I have been asked to post the following to Kenyabirdsnet by someone
who is not a member.  It contains information for birders on how to
report violations they see in the field, so I thought it was worth
posting.

Apologies if this is off-topic.

Good birding,

Nate
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As one of the bigger Helicopter operators in Kenya I would like to
apologise on behalf of some of the unprofessional heli pilots in the
industry, who seem to have complete disregard for the well being of
birds and animals that we have privilege to enjoy in this country.

Should any of you see this kind of behaviour in the future please make
a report to the Director General of the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority
{ http://www.kcaa.or.ke } stating: Date, time, whereabouts,
registration and colour of aircraft. Photographic evidence is also
very useful to the authority to help with their enquiries. The height
regulation is 1,500 feet above ground over the National parks, unless
landing or taking off.

On occasions Tropic air is hired by filming companies to do aerials
for Wild Life documentaries one of the most recent was on the European
Stork. Special clearances are given for this type of flying by the
appropriate governing body's. We have great respect for our wildlife
and whether we are filming, darting or moving  game utmost care is
taken by our pilots not to put the animals under any kind of stress.

We do visit Bogoria with our clients from time to time and this done
with prior approval of the Warden Mr William Kimasop maybe only occurs
three or four times a year.

In the past I have seen some incredible sights from the helicopter one
year at Natron after the heavy rains all the nesting grounds became
flooded the whole of the eastern shore line was covered like beach
sand with literally millions of lesser flamingo eggs. very sad for the
flamingos but great for the Jackal population that could be seen
gorging themselves.

I’m sure some of you must know that there is a Pelican migration to
lake Logipi that occurs a few months after the long rains and the lake
starts to dry up. Thousands of fish are washed down the Suguta river
and become trapped in the lake, as the Ph of the water changes the
fish can be seen swimming around in a drunken state and literally
thousands of Pelicans arrive for a feeding frenzy. These Pelicans fly
up the Rift from Nakuru, I know this because I have seen them in there
thousands in the early morning resting in thorn trees on the edge of
Silali crater.

Unfortunately this sort of thing Tarnishes the whole Helicopter
industry even those of us that operate in a professional manner.
Should there be anything that my company can do to assist our bird
lovers please dont hesitate to contact me. We are constantly flying
all around East and Central Africa we are happy to look out for things
that some of you may be studying and are having trouble getting to
certain areas.

On a more cheery note I would like to bring to your attention that the
Verreaux’s Eagle population in Northern Kenya is flourishing and we
are seeing many more pairs nowadays than we ever used to in the past.

Best Regards,

Jamie

Jamie Roberts
Managing Director
P. O. Box 161, 10400, Nanyuki - Kenya
+254 (0) 724 256700
jamie@tropicairkenya.com
www.tropicairkenya.com