Focus January 2002 Abu Dhabi ENHG

Wishing you all a very happy and peaceful 2002. This issue takes us as far away as Kerala in Southern India and South Western Australia! Both destinations are very worthwhile and Kerala is very suitable for a short break, the kind that are quite frequent here in the UAE! Will we see wind farms here in the near future? I think not but it is an interesting concept.

Charles informs us what we might see in the night sky this time of year, if only we can get away from the light pollution of the city. And the Al Ain Group are holding a photographic competition, that you are very welcome to enter. With the cool weather and wonderful early morning and late evening lighting we should be able to take some nice pictures of the natural world. If enough people enter we could hold a little exhibition at one of our indoor meetings. So lets us all take advantage of winter and get out and about and take some wonderful pictures.

Steve James, Chairman of ENHG.

This is to announce an ENHG "single-theme" photo competition for this spring. The idea is for members to be creative around a theme, which is related to natural history. That theme will be TRACKS.

Photos for this competition will be taken in the UAE or Oman. Within that limitation, please be creative. All kinds of tracks are eligible -- reptile, amphibian, bird, mammal, insect, crustacean, plant, person, vehicle, etc. on sand, soil, water, mud, ice cream, glass, concrete, etc.

Please know (or be prepared to guess) what manner of creature (or object) made the tracks. All members of the ENHG are eligible to enter a maximum of two photos each. Photos should be mounted and the long side of the photo be between 8 and 14 inches (20-36cm).

Tentative date for the exhibition and judging is May 28th. This date will be confirmed well before the time.

Prizes will be awarded for the top three entries. Judging (and voting) will be done by the membership (people's choice).

Good shooting!

Jerry

I returned home to Perth, Western Australia in November and decided to take a trip to the south-western area of the state with my boyfriend. We passed through Margaret River, which boasts one of the best wine growing regions in Australia and then travelled further south to Albany.

Albany is a coastal town, located 400kms south of Perth with a population of 30,000 and is considered an ideal town for wind energy systems. With the biggest turbines in the Southern Hemisphere, the 22MW Albany Wind Farm is situated on Sand Patch 12kms away from the town centre and is the largest in Australia. Each of the 12 turbines produces up to 1.84MW of electricity, carries 35m long blades and sits on top of a 65m tower.

Automatically the turbines face into the wind and the blades pivot to maximise the energy produced. Winds as low as 7km/h set the blades turning, but when the wind speed reaches 120km/h the turbines shut down to prevent damage. The towers are designed to withstand the strongest winds likely in Albany. A two-year feasibility study, including extensive community work at Albany, ensured it met technical, financial, environmental and social requirements and had full support of the Albany residents.

Developing projects providing environmentally friendly power sources requires careful considerations to meet all environmental standards while minimising potential impact. The Wind Farm is in an area of great natural beauty and sensitive coastal health and is admired by the local community and visitors to the region. It offers spectacular panoramic views across the bay and out to sea. Stringent measures were taken to control flora disturbances to protect birds and other fauna including kangaroos, bush rats, reptiles, frogs and to prevent the spread of dieback disease, weed infestation and soil erosion. Some 12kgs of local plant species seeds were collected and planted during the rehabilitation of Sand Patch.

The Wind Farm construction, completed in July 2001 was a culmination of five years planning and 12 months construction, features that include:

• Each tower foundation required 420 tonnes of concrete in a block 2.4m thick and 12m in diameter.
• Less than one-millimetre (1mm) tolerance was permitted when laying the foundations - otherwise the tower would be off-centre.
• The 12 towers were fabricated in Perth and road transported to Albany in sections.
• All blades, generators, hubs and nacelles were made in Europe and shipped to Albany. Total project Australian content was about 45%.
• Specialist teams from Germany and Australia assembled the towers and turbines.

Officially opened in October 2001, this remarkable project boasts some of the most sophisticated equipment available and supplies the equivalent of 15,000 Albany homes with clean green electricity - that is up to 75% of the city's electrical power.

Wind energy is an excellent form of renewable energy. With 1.54 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions saved during the 20-year life of the wind farm, the environment is the big winner.

This was a very educational visit and well worth seeing if you are visiting Western Australia.

India is humanity; China is people. There are 15 major languages and hundreds of minor ones spoken in India; many world religions: Hindu, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism; and a history of the world written in its geography. It is not just another pretty place. Though it is just that in ways that I hadn't imagined.

My anticipation of India was coloured by pictures of Bombay (now named Mumbai) and New Delhi with its constantly stirring of masses of people or the crowds of devotees on the steps of the Ganges. For all I know the mass is still there swelling the busses or popping out of train windows and doors, like some birthday card pullout centrefold; but I went to Kerala.

Kerala (the accent is on the first syllable) is in southern India, which makes it a different place than those cities and places of the north. Different patterns of settlement evolved over the years, because of the east - west mountains in the centre. The evidence strongly suggests that the south was settled in the Iron Age by Dravidians possibly emanating from Baluchistan, while the north had been later occupied by Aryans coming in from the Northwest. With a history of thousands of years, it is not surprising that there were many invasions and battles, empires, and kingdoms, and natural disasters, all of which were sensitive to geography. And because of geography, the Arabs and Portuguese and other foreign seafarers came upon the southwestern coast of India: Cochin in Kerala, and Goa.

As we did, when after a flight of 31/2 hours from Abu Dhabi we landed in Cochin and were welcomed by our driver Salim and the tour director, a young man quite comfortable in English. The car, called the Ambassador, that was to carry us for the next five days looked like a white 1938 Ford coupe, a small tank on wheels with chrome handles and smallish windows. They may even outnumber the put-putting, auto-ricksha which scoot in and around the towns. Our three years old Ambassador was owned by Salim, or as he said, "The bank owns most of it." We travelled over dirt roads, rutted paved roads, and a few newly paved roads, and the car kept on ticking.

The next day we were taken to look at the nets that were used by Chinese fisherman in other times and now used by fisherman of Cochin, and to look across at one of the many islands that dot the waters around Cochin.

The water borne traffic, like beetles on a pond, was busy. People travel on small boats, larger "busses", and old landing crafts acting as ferryboat, all going from place to place with great purpose. A few men moved from under a Eucalyptus tree to ask politely if I wanted to buy some shells or postcards, and at my "no, thank you" they went back to lounging under the tree, and talking story, immersed into the long day.

The guide took us around to the church that had been the first depository of Vasco DeGama's remains until they were sent back to Portugal. On the church, as on all the buildings in the old town, there is the stamp of age and a sort of accommodation reached by the cement building and the lush tropical environment. The buildings lose their straight lines, chips of cements create ragged edges, vegetation grows in the cracks, metal roofs are rusted and lose their mineral content to the sides of the buildings, and tall gentle trees shelter the buildings.

The buildings are small, two or three storied, housing homes and shops. Among the tourists shops that sell the same things: brass statuettes of the Hindu gods, Kashmir silks, trinkets, baubles and bracelets, there is the quality shop which the guide may deliver you to, thereby earning a percentage of anything sold. I take the positive view known as the path of least resistance to the ethics of this enterprise. the guide guides. When we found ourselves going through a door into a high ceiling, large cool room with materials draped artfully over softly glowing teak chests and chairs placed carefully around the room, I knew we were in for a bit of subtle salesmanship that would test my suppose sophistication and put my wallet on the endangered species list.

The salesman stood twenty feet in front of us as if on centre stage, hands clasped comfortably in front of his jacket and with a gesture welcomed us into his shop. He spoke English without hesitation or solecisms and with unhurried courtesy asked if we would like something to drink, "Perhaps coffee? Darjeeling tea? I could feel the nervous twitch in my wallet pocket. He asked if we would like to go upstairs to the collection of carpets and silks. We both said yes, we would like to see the silks but we had bought carpets in Abu Dhabi, and with great finality, "We don't need anymore."

We went upstairs and looked at all the small things and bought a few silk scarves from Kashmir and some paintings on silks for Christmas presents. He invited us with a nonchalant gesture to see the carpets. Our "no" slid off his complaisance like rain off a banana leaf. Alert to a slight delay in a "no" uttered by my wife he signal an assistant who fetched a carpet from the shelves and holding it with both hands over his head, like a weight lifter, waited for the next signal. The salesman gave an introduction and at another small signal, the assistant let go one end of the carpet that unrolled from high above his head to the floor with a loud thud. And then, giving us a moment to exhale and appreciate, with a flourish the assistant twirled it on the floor like a matador's cape. My wallet shifted.

And so we bought a carpet to be sent on to us at a later date and would we like another cup of tea? We spent two days in Cochin, visiting the old town again and taking a drive out to the beaches. About ten people were on a beach, which seemed to go on as far as the horizon in both directions. Salim checked with one of the storekeepers, who told him that at this time of the year the beaches were used mostly in the evening.

That night we were guided to the Kathakali dance theatre. We came early to see the three dancers prepare their makeup. It takes more than an hour to paint the face and to paste on layer paper cutouts representing beards. We were in a small room that sat about fifty people. The director, an elderly man who was one of the three men in makeup, brought a stool to the centre of the stage and told us about Kathakali the classical dance form of Kerala.

He demonstrated various eye movements that showed nine emotions. Then with the beating of a small drum and a singer/chanter the dancers performed Kirathem a scene from the Mahabharatha epic. As the two protagonists with much gravity and dignity, stamped, posed, shook, and strutted around the small stage recreating the story, the singing narrative joined the drum and the emphatic sounds from small bells on the dancers legs. As in Greek theatre the performers became larger than life.

The next day we left Cochin to go upcountry to Thekkady and the Periyar wildlife sanctuary. It was a six hours drive with Salim and the Ambassador. Went I first saw the six hours listed on the itinerary I had offered a few words of protest. And now that I had seen the Ambassador I knew my judgement had not betrayed me. But it had, the Ambassador proved its popularity and stout heart; it is built to ride the roads of India and rode in it we did without mishap and in comfort, from City to the Hill Country. It was like being in a Travelogue; we sat and through our windows we saw people and communities, temples and churches, farms and plantations pass by. Forty-five minutes from Cochin we saw a working elephant lumbering towards us; without hesitation Salim courteously pulled over to the side of the road to let him/her pass. Salim pointed out a rubber tree plantation; the trees place in strict lines had little cups at the ends of a swirl of cut bark to catch the future tires and gloves of the world.

We stopped the car whenever we saw something of interests; temples, churches, schools and the rich vibrant green of the tea plantations. Coffee is there too, and other familiar spices, as is pepper seed that Salim picked from a bush. Ah, poor Columbus.

Our hotel in Thekkady, in keeping with the wildlife sanctuary motif of the area, is made up of individual tree house cottages, imbedded in a jungle like setting. The cottages seem to grow out of the surrounding trees, the leaves were on the same level as our porch which we got to occupy after a two hour boat ride on the lake in the Periyar Wildlife sanctuary. We saw some animals at lakeside, too far away to identify, and some cormorants sitting on tree spurs in the lake, and saw the sun make a glowing exit from the lake and the surrounding mountains. That night it rain. The rain pelted the leaves outside our cottage making them glisten and shake as if from a barrage of punches; we sat on the porch in contentment.

In the morning Salim and the Ambassador were waiting to take us to Kottayam and our houseboat for the last two days of our five-day tour of Kerala. We were welcomed with a fresh cool coconut at the houseboat by one of the three men that would be looking after us for the next two days. Salim would meet us at Alleppey, the other end of our houseboat journey, and take us to the airport in Cochin. Salim had been our good companion for three days, we were uncomfortable with his leaving, but as the boat pulled out into the river, we were in a new travelogue; this time we glided on a moving road that passed by intimate scenes of daily life: cooking bathing, playing and no elephants.

The houseboat had a single bedroom big enough for two people, just; a bathroom with a shower hose and a large lounge area with very comfortable upholstered cane chairs. The sides and top of the houseboat was made of thatch. The sides could be let down in rainy weather. An outboard motor in the back, though controlled from the front, propels the boat at a nice even slide. We passed large two bedroom houseboats on the river as well as wooden canoes and ferryboats. At night we pulled up near the bank, had supper and slept under a mosquito net.

For two days we travelled down the river looking at scenes of people living their lives, and always our "Hello" would be answered with an echoing "Hello" or a wave from the people, and a smile. Those travellers who have been on rivers in Southeast Asia will recognise the ambience. Are the people along the riverbanks happy? I posed that question on the plane returning to Abu Dhabi. I said, " They have friends and relatives and a non pressured life." My wife said, " Why then are there 1.5 million people from Kerala, working in the Gulf States?" " I don't know, I really liked the place."

Ken Meierdiercks

Winter is camping season in the U.A.E. Before turning in, many campers look up at all those points of light.

2,844 of those points of light are the stars of magnitude five or brighter that are visible to the naked eye. The number of visible objects is slightly augmented by a few nebulae, clusters and galaxies, by the five planets that are visible to the naked eye, and by artificial satellites.

The brightest object in the sky now is Jupiter, rising in the East between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. Jupiter is currently located in Gemini, and you can probably see the first magnitude stars Castor and Pollux slightly North of Jupiter. Two or three of Jupiter's moons are usually visible with binoculars or a bird scope.

Above Jupiter is Saturn, in the constellation of Taurus not far from the reddish star Aldebaron. Saturn is probably the second brightest object in the sky at present (perhaps in a tie with Sirius), and it is tilted so that, for now, the rings are clearly visible through binoculars or bird scopes, presenting a much finer view of Saturn than the normal edge-on appearance. Saturn has 30 moons, more than any other planet, but you will need an extremely good telescope to detect them. Moving across the sky, Mars is the brightest object in the West, with an orange-red color, moving lower in the sky as the night progresses. Mars was exceptionally high and bright during the summer and fall of 2001, but it is now getting lower and dimmer. Back to Saturn to quickly introduce three bright winter constellations. Aldebaron, the reddish star that is near Saturn, is part of a star grouping called the Hyades, located in the constellation of Taurus. Move towards the Zenith from Aldebaron to see the Pleiades, a cluster composed of seven stars visible to the naked eye, many more visible through binoculars. The Arabic name for the Pleades is Al Thuraya, from which the satellite telephone system takes its name. Below Taurus appears the constellation of Orion, with the giant red star Betelgeuse at the northern end and the giant blue star Rigel at the southern end, with three second magnitude stars in the center forming Orion's belt. This constellation moves higher in the sky as we move through the year. Low in the sky in the early evening, just below Orion, is the constellation of Canis Major, featuring the brightest star in the sky, Sirius. Seen through binoculars, Sirius displays a surprising a variety of sparkling colors.

For further information on the constellations and their positions in the sky at various times of the year, the best place to start is the Sky and Telescope Magazine home page located on internet at http//:www.skypub.com. You can find almost anything you need to know there, or at other sites to which the Sky and Telescope site is hyperlinked.

Highlights to watch for:

Manmade satellites. The International Space Station is often visible, usually just before sunrise or just after sunset, with a brightness equivalent to that of Saturn (-1 magnitude), tracing a large arc across the sky in an interval of about ten minutes. Satellites in the Iridium system are also occasionally visible as very bright flashes, when the solar panels momentarily reflect light back to certain locations on the surface of the Earth. Computer programs exist to alert observers to viewing opportunities, and I have found them to be 50% reliable at least as far as the ISS is concerned.

Solar eclipses. An annular eclipse of the Sun will occur on 10 June 2002, visible from Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This is an eclipse where the moon is more distant from the Earth than usual. It does not block the sum completely, but instead leaves a "ring" of sun visible behind the interposed moon. A total eclipse will occur in Southern Africa (and also the Indian Ocean and parts of Australia) on 4 December 2002. A solar eclipse is an unusual event, justifying the extra effort required to reach the zone of totality.

Recent work by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS, in the desert regions of Abu Dhabi has succeeded in identifying a number of previously unrecorded sites, writes Peter Hellyer. The sites include both archaeological material and fossils dating back to the Late Miocene period, around 5 or 6 million years ago.

Near Mirfa, in the Western Region, survey work carried out by Group Committee members Peter Hellyer (ADIAS Executive Director) and Simon Aspinall (Director of the ADIAS Environmental Studies Unit) produced a Miocene fossil tooth, probably of the suid (pig) family, as well as fossilised eggshell of an early ancestor of the ostrich, and several other fragmentary fossils from vertebrate animals.

Late Miocene fossils were first identified in the Western Region in the late 1980s and early 1990s, during work carried out by the British Natural History Museum and Yale University, often in collaboration with the Group's founder, the late 'Bish' Brown. The main areas where fossils are exposed are to the west of Mirfa, but over the last couple of years, fieldwork by ADIAS has found previously unrecorded fossil sites throughout the area stretching eastwards from Mirfa towards Rumaitha, just south-west of Abu Dhabi.

Also in the Mirfa area, new evidence of occupation during the Late Stone Age (around 5500 BC to 3500 BC) has been identified, including a finely-worked flint arrowhead or projectile point, and worked flint flakes. Supplies of flint are naturally present in the area, and the tools, made by nomadic hunters and herdsmen, may have been made on site.

During the Late Stone Age, the period when Man appears first in the UAE's archaeological record, the coastal sabkha salt flats which now stretch from north-east of Abu Dhabi to the Sila'a Peninsula had not been formed, and the low hills on the inner edges of the sabkha would then have represented the ancient coastline, with outcrops in the sabkha itself being islands. The discoveries near Mirfa, on a low hill close to the inner edge of the sabkha, supplement evidence found earlier, by ADIAS and others, of the presence of Man in the coastal zone and on offshore islands, at this early date.

Curiously, although evidence of a human presence in the Late Stone Age has also been found far inland, around Al Ain or south of the Liwa oasis, for example, thus far very little evidence has been identified in the great sand dunes in the heart of the Western Region.

New archaeological finds have also been made by ADIAS at Al Shbayka, just off the tarmac road running southwards from the coast towards Hameem, at the eastern end of the Liwa Oasis. These sites are of a much later date, and represent the surviving evidence of traditional camping grounds used during the Late Islamic period, from around the 16th century. Some of these sites, all of which lie in hollows between the surrounding sand dunes, contain scatters of over 1000 fragments of pottery, both locally-made wares, from Wadi Haq'il, in Ra's al-Khaimah, and imported glazed wares from southern Iran. Similar sites are known from other areas, such as 'Site One,' in the Al Khatam area, along the main road to Al Ain, which was the first archaeological site ever to be discovered by the Group back in the late 1970s, (hence its name).

The Al Shbayka sites, like 'Site One' and another site found at Tawi Beduwa Shwaiba, west of the Al Wathba Camel Track, confirm that there was extensive use of the area during the Late Islamic period, with oral information from local Bedu suggesting that they were probably used at times of good winter rainfall, when the surrounding dunes would have had good grazing for livestock. There are also water wells in the vicinity.

As with the Late Stone Age, there are few sites of this type further west, in the main area of dune fields, this being provisionally ascribed to the lack of good water wells in those areas.

The finds from the newly discovered sites are now being analysed, and details will be stored on the ADIAS database, currently being constructed with the assistance of the Environmental research and Wildlife Development Agency, ERWDA. Summary details will later be included on ERWDA's Abu Dhabi Environmental Database.In all, since its establishment in 1992, ADIAS has now discovered over 1000 archaeological and fossil sites and sub-sites, mainly on the islands and coastal zone, but also stretching deep into the deserts of the Western Region.

Much of the survey work, particularly in the desert areas, has been carried out with the support of Group Corporate member the Abu Dhabi Company for Onshore Oil Operations, ADCO, which has also funded investigations by ADIAS of sulphur mines at Jebel Dhanna, the topic of a talk given to the Group in April last year by ADIAS Resident Archaeologist Daniel Hull.

The results from the recent survey work confirm that there are still plenty of archaeological and palaeontological discoveries waiting to be made in the deserts of Abu Dhabi. ADIAS is unlikely ever to be able to examine the whole area, and Group members out and about on desert driving forays or camping trips can contribute substantially to our knowledge of the ancient heritage of Abu Dhabi - as long as they keep their eyes open!

If members find anything, the following rules should apply:

1. Take a GPS reading, so that the site can be plotted and found again.
2. Take photographs of the area and of any pottery, stone tools or other items in situ.
3. If there is a lot of material, do NOT engage in a massive pick-up, since this can distort the information that can be gained from the site. Collect only a few representative samples. (If there are only a few potsherds, however, it's okay to collect the lot, especially in areas deep in the desert, which are difficult of access).
4. Report the finds to any Committee member, and ADIAS will then examine them.

Many of the UAE's major archaeological sites were first identified by ENHG members, such as the pre-Islamic Christian monastery on Sir Bani Yas. There are more still out there waiting to be discovered!

Peter Hellyer

This short article is a brief round up of the most important ornithological activity from December. It is based upon Simon Aspinall and Peter Hellyer's Twitchers Guide, which may be found on the Internet, or received by e-mail.

A visit to Al Wathba on 2nd produced 25 White Storks, Spotted Eagle, Sociable Plover (almost annual in recent years) and 6 Quail. However, pride of place went to an immature Trumpeter Finch, this is the first time this species has been recorded at this site. The next day saw Marsh, Montagu's and Pallid Harrier all being recorded with the usual Bimaculated and Short and Lesser Short-toed Larks. Other notables included 4 Rose coloured Starlings and the first of the wintering Corn Buntings. The same day on Abu Dhabi Island 2 Masked Shrikes, Blackcap and the vagrant Goldfinch were present at Mushrif Palace Gardens.

On 6th 2 juvenile White-fronted Geese and a 'new' Grey Lag Goose were on Abu Dhabi Racecourse. Back to the Al Wathba Camel Track on 7th and the finding of yet another rare bird; a fine Little Bunting, which was to grace the fields for most of the month. A Long legged Buzzard was also a good find along with 200+ Chestnut bellied Sandgrouse coming in to drink.

One lucky observer (who was a man) found a Forest Wagtail next to the Ladies Park in Abu Dhabion 8th! I don't think further comment is needed. The Red breasted Flycatcher was across the road in the small wood until the month end. A slightly odd looking Red backed Shrike was at the Abu Dhabi Intercontinental Hotel. This species is extremely rare in winter, but it could well have been a hybrid. 42 Cattle Egrets, plenty of Citrine Wagtails and at least 3 Sparrowhawks were also on the island.

On 10th at Al Wathba an immature Hen Harrier was seen well, along with the Sociable Plover, Collared Pratincole (which was to stay all month) and the Little Bunting showed well to an appreciative audience.

A fine find on 11th was a male Blackbird at the Intercontinental Hotel, yes it is a major rarity here and it is a different race from the ones in western Europe; it stayed at least two weeks.

On 14th at Al Wathba the first Brown throated Martin of the season was noted along with a fine Booted Eagle. Bimaculated Larks had increased to over twenty. On the same day 17 Egyptian Vultures and both Hooded and Hume's Wheatears were on Jebel Hafit.

A Long eared Owl was seen on Das Island for a few days, this species is a rarity this far south. A high tide in Abu Dhabi enabled 4 Pintail Snipe to be seen on Eastern Lagoon, this is an excellent record for the island. About 50 Shelduck were on Al Wathba Lake, while the fields held all the usual and some of the more unusual species, including Sociable Plover and Little Bunting. The Brown throated Martin was also present on 20th.

On 23rd the Black shouldered Kite was refound at Umm al Nar Golf Course, just off Abu Dhabi Island. A late Wryneck was at the Abu Dhabi Hilton.

On 26th a Honey Buzzard was on the island and 2 Blyth's Pipits were at Al Wathba, this species has been scarce this autumn. The next day a Striated Scops Owl was in the patch of trees that used to be Bateen Wood! Where do these birds go to? How far do they move?

On 28th at Al Wathba 3 Pallid Harriers, Namaqua Dove and Brown throated Martin were recorded. A Great Cormorant sat in a puddle, presumably looking for fish. Unfortunately it died a few days later. Also on this date a Peregrine was flying around my house at night! Later on it was seen to gain height and migrate southwards, very odd!

December was a fine month for birds with a great mix of unusual species. Why don't you join us?

Steve James

The following companies are supporting the ENHG's conservation efforts in the region. Each company has made a commitment, each has made a difference and the environment thanks them all. We hope you, as ENHG members will in turn support these companies whenever you can.

• Al Fahim Group
• Al Sayegh Richards Butler
• BP Amoco
• Denton Wilde Sapte
• Emirates Holdings
• GAMCO
• Hyder Consulting Middle East Limited
• Jashanmal National Company
• Metco
• Mohammed Bin Masaood & Sons
• Nama Development Enterprises
• National Bank of Abu Dhabi
• Omeir Travel Agency
• Beach Rotana Hotel
• Penspen
• Ready Mix Abu Dhabi Limited
• Simmons & Simmons
• Tabreed
• Trowers & Hamlins
• Union National Bank
• WESCO