From: Paula Kahumbu <pkahumbu@gmail.com>
Date: 2014-05-16 10:33
Subject: Re: [KENYABIRDSNET] swallow mess in Ol Bolossat local school [5 Attachments]

Hi Kariuki

What an interesting  note. I suggest you get the kids to build swallow diapers - simply ask the school to hang a cloth below the nests and this cloth can be lined with newspapers and emptied from time to time.  This way the kids get to enjoy the birds, learn about ornithology, and protect them at the same time.  

Regards
Paula



On Fri, May 16, 2014 at 10:23 AM, Kariuki Ndang'ang'a ndanganga@yahoo.com [kenyabirdsnet] <kenyabirdsnet@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
 

Greetings. I have seen this message below (and attached images) from George Ndungu (copied), a local guy who has been doing intensive bird/environmental awareness around Lake Ol Bolossat in central Kenya. Any advice for him?

"PLEASE, PLEASE birders and those in ornithology missions, help me. Today as we were on conservation awareness mission we visited Lake Ol' bolossat primary school, immediately after introduction the head teacher told us he is very happy for our visit and went on telling us why?? He took us inside two class rooms and what we saw touched our hearts heavily, in fact almost being ashamed of what birds have done. Mosque swallow has taken those class rooms as their nesting place, under the roof excrete paints the whole class, nest every where, imagine even the charts painted with bird's dropping, the black board and walls the same, desks the same white panting every where, it is sad to hear and obvious you can see, as the students are sited in the class something fall on them and even on the books as the teacher explained, teachers are forced to first chase the birds away because of their noise before engaging in teaching. They have tried even destroying their nests but have been fruitless, as the teacher said this is more worse especially when school re opens after August holiday "This is when they have their young ones and even the chicks cannot excrete in the nest they sit in a style such that any moment nothing cannot stop them releasing excrete and you know who it will fall on" PLEASE LET US COME UP WITH AN IDEA TO HELP THIS SCHOOL, otherwise this community may never embrace conservation of this Kenya's 61st IBA. See some photos i took."