Ugandan children might make all the difference

The Institute of Tropical Forest Conservation (ITFC) are our on the ground partners in Uganda. They help with the man power and maintenance of our fieldwork in finding the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch. Naturally, they’re also as concerned about conservation and the health of biodiversity in Uganda’s tropical forests.

In partnership with the ITFC, the RFCG is considering holding a colouring-in/sculpturing competition for children who live in villages near the forests in which we conduct research. The aim of this is to establish greater public awareness amongst Ugandans of the plight of the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch.

If locals came to understand the threats posed to our friends, the Mountain Gorillas, then they are as likely to become affectionate and acquainted with the threats to the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch.

The colouring-in/sculpturing competition idea is still just that, an idea. We’d appreciate any input from RFCG blog readers as to how to make this idea more effective and financially feasible. Send your comments and suggestions to: editor@avitalk.co.za.

Grasping the habitat of the Shelley’s

One of the challenges of phase three of our fieldwork research in the low density areas of Uganda is to negotiate the dense forest undergrowth and habitat of the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch.

Watch this National Geographic video of the Mountain Gorillas in Uganda and see just what a daunting task it is to find a small finch in this habitat!

Public awareness campaign kicks off

This week, the RFCG put up a number of public awareness posters to highlight the rarity of the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch.

Raising awareness through our "Threatened With Extinction" campaign

Our posters have been put up at all major tourist lodges, game park offices and schools along the borders of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and the Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in the South Western part of Uganda .

We’re hoping to change conservation mind-sets, one person at a time.

A snippet of the Shelley’s documentary

After hours of toil, the RFCG has finally uploaded its first YouTube video! We’ll be cracking open the bottles of wine over it.

The six-minute clip is a snippet of our documentary, Searching for Shelley’s Amongst Africa’s Mountain Gorillas. Enjoy!

Can you speak the language?

The RFCG is looking for writers from all over the world to help promote the plight of the Shelley’s Crimsonwing finch in foreign-language journals and birdkeeper magazines. Us RFCG members are English-speakers and we’d like to extend our touch points amongst the bird wildlife community.

If you’re able to write a review of our documentary Searching for Shelley’s Finches amongst Africa’s Mountain Gorillas or appeal to foreign readers to support our efforts in Uganda and further inform our limited knowledge of the Shelley’s Crimsonwing Finch, we’d love to hear from you! Please email editor@avitalk.co.za if you’re able to help spread the foreign word of this imperative conservation project.

Perhaps you are a German speaker and reader of the Gefiederte Welt bird journal?

Or a Swiss speaker and reader of Nos Oiseaux wild bird magazine?

Or a French speaker and reader of the Canadian Quebec Oiseaux magazine?

Whatever your language, we look forward to hearing from you.