bees. I wanted to observe honey bees for a couple reasons. I wanted to learn about honey bees because I knew nothing about them, but seem to fear them because of their sting. Also I love honey and was very curious how it was made. I started watching the honey bees from near by the hives just outside the MA garden, but recently I have been watching the bees inside the garden especially the ones that gather around the bed of lettuces. I have found it very interesting how it is hard to attract the honey bees when I am near the hives because they already have distinct flight patterns to specific flowers and straight back to the hives. A cool fact I learned about honey bees flight patterns is that they communicate the route to food by dancing! A bee will return to the hive after sucking nectar and then perform a dance on the side of the hive; the angle at which the bees dances in relation to the wall is the angle they are telling the other bees to fly in relation to the sun to find the best food!

I am 17 years old and I live in San Francisco. I recently started running on my schools cross country team and I also play soccer. My favorite food to bake and eat are brownies.

Esther

My name is Esther and I am sixteen years old. I chose to observe the hare because it is funny and attractive to observe. They live in bushes and in the shade of plants. The most interesting observation I have made is that when it sees or hears people it runs and stands for a bit while it moves its face side to side. Then it runs again.

My favorite activities are playing football and listening to music. My favorite food is sweet potatoes.

Betty

My name is Betty Kagwiria, and I am fourteen years old and from Nanyuki. For my project, I studying the Sparkled Hornbill. I chose this bird because it is available on campus and they are easy to observe. You can also observe them when it is noisy. They are found in the upper campus in the acacia trees. Something interesting about the bird is that when one makes any noise, all the others join in and they all come together.

I like dancing, swimming, and watching movies. My favorite foods are spaghetti and pizza.

Mercy

My name is Mercy Cheronoh and I am fifteen years old and from Nairobi. I am studying the dove in my animal behavior project. I chose this animal because doves are the closest animals in the area. They are also my favorite animals. Mostly the doves fly around school but others also stay in their nests in trees. I have seen that most of the doves have white stripes and others have a yellow and green neck.

My favorite activity outside of class is watching movies and singing with my angel voice. My favorite food is chicken and chips.

Relina

My name is Relina and I am sixteen years old. I was born in Western Province and I grew up in Mombasa but for now I stay in Nairobi. For my project I am observing the tortoise. I am observing the tortoise because it does not run away if you get close to it but instead it hides its head and legs in its shell. This animal stays in the leaves of the trees when they fall down and also in anything that is good for them to stay in. The most interesting, surprising thing I have seen is when you go in front of it, it turns to its other side. I don’t know why?

When I am out of class I love playing football the most. I love it with all my heart. I also like singing and listening to music and radio and even watching movies. I love eating chapati, meat, and potatoes. Thank you!

Pauline

My name is Pauline Putunoi. I am sixteen years old and my hometown is Nanyuki. The animal which I am observing is the dove, which is a type of bird. I have chosen this animal because it is very much available on the campus, and always around when I go out to observe it. This bird lives on top of tall trees where they build their nests and also they live on top of tall houses. The most interesting and unique thing about this bird is that it has a black stripe on its neck and it has a very attractive mood of movement.

My favorite activity out of class is listening to soft music and also to argue real things with my friends. My favorite food is githeri.

Schola

My name is Schola Tenge. I am sixteen years old. I come from Dol-Dol. The animal that I am observing is the dik-dik. The reason why I chose this animal is because they are available everyday. The live anywhere they can but especially under trees, and they also bury their waste in the ground. The interesting thing about the dik-dik is that after it feeds, it will often sleep anywhere and you will be able to find it easily.

My favorite activity outside of class is playing volleyball. My favorite food is pilau.

Mary P.

My name is Mary Piroris. I am sixteen years old and I come from Jua Kali, a place of loving and wonderful people. The animal that I am observing is the dove. The reason why I chose the dove is simply because it is the animal that exists nearby and is available in our area. I have also chosen to study these birds because doves are considered holy and clean birds. This is because it is the one that appeared as a holy spirit when Jesus was baptized. They always build their nests on top of tall trees so that they can protect themselves from any danger. They build their nests with leaves and grass. The interesting thing about the dove is that when it feeds it finds somewhere near people and then sings its sweet melody. The surprising thing about the dove is that they are often destructive to the farms of people.

My favorite activity outside of class is playing football. My favorite food is chapati and green vegetables.

Benny

My name is Benedicta Muthina and I am sixteen years old, and my hometown is Kibera. The animal I am observing is the rock hyrax. I chose this animal because it is available on the campus wherever there are big stones. It stays under rocks and comes out to bask in the sun at daytime. When you talk or scream it comes and sits down to listen to you. If you try to scare them they run to the other side of the rock and look at you.

My favorite activity is playing football because I started playing when I was in standard four and I got an interest in it. My favorite foods are chicken and cookies.

Emily

Hi I am Emily and I am fourteen years old and from Kapenguria. I am studying the rock hyrax, which I chose because it is easily available near rocks. These hyraxes live in big rocks and not small ones where it is comfortable even during times of rain. The most interesting thing I discovered is that they do not move when they are scared, but instead they stare at you.

During free time hours I usually play my recorder and sing my favorite songs. My favorite food is chapati.

Carolyne

My name is Carolyne and I am sixteen years old. I have chosen the dove as an animal I want to observe because of various reasons, one being that they are likely to be found on the campus in large numbers. The doves live on trees and they like moving in groups. In my project I had a number of observations such as when you see the doves they are always in groups. Second, when they sit you can see them scratching their bodies using their beaks and that is the most interesting observation I made as far as the observation of the doves is concerned.

My favorite activities outside of class are singing and playing football and my favorite foods are pilau and chapati.

Catherine

My name is Catherine Epur and I am sixteen years old and from Naibor, Kenya. The name of the bird that I am studying is the white browed sparrow weaver. I chose this particular bird because it is available in the school compound. Also I chose to observe it because of its colorful attractive colors. It lives in nests that are on campus. The most interesting thing is how it flaps its wings and the sound it makes when it sings.

My favorite activity is playing football and volleyball. This is because I started practicing when I was in class four. My favorite foods are chapati and spaghetti.

Everlyne

My name is Everlyne Titika. I am sixteen years old and from North Pokot. The animal that I am observing is the dik-dik. The reason why I chose this animal is because it is available all the time around campus. Their habitats are usually found under bushes where there are short shrubs. The interesting thing about the animal is that when it looks at people it shakes its ears and then it runs as it skips.

My favorite activity outside of class is writing songs and my favorite food is pilau and maandazi.

Mary K.

My name is Mark Karimi and I am seventeen years old and I am from Nanyuki. I have chosen to observe the tortoise. I chose this animal because I know that I will be able to watch and observe it easily. I often follow it while it is in its habitat under thorn trees where it lives and stays. When you try to lift it, it makes a sound which made me scared.

My favorite activities are prayer and football, and my favorite food is chapati.

My name is Emmett

1) What is the identity of the animal you are studying?

-I am studying the Mallard Duck scientifically known as Anas Platyrhynchos.

2) Why did you choose this animal to study?

-Ducks are a fairly large sized animal for my area, they are easily accessible, and I fed them bread when my babysitter and I used to go on walks..

3) How would you describe the habitat in which you are doing your observations?

-I am conducting my experiment in a public park that has a large pong which simplifies down into ravines. The water is surrounded by grass and trees. The park is also home to a variety of different birds that encircle the skies, trees, and grass areas including sea gulls, geese, and small black birds.

4) What are some interesting and/or surprising observations you have made thus far?

-A surprising moment occurred during my first set of observations around 7:30pm. I was jotting down notes about the interactions, physical features, and movements of the ducks when suddenly, in a period of about 10 seconds, every single duck I was observing migrated in the same direction. On my first day, the ducks decided that my time with them was over.

5) What is are one or two personal fun facts you can share?

-My passion is soccer but I also love to pass around a guitar and strum favorite songs.

My name is Rebekah (17) and I am studying the Western Scrub-Jay. The reason I chose to study these beautiful blue birds is because there are so many living in the trees around my house in Berkeley and I knew almost nothing about them. It's hard to get good observations because the jays are always hiding in the trees, but it's a real treat when they come out to forage. Because these birds are smart enough to fly away when humans come I observe them at a safe distance from my window at home. My experiment is testing two things: whether or not these jays like shiny things and whether they like sweetness. I put edible glitter on peanuts to test for preference of shiny things and cooked peanuts in sugar syrup to test for preference of sweet things. So far I don't think the birds have noticed the peanuts but I've moved them to a new location so we'll see.

My favorite food is definitely cereal and my activities/hobbies include drawing lots and lots of art and playing the piano and cello. I'm also a ridiculously huge fan of the baseball team the San Francisco Giants.

Hello!

Hi, my name is also Emily.

I am currently studying ants living under the oak tree just outside my house. I decided to study these creatures for a few reasons, including the fact that I actually used to be very afraid of ants (and all other insects)! I knew this project would help me see the beauty and complexity of the ants, and hopefully would help get rid of my fear. So far, it has worked pretty well.

The ants live under the oak tree in my yard, in the cracks of my patio and the tanbark/dirt under the tree. It is relatively warm usually, though lately it has been a bit chilly and rainy. They usually stay underground in this colder/wetter weather.

One of the most interesting observations I have made so far was when I was watching the ants feed. Ants have very interesting eating habits: they wrap themselves around the food sometimes, can carry food bits much larger than themselves, and flock to food in HUGE groups. It is very exciting to observe.

When I'm not studying my ants or doing homework, I love dancing, taking pictures, and making films!

Hi! My name is Chelsea. I live in San Francisco and I choose to study Mallard ducks because of how common they are in the ponds in the city. When I was younger I used to feed these ducks bread with my babysitters. And when we were assigned this project i began to think about the effect that I had on the ducks and if they have changed as a result of their human interaction. I am studying mallard ducks that live in a large lake in the middle of San Francisco, called Stow Lake. There is a walking path around the lake and there are always people going on walks and feeding the ducks. The most interesting thing about the ducks is that if anyone or anything makes a noise near the side of the lake, the ducks investigate it. I think that they are hoping it is someone who is going to feed them. I am testing how the ducks respond to sound. One of the sounds is of a dog barking, before this experiment I thought this sound would scare all the ducks away but they didn't. Some of the ducks came closer to the sound. I think that is the result of living in a city and having a lot of dogs in the park. My favorite foods are sushi and risotto. Whenever, I have free time I like to cook and read the newspaper.

Hi, my name is Laura and I am studying minnows! I chose to study these creatures because in middle school, my school did a lot of work testing the water and pulling invasive species in and around a creek by my house and I wanted to learn about the organisms living in the water. I caught 5 of them and they are in a small bowl in my room so I can observe them and run experiments with them. I really enjoy having them in my room because it allows me to notice really subtle interesting things about them. The experiment I am working on is testing their sensitivity to light. So far, I have found that they generally prefer lighter envirnoments but I plan to run a few more trials of this experiment because there are a lot of variables to control.
My hobbies are swimming, water polo, taking pictures, and just being outside.
Good luck with your animal projects!

Hi! My name is Emily and I am studying Turkey Vultures. I live out in the woods a bit and so I see birds a lot and thought that vultures would be interesting and fun to study because I didn't know that much about them. I'm pretty lucky because I can do my observations from inside my house because I look right out into the woods. My experiment is testing if vultures have a preference if meat is mixed with spices. So far the vultures have eaten everything except for chili powder, so I figure they're pretty smart.

About me, I love horse back riding and running and also really enjoy eating ice cream.

Hello! My name is Hailey and I am studying SNAILS. I chose to study these creatures because we looked at them for a day in class and I was surprised how active they were, most often considered boring and slow, I found them very interesting. I have 10 living in a roomy container at my house and one of them had a whole heap of babies, they lay eggs and I think there are about 50. In about a week they hatched and very tiny, smaller than an average sized pea, snails were roaming the container. They are born with their shell, which is very clear at first like their bodies, and as they mature their body gets darker and their shell darkens and grows with them.

My favorite hobbies are listening and singing to music and going for hikes/runs/walks. In school I like studying language and science. thanks!

Hi! My name's Gwen. For my behavioral ecology project I am observing sagebrush lizards (Sceloporus graciosus.) I chose to watch these lizards because I've always seen them in my garden since I was little, and been interested in them. I observe them in sunny parts of my backyard - whether they're in the dirt or the stone path or hiding in the shadows of the bushes. Some interesting things I've noticed about them so far are that they are greedy for the sun's warmth (because they are exothermic and regulate their body temperature through their surroundings) but they also want to be sure they have a quick getaway path when I watch them. Because of this, they often plant themselves right in the sun, but orient their bodies so that they are facing a bush or other secretive nook. By doing this, they are able to race away as fast as possible if they feel threatened. I'm a senior and I just turned 18. I really like to eat mangos and I have a cat and a dog.

Northern Alligator Lizard

Hi! My name's Walker. The animal I have decided to study for my behavioral ecology project is the Northern Alligator Lizard. I chose this little creature because lizards have always fascinated me and there is actually a lizard colony up on the hill behind my house. The habitat of the lizards I am observing is dense with foliage, tall grass, and dirt in a mediterranean climate. One interesting observation thus far is that the lizards can actually detach their tails at the sign of a threat, creating a distraction for the predator as the lizard escapes. As for interesting things about me, I am a member and creative director of a hip-hop dance company. Good luck to everyone with their projects!

Hey. My name is Katie and I am studying the honeybee. I chose to study this species because since I was stung at age 8 I have been scared of bees. I am observing bees in the garden at my school. Specifically, in and around a hive that has been set up and around a few types of flowers that they seem particularly attracted to. I am fascinated by the bees' intelligence. They have such defined social order and they communicate very well with each other. Outside of the Biology classroom, I love to go to the beach and my favorite food is Pad Thai.

Responses to Questions

Hey! I'm Gabe and the animal I am studying is the Western Spotted Orbweaver (a type of spyder)
I chose this animal because I often see them in my yard, and their size and behavior intrigues me. I was also curious about how they build their webs because of the intricacy involved.
The habitat I'm studying my animal in is my front yard in an area with bushes, ferns, and trees.
One interesting observation I've made is these spiders sometimes leave their webs and go to a nearby hiding spot to conceal themselves. When they do this they leave a "trapline" connected to the web and themselves so they can be alerted through touch of anything happening on their web.
One thing about me is I love to play music, and I play bass and sitar.

Hi! I am studying honey bees. I chose to study bees because I have always thought they were a very interesting and crucial animals, but never had the opportunity to learn about them. I have been studying them in my backyard near the jasmine bush, in the garden at school, and at my neighbors house because she has beehives. Some interesting things i have learned about honey bees so far is that all bees can identify their hive even when next to another hive, that bees are endanger and on the verge of extinction due to pesticides and mites, and I have also noticed that when the bees eat they move their butt up and down. On another note, when I am not in school, I like to bake and spend time with my family and friends. Also, I really enjoy going to the farmers market with my family every sunday.

CALYPTE ANNA

Hey, what's up? I am observing the most common California Hummingbird scientifically known as Calypte Anna. I chose this animal because I have seen many right in my front yard and was fascinated by how profoundly different they are from just about any other bird. This intrigued me, and I became inspired to discover the proximate and ultimate causes of their size and behavior.

As I mentioned before, I am doing all my research in my front yard, which is a relatively small garden, there a are a few small trees around the outskirts as well as three raised beds. At the time of day I am usually studying the Hummingbirds (between 4 and 6 in the afternoon) my garden is usually already entirely in shade. Near the middle of the garden I have two identical feeders, these feeders are the center of my experiments.

I have noticed that the Calypte Annas are extremely partial to light as well as being concerned with economy of motion. For instance if one of the feeders has been in the sunlight longer than the other, and is therefore warmer the hummingbirds will always feed from that feeder. Also if one feeder is closer to their nest than the other they will chose that one. The reason this is significant is that I am trying to teach the hummingbirds to go to a specific feeder, I am doing this by putting a sweeter sugar concentration into the feeder I am teaching them to favor; but because they are so concerned with warmth and closeness my experiment sometimes seems like it is having no affect at all. THERE ARE SOOO MANY VARIABLES TO CONTROL FOR!!!

By the way, I am a big fan of the New York Yankees and play on the baseball team at my high school. I really like to cook, and I worked at a restaurant over the summer. Most importantly, I am really looking forward to learning about your experiments and working with you guys in Kenya!

-Isaac-

Anna's Hummingbird

The animal I chose to study for my behavioral ecology project is the Anna's Hummingbird. :]I chose the hummingbird as my creature of study because they are just such adorable, amazing, and fascinating little birds! They have always hung around my backyard due to a large amount of flowers, and that is where I am observing them. I think my favorite thing I have observed so far is the little dance they perform whenever they see another hummingbird near their food source. They swirl around each other and chirp repeatedly. It's very cute!

A little about me is that I am 16 years old, a high school junior (3rd year) and love listening to music and dyeing my hair fun colors. :]

Tory

Hi! I am studying honeybees (Apis mellifera).I have always been interested in the honeybees’ social dynamics; the way in which they have precise roles and a specific queen is veryinteresting to me. Also, I find it interesting how many people fear

honeybees when all they are doing is collecting their food. Their organized, structured way of living is evident in their crafting of honeycomb and specific jobs (ranging from mortician to cleaner to pollen/nectar collector). I hoped by studying their behavior I could gain a lot of insight into the different behaviors in our human species and the specific roles that we take on. I am observing the honeybees in our school’s garden. I’ve been observing my bees during the day when it is warm out, but for my experiment I have started observing the honeybees at different times of day. The garden is ideal for observation because the honeybees are everywhere. The garden has many different plants for the honeybees to enjoy: lavender, raspberries, tomatillos and more. I found it interesting that the bees seem to be attracted to the color blue. The bees also do not seem territorial while out collecting nectar, but if you disrupt anything in the hive the guard bees will line up and prepare to defend the hive. The honeybees are also able to landmark, meaning that they will remember where pollen is based on a color or smell or something else that the honeybee connects with the nectar. Also, the honeybees do a “waggle dance” when they find a particularly tasty source and show it to the honeybees in the hive. The dance explains to the honeybees where to fly in relation to the sun to obtain the pollen and nectar. My favorite books in the world are The Giving Tree and The Catcher in the Rye, two totally different books, but both a bit about growing up. My favorite things to do in my free time are singing and water polo. These are two totally different activities, but I find a lot of joy in both. I am in a band in school, which is very fun to perform in and I am also on the water polo team at school. I think being in these two groups (a band and a team) have made the study of honeybees even more interesting for me, because I am beginning to draw connections between the honeybees’ group roles and my own.

Hadija

My name is Hadija Hussein. I am sixteen years old and I am from Isiolo, Kenya. In my animal behavior project I chose to observe birds and the bird I chose is the dove. They are similar to pigeons but they are brown grey in color. My reason for choosing the dove is because I love watching them when they are flying and flapping their wings in the air and usually in groups. I really enjoy that. The other reason is because they are the nearest animal that I could observe closely. They have a habitat made of dry grass which we call a nest. My surprising observation is when I saw them basking out in the morning sun with only one of their legs and wings outstretched.

My favorite activities are traveling, playing football, and listening to music. My favorite foods are spaghetti and cookies.

Christine

My name is Christine Pessi. I am sixteen years old from Dol-Dol town. The animal that I am observingis the rock hyrax. I have decided to choose the hyrax because they are available all the time. They are also small is size and grey in colour. Hyraxes live under rocks. The interesting thing they do is stare at people when they talk near them or around their habitat, maybe because they are scared of people. The surprising observation is that they climb trees to eat the leaves.

My favorite activity outside of class is reading newspapers and playing volleyball and my favorite food is chips.

Faith

I am Faith Mwangi and I am fifteen years old and my hometown is Naibor in Nanyuki. I am observing a bird called the Superb Starling. The reason why I chose this bird is because it is very attractive and does not fly away when you approach it. It usually stays in nests which are made of grass and feathers from other birds. The interesting observation that I have made is that it feeds while lifting its tail up and it cannot stay for five minutes without lifting its head.

My favorite activity outside the class is watching Nigerian movies and listening to music. My favorite food is chapati and chicken.

Eunice

My name is Eunice Mwikali Kioko. I am fifteen years old. I came from Makinou District in Eastern Province. The animal which I am observing is the hare. The reason as to why I chose this animal is that they are actually very attractive to me and I like observing them when they are in their habitat. Secondly, these animals have so many stories and they are very wise and tricky. They live in holes, the biggest holes with their families. The surprising part is that they like listening to people talking. As you observe and sit somewhere to observe, you see them when they are listening to what you are saying and looking to what you are doing.

My favorite activity outside the class is that I like playing football, watching movies, making funs with my fellow students, dancing, and playing in the rain. My favorite food is pilau.

Joyce

My name is Joyce Wanibui. I am fifteen years old and I am from Nanyuki town. I am observing a bird which is a dove. The reason why I chose to observe this animal is because they are available on the campus. Some of the doves live in trees which are green while others have made their houses in the buildings on campus. Something I found interesting about this dove is that they have strong wing muscles to enable them to take off rapidly and escape from their enemies.

I like reading some interesting novels and singing. My favorite food is cakes and stew of meat.

Lilian

My name is Lilian Wanjiru and I am fifteen years old. I live in Nanyuki at a place called Sweet Water. I am interested in observing a tortoise not only because they are on the campus but because I love and care for them. They are beautiful short creatures with four legs and a shell around their body for protection. Their habitats are surrounded with thorns and at the center there is enough space to allow them to stay. One of the most interesting things about tortoises is that when you lift one up, it urinates on itself. Can you guess why they do this?

My favorite hobby is playing football and also observing things which are in the environment.

Leila

My name is Leila Ali and I am fourteen years old and from Isiolo. I am observing the Eastern Yellow-Billed Hornbill. I chose this type of bird because in my future I want to be a pilot who can fly like this beautiful bird up in the sky. The hornbill lives in arid bush country and the lightly-wooded savannah. The most interesting observation is that some types of hornbill have a long beak which is black at the end but on this type of hornbill the forehead, crown, and nape are black. Also, the head and the neck are white with black patches around the eye and it has black streaks on the ear and the side of the neck.

My favorite foods are pizza and chicken meat. My favorite hobbies are dancing and singing. My favorite subjects are mathematics and physics.

Nasibo

My name is Nasibo Abdi. I am fifteen years old and I live in Isiolo town in Kenya. The name of the bird I chose is the White Browed Sparrow Weaver. I like it because it is available in the campus and it is available all the time. It builds its nest on the trees found in the campus. Its nests are very high in the trees which are tall and green all the time. When it flies it flaps its wings and when it’s in the air it sometimes flattens its wings and looks like it’s diving. When it’s cold it tries to prevent coldness by behaving like it’s shrinking.

My favorite activity outside of the class is playing football and listening to music. My most favorite foods are pilau, chapati, and spaghetti.

Syombua

My name is Elizabeth Syombua and I am fourteen years old and from Naivasha. I am observing the ground squirrel. It’s easy to observe and available on campus. The ground squirrel lives in holes and also sometimes in trees. They often dig the holes on the earth’s surface and hide there. When they see something coming towards them, they run but they stand again to wait for you.

I love the animal behavior project because it breaks the monotony of class and helps me to know more about the environment. My favorite food is githeri, a mixture of beans and maize.

Marylene

My name is Marylene Winjagi and I am seventeen years old and from Nanyuki. I’m observing the suberb starling, a type of bird here in Kenya. After all those minutes, four hours of observation are complete. This bird has been interesting in the way it lives and made me desire to observe more animals in my environment. The superb starling is available on the Daraja Academy campus. It has several beautiful colors, blue, orange, and white being my favourite. It feeds on small insects and fruits of the poison-arrow tree on which it nests. There are various types of superb starling and they do not fear humans.

I love reading novels and watching movies.

Maureen

My name is Maureen and I am fifteen years old and from Nanyuki. I am observing tortoises. I chose a tortoise because it’s easy to find on campus. It lives under big trees and in long grass. The thing that surprised me most was that it can stay for more than two weeks without moving from its habitat or eating.

My favorite thing that I like to do is art and more so painting. My favorite food is spaghetti.

Monicah

I am Monicah Kamandau. I am fifteen years old and from Nanyuki. I am studying ground squirrels. I chose to study the organism because it is very common on the campus and very easy to find and observe. Ground squirrels live in holes which they inhabit after the animal which dug them moves away. I discovered that during sunny days it covers its body using its tail which is as long as its body.

I like listening to and playing music, playing football, going for adventures and watching movies. My favorite food is spaghetti.

Florence

My name is Florence Mueni and I am fifteen years old. I am observing a rock hyrax. I chose to have this animal because it is available at the Daraja campus and also in any weather change it is available. It lives under rocks which have holes. I have observed that it can climb on a tree up to the top. That was my interesting part. On the other hand, the surprising part was that it does not have a tail.

When I am free I always play football. It’s my favorite activity outside of class. My favorite food is chapati and meat. Lastly and not the least I am from Makueni town.

Posts from the Daraja Students

Hello all and Habari from Kenya! I just want to preface the posts from the Daraja girls that will follow. As there is no consistent, reliable internet access out at school, I have had the girls write out by hand their responses to the initial questions about their behavioral ecology projects. I will then transcribe these written pieces onto the blog. Exhausting as it may be, this is how it works out here in Africa! Hakuna matata! And of course, thank you all for being part of this interchange. Daraja (just like MA) is a wonderful, inspiring place, and with this bridge between the two schools, we can strive to develop a more informed, conscious, well-rounded view of biology and the natural world. Cheers!!

I am studying compost worms (the species Eisenia Fetida). I choose the compost worm because I have a compost bin at my house and wanted to learn more about the animal that turns my food into soil. Since the worms live in a compost bin they are also easy to experiment with and observe. The habitat in which I am making the observations is in the compost bin in my backyard, which is a dark and moist environment filled with coconut husk and green kitchen waste. An interesting observation I have made is that the worms can switch which end of their body moves forward. A few personal facts are that I love photography and play tennis.

I am also studying ants. I chose them because I have seen them all over the world, from Peru to New Zealand to China and the of course the US. I am making most of my observations in my backyard on cement but I also looked at some in Oregon and Washington. The most surprising thing I have witnessed if that ants run into each other all the time and do not seem to react to that. Something about myself if that I love working with pre-schoolers.

I am studying Pill Bugs, or Rolie Polies. They live around my house, but I also have been observing them in the garden at school. I used to love watching and picking up these bugs with my brothers when I was younger. I have noticed that Pill Bugs prefer darkness and when exposed to light will either roll up into a ball, or move around until they find a covering to hide under. I am 17 and love being outdoors and listening to music.

Behavioral Ecology- Ants

I am observing and studying ants- I don't know the exact species but I think they might be Argentine Ants. This animal lives around my house and so they are easy to observe and experiment with, and ants are such industrious little critters and have such a structured life I though they would be fun to experiment with. They make their nests in protected areas around my yard: under the porch, and bushes, and fences. It has been interesting to note that by spraying a strongly smelling solution on the trail (but not on any ants), I can wipe out that section of trail and observe them as they make a new one around the smelly patch. A few facts about me are that I invented a sport when I was younger, and I love Harry Potter.

Behavior Ecology Project

My animal is the Western Fence Lizard or Sceloporus occidentalis. I choose this animal because there are a lot of them in my backyard and I wanted to know more about them. I am doing my observations in my backyard mostly in a small garden area. An interesting observation i have made is that the lizards do "push-ups" for both territorial and mating purposes. Some personal facts are that im 17 years old, live in Sonoma (wine country), and love to play tennis.