Biosearch Expeditions

Congratulations Tooni!

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:07:00 +0000

CONGRATULATIONS TO TOONI!

I dont know whether you have been watching the BBC programme Oceans , which is showing on Wednesday evenings but it is worth seeing if you are interested in under water life and great photography.

Tooni Mahto, who features in this series, was a member of the 1999 September Biosearch Expedition team in the Juniper Forest area of Southern Nyika. She is seen here (from right) with Marianne Overton (Biosearch Expeditions), Mary Anne Bartlett (Wildlife artist) and David Bowden (Yachtmaster and Marine Biologist).

Toonis bubbly character was a strong support to our team and was clearly going to mark her out for a great career. We offer her our congratulations on landing a fascinating part in this series. She is not the first Biosearch expeditioner to go on to exciting new things after her Nyika expedition and we hope your experience will prove equally valuable.

I am off to London on Tuesday for the ‘In the footsteps of Laurens van der Post’ talk by Carl Bruessow. (www.biosearch.org.uk/noticeboard.htm). at the RGS

Hope you can get there but if not, come and do some real exploring with us in 2009. We are building our next team now.

Best wishes,

Peter Overton
Project Director
Biosearch Nyika

http://www.biosearch.org.uk/

Forthcoming lectures supported by Biosearch

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 08:55:00 +0000

Here is one for your diary:

For those who would like to meet up and discuss our unique expeditions in the Nyika National Park and can make this evening venue on 25th November at 18.45 at the Royal Geographical Society, please get in touch Tel: 01400 273323.

Sir Laurens van der Post was our early patron prior to his death at the age of 90.

Here are the details:

The Nyika-Vwaza (UK) Trust Annual Lecture

This year's lecture is titled "Venture To The Interior" Revisited and will be given by Carl Bruessow, Executive Director of the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust and also a Founder Trustee and the Hon. Secretary of the Nyika-Vwaza Trust (Malawi). He will talk about the conservation challenge on Mount Mulanje and the Nyika Plateau 60 years after Laurens van der Post. There will be a cash bar both before and after the lecture.There will also be an exhibition and sale of paintings by Malawian artists, with proceeds from the sale of these, and other products, being invested in the conservation of the Nyika National Park and the Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve, both in northern Malawi.

Expedition Talk at University of Lincoln

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:37:00 +0000

RESPONSIBLE, PURPOSEFUL AND A GREAT EXPERIENCE

JOIN OUR TEAM
LIVING AND WORKING IN THE AFRICAN BUSH TO ENHANCE YOUR CV.

UNIVERSITY OF LINCOLN ARCHITECTURE BUILDING
LARGE LECTURE THEATRE AR0107

TUESDAY 28 OCTOBER 6.30 PM
FOR A TALK WITH SUPERB PHOTOS.

Biosearch Expeditions
http://www.biosearch.org.uk/

Supported by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Malawi

Gallery Photos

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 12:13:00 +0000

Hello,

We have started to upload some choice photographs from our recent Biosearch Expedition to Nyika and Vwaza.

You can take a look on our website at www.biosearch.org.uk/gallery_2008/index.htm

The new gallery will be updated from time to time and we shall notify you of any website changes if you Contact Us and join our supporters group (no charge)

The 2009 summer expedition dates are equivalent and the costs the same as in 2008.

Thanks for your interest and I hope you will be able to join us for one of our free events, or the 2009 training weekend or the expedition itself. All are available separately to members on our mailing list, so please don't be afraid to come along - even if you cannot join us in the bush to provide the much needed assistance to the local scouts and the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.

Biosearch is investing in your and their future - a very worthwhile investment indeed.

RESPONSIBLE, PURPOSEFUL AND A GREAT EXPERIENCE

Best wishes,

C Peter OvertonProject DirectorBiosearch ExpeditionsWayfarer LodgeWelbournLincs LN5 0QH

Tel: 01400 273323http://www.biosearch.org.uk/

Expedition Team Photo and Barbecue Event

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 06:42:00 +0000

On a rare magnificent late summer afternoon the sun shone down on our expedition photo show. A gathering, which included team members from 2008 and earlier years and other interested people, enjoyed seeing some of the recent photographs.

The venue was the gallery in the barn at Hilltop Farm. We were able to put together some of the best of the photographs from Nyika National Park and Vwaza Marsh, taken just a few weeks ago. Other material is currently being processed and will be posted on this website shortly.

The presentation was followed by a barbecue of Lincolnshire sausages in the warm sunshine, which continued until dark.

CDs of our current PowerPoint are available on request. Just fill in the Comments section on the Contact Us Page of this website.

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 10:40:00 +0000

Explorer’s return

The 2008 Biosearch Expedition team have now returned from their month of exploration of the Nyika National Park and the remote northern marsh of Vwaza, in Malawi, Central Africa.

This is the latest in a series of responsible wildlife research expeditions, supported by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Malawi. Volunteers are sought for the next expeditions in July and December 2009.

“The team achieved a great deal for conservation of wildlife and had a lot of fun doing it. People of a wide spread of ages and from different backgrounds gelled well, living and working together in this area of wilderness in central Africa,” said Marianne Overton, who co-ordinates the science.

Caption: Some of the younger members of the Biosearch 2008 team, enjoying one of the impromptu evening concerts in the bush.

“We are currently sorting through hundreds of photos in preparation for our picture show on 20th September. It is a free event - but you will need to book your place in advance since we have limited space in the barn and we need to know numbers for catering.

Hilltop Farm, Welbourn, Lincs (12 miles east of Newark - map on request)
Saturday 20th September 2008 3.00 pm

The team is writing a book about their experiences and will be meeting to discuss that at 3 pm. Anyone arriving with a team member can enjoy the conservation area adjacent to the barn. At 4 pm. we shall hold the picture show and briefing about the expedition for the benefit of all. At 5 pm. we are cooking out and enjoying an informal gathering until dark.

If you need to camp overnight there is plenty of space for tents or camper vans. Contact us now for your free place.

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 10:36:00 +0000

The 2008 Expedition team is assembling in Lilongwe this week and we shall be leaving for the Nyika National Park on Sunday. We expect to collect yet more excellent photographs of our long-running wildlife research expeditions in cooperation with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife of Malawi.
We hope you will try and join us on Saturday 20th September at 4 p.m. for our illustrated talk and barbecue. It's free but you do need to book; just e-mail for reserved place.

Why not put another date in your diary too.

An Evening at the RGS is scheduled for Tuesday 25 November 2008 when Carl Bruessow, Executive Director of the Mulanje Mountain Conservation Trust and Secretary/trustee of the Malawi Nyika-Vwaza Trust will give a Talk entitled

'Venture to the Interior' - Revisited. The Conservation Challenge on Mount Mulanje and Nyika Plateau 60 years after Laurens van der Post.

Further details will be posted in September.

The office will now be closed until 26th August.

300 people support Biosearch Expedition concert

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:45:00 +0000

An astonishing 300 people filled Bottesford Church in Nottinghamshire for a summer evening concert on Saturday. Pippa Stubbs had organised a musical evening, with all the artists being her talented musical friends at Oakham school. She persuaded her parents and friends to invite everyone they knew and they brought their friends along too! The performances were of a superb standard and the crowd was delighted.

The result; Pippa has raised most of her funding requirement for the forthcoming Biosearch Expedition with a single event! A Hog roast and bar added to the evening and one of the other team members drove all the way from Bristol to be there!

Pippa will be the youngest of our 2008 team but she squeaks in with her 18th birthday arriving just before departure. Some of the other team members prefer not to mention their age but our expeditions attract great talent from all quarters, professional and amateur.

The 2009 Expeditions are already building up interest - why not join us?

Biosearch Expedition reunion and party

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:02:00 +0000

On a fine June evening we had a good attendance at our FREE cook-out party in our sheltered woodland. We had a good mix of past team members from three years and others who are keen to join us in 2009. Several people put up their tent and stayed overnight. The menu was, of course, traditional vegetable stew and meat stew, ably prepared by our trained chef Ian Pilcher. Banana custard followed. Really just like our African expeditions, except for the fact that the long evening stretched out to sunset at around 9.30 instead of 6.00 pm in the Nyika. There was lots of wildlife to see, with a barn owl floating by mid evening and a noisy dawn chorus for those who had just about got to sleep around 3.30 a.m.

The good news is that if you missed this one you get another chance! Put September 20th in your diary. We shall be viewing some of the photographs from the forthcoming expedition in July and August and this will be followed by another cook out with the option to stay if you wish.

This is open to all on our mailing list so please join us if you can in September.

Woodland party on 14th June gets closer!

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Fri, 23 May 2008 08:41:00 +0000

At 5 p.m. on Saturday 14th June there will be woodland cook-out for past, present and prospective future members of Biosearch Expedition teams. In fact for anyone who just wants to come and have a lovely evening out. And to make it easier you can bring a tent (or camper van) and sleep over if your prefer!

Can you think of a better way to spend a long summer evening?

Just Contact Us at www.biosearch.org.uk/contact.htm

for your FREE invitation.

Come by car. Come by train to Newark. Come by bicycle. Walk. But whatever you do, don't miss this fun and FREE event.

Trained and ready to go!

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:01:00 +0000

A Successful Training Weekend for our 2008 Expedition Team.

On a fine early May weekend our team got together to prepare for their Malawi expedition in July and August. If you would like a flavour of what all this is about why not come along to our next woodland event on 14th June. It is free and open to past present and future expeditioners. Full details on request. www.biosearch.org.uk/contact.htm

Meanwhile here are some hot photos from the past couple of days

Team games

Katie

Kaele determined to succeed!

Marianne in action

Michael crossed the pond in record time

Map reading prior to the hike

Team game - getting the team past an obstacle

Fast food from basic ingredients in camp

Navigation training

Katie lights her fire!

Bridget and Imran successfully lighting a fire

Martin and Sophie looking for tracks in woodland

Philippa, Imran and Gordon with Stock Dove

Ian and Philippa involved with ringing project

Bridget with tamed Great Tit

Bridget crossing the lake. Everyone succeeded but not everyone stayed dry!

Training Weekend Approaching

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 10:19:00 +0000

Would you like to join us for our 48 hour training weekend on 3rd May?
It is over the Bank Holiday. You arrive at 1.00 p.m. on Saturday and leave at 1.00 p.m. on Monday. We can collect you from Newark station. It is not too late to join and it is not only informative but a great camping weekend in the countryside and a chance to meet experienced expeditioners.

Just go to the Training Weekend page and then go through to the Contact Us page. We will call you to confirm availability and give you full details.

Our next Nyika expedition departs on 27 July. We are looking to fill the last place. It could be you. Just contact us now.

Training Programme

noreply@blogger.com (Biosearch) — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 20:12:00 +0000

Bringing together a team of 26 people, all of which had different aspirations, and organising them for an expedition for a month is a considerable challenge. However, as with most things in life, the secret is in the preparation. It was not practical to assemble everyone in the UK in advance, since seven of the team members were Malawian. However, we had met three of the Malawian team before and the remainder, being National Parks staff, did not have the same sort of challenge as our UK team members, although learning our way of operating was challenge enough!

The UK team assembled for a training weekend in May. This was a useful opportunity for them to get to know each other better, although most had in fact met in early January at a party organised for this purpose. The weekend was very popular and worked successfully, introducing the team to some of the skills that they were to use in the bush. The training programme is made available to others who are interested, with a view to possibly joining a later team, or indeed have plans to travel in remote areas elsewhere in the world. It is therefore published below for the first time in our expedition report, since it is such an important part of the whole expedition and is in fact more or less compulsory for those who wish to join us.

We have run training along these lines for some time now and our feedback suggests that people thoroughly enjoy the experience. In 2007 we had the added advantage of climatic conditions to suit. The warm dry conditions that prevailed in April continued until the very hour when the team left camp - at which point the heavens started to open and the summer became a memorable one, for the long run of torrential downpours. Our camps attempt to mimic the real conditions of bush living but the climate, the season and the daylength are likely to remain, for the foreseeable future, outside our control!