9 Days

I have nine days until I return to Kenya for another 3-month stint. Preparations are going well, but I still have the requisite nerves about my departure. It helps a lot that this is more or less old hat by now and that I am familiar with my field site and many of my methods. That consolation only goes so far when faced with a three-month absence from home though!

I have a couple new project components that I will describe in more detail once I get to the field and start blogging in earnest. For now my main difficulty is that I have acquired 10 camera traps, each requiring a heavy steel case, multiple batteries, battery chargers & assorted other accessories. Total weight of this new equipment is a whopping 40 lbs. I have a 2x70 lb-bag luggage allotment on Delta (thank you Silver Medallion) in which to pack that equipment and just about everything else I'll need for three months. We'll see how this goes!

To celebrate my return to the blog and imminent return to the field, I present you with the following diagram of a Thomson's gazelle as seen after a long field trip. Image is courtesy of the immensely clever and charming Mike Costelloe. See more of his work at www.mikecostelloe.com.