DUBAI NATURAL HISTORY GROUP PO Box 9234, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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Vol 23 no 6 June 2008 DUBAI NATURAL HISTORY GROUP PO Box 9234, Dubai, United Arab Emirates DNHG Membership Members’ News DNHG Membership remains a bar- Thank You! Keep in Touch! Farewell, too, to biology teacher gain at Dhs.100 for couples and Dh. Tom Horton, a regular on some of 50 for singles. You can join or re- our more out-of-the-way field trips, new at our meetings or by sending who is taking up a teaching position us your details and a cheque made in Shanghai. Tom is looking forward out to: Lloyds TSB Bank account to continuing his interest in fossils no. 60600669933501. (Please note and paleontology is areas of west- we cannot cash cheques made out ern China where landmark finds to the DNHG. Please also note our have been made in recent years. account number has changed.) Next month’s Gazelle will include Membership taken now will be good an article by Tom on fossil remains for the period through to August from the time of the Tethys Sea in 2009. Steve, Rachel, Daniel and Johanna Raynor Wadi Hitan, Egypt. DNHG membership entitles you to This month we sadly farewell Jo, Colin Paskins reports going shell- participate in field trips and helps Steve, Rachel and Daniel Raynor ing in Oman, taking the 'old' coast pay for our lecture hall, publication who will be moving to Oman and road from Quriyat towards Sur. He and distribution of our monthly living in Madinat Al Ilam. Over the wrote, “There is a massive highway newsletter, the Gazelle, additions to years, the Raynor family have con- under construction to replace it. The our library, incidental expenses of tributed a lot to the DNHG. Jo and first town you come to is Dibab. To speakers and occasional special Rachel have been responsible for the left of this, facing the sea, is a book sales at each meeting, a great school. If you take the track to the convenience for members. They left of the school you reach a stony have presented talks and con- beach which is very rich - some- This month’s ducted many short trips looking at times - in shells. Surprisingly, they Contributors desert ecology and some long ones usually survive being washed up to such places as the elephant over the rocks.” The Editor would like to thank trackways at Mleiha, where Steve the following for their reports was instrumental in measuring and and contributions: recording the position and align- Colin Paskins ment of the tracks. They will be Anne-Marie Bui sorely missed. Carol Goodwright Cecile Javelle We will need a replacement book Valerie Chalmers sales person, so if any member Gary Feulner would like to do that, please contact Jan Fischer Valerie Chalmers, and you will be David Palmer enthusiastically welcomed! Under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahayan bin Mubarak Al Nahayan Trips and Reports Page 2 Summer Activities All received vouchers from Ma- grudy’s and our grateful thanks to Members’ Night has been post- Magrudy’s for sponsoring the Photo- poned and will be held in Decem- graphic Competition and to Angela ber. That gives you plenty of time to Manthorpe for organising this. think about what you might talk about. Contact Speaker Coordinator The Table Quiz was set by Simon Angela Manthorpe if you have an and Lena Linton. There was actually idea for a presentation on your spe- a tie between The Doors and The Corner but, as the Corner had an cial interest. Animals: Cecile Javelle – Family advantage with Gary being in their Shellers show and swap eve- of Dolphins in Khor ash Sham, team, it was decided that the win- ners were The Doors (Angela and ning with Carol Goodwright Musandam, Oman Stephen Manthorpe, Jenny and Thursday 3rd July at 7.30pm Colin Hill, David Palmer and Tom Horton)!! The winners each received Bring your mystery shells to identify a goodies bag from Oasis Paper or show to other enthusiasts, and Industry which was kindly organized any you have to swap. Please let by Sandhya Prakash. The runners- Carol and Sylais know if you are up – Gary Feulner, Binish, Cecile coming - light supper. Mobile 050 – Javelle, Jean-Paul Berger, Hannah 8716760 / email Carol for instruc- Geology/Landscapes: Angela Gonzales and Clare O’Hare each tions on how to get there: cgood- Manthorpe – Descent into Majilis received a DNHG Poloshirt. Many [email protected] Al Jinn thanks to Simon and Lena for set- ting what was quite a stiff quiz; it Star Gazing with Lamjed certainly got our brains working! Date TBA This is an easy one and great fun. Lamjed has a huge telescope through which you’ll see things you’ve never seen before. Never- theless, bring your own binoculars and a mat to lie on (or your head Archaeology/Architecture: Carol falls off). Watch this spot and your Goodwright – Entrance to Tomb in email. Hili Gardens, Al Ain ‘The Doors’ Chalmers towels and caps provided End-of-Season Dinner draw prizes for 12 members. This year’s End-of-Season Dinner and Photographic Competition was Gary presented the Raynor family with a family rock and our grateful held at a new venue – Utsav Res- taurant at The India Club. We were thanks for all the hard work that they have put in over the years. We wish served an excellent Indian buffet which was carefully selected by them all the very best for their move to Oman. Pradeep Radhakrishna and 43 members attended the function. At the end of the evening, Gary Our thanks to Pradeep for arranging for the group to hold the function at made a presentation to Simon Lin- ton of a photograph of his late the India Club. Culture and Heritage: David mother Pam Linton, taken by Mo- In our photographic competition en- Palmer – Goats in Wadi Khabb hammed Arfan Asif at a previous tries were received for all five cate- ash Shamsi End-of-Season Function, in remem- brance of her. Pam was a DNHG gories and the winners were: member for several years and at- Best Photo Overall: Mohammed tended many lectures and events. Arfan Asif – Bee Eaters. Moham- med received the DNHG trophy. Email your field reports and news to [email protected], (Arial 10 Plants: Tom Horton – Water justified) and send your photographs Lilies in Botswana as separate jpg files, or deliver them (next column) to Anne for scanning. Page 3 Field Clips ... A Cultural Experience water from a well, transportation by forms a large part of the rubbish with EMEG boat and camel, and opening pearl that can be found along the beach oysters after the catch. We also had and in the sea. Unfortunately, the In early March, members of DNHG the chance to have close look at weather conditions (strong wind had the privilege of being invited traditional tools utilized by pearl and cloud) did not encourage di- by Major Ali for another visit to divers and merchants. vers to go underwater as visibility Emirates Marine Environmental was much reduced. Group site at Shaikh Ash Shaib We were lucky enough to be wel- near Ghantoot. Soon after arrival, comed by national ladies under After sunset, all the little rabbits of our group of twenty adults and four their tent, where coffee and tea the camp came out of their shelter, children were shown a film of the were prepared and offered accord- scampering around the camp in recent activities of EMEG, and ing to the local customs. This was search of food. Those who had Major Ali explained the early way followed by a session of bread bak- planned to stay overnight strug- of life in the UAE before it became ing following the old method and gled a little to fix their tents se- using traditional utensils, and a dis- curely as the wind did not stop as modern as it is at present. play of some kitchenware such as blowing until late. grindstones and coffee roasters. Major Ali had mentioned that it Later, the group were given the op- was the time of year when sea portunity of planting out a mangrove turtles used to come at night to lay sapling to afforest a belt of the eggs on the beach. The next EMEG site that used to be a man- morning, while walking along the grove area. sea, we very much hoped to find traces of their visits, but alas, there was nothing in sight. The number DNHG visitors with Major Ali (centre) of turtles returning to this beach for nesting has declined year after While pursuing their work in con- year, according to EMEG’s re- servation and marine issues, cords. This is not surprising when EMEG have also initiated an edu- we see how this coastal region is cation programme that is open to bitten by development. youth of various schools in the Emirates, as well as to adults – Regrettably, EMEG camp has lost residents and visitors. Their objec- its lovely tranquillity since a rec- tive in introducing the traditions Planting mangroves reation facility opened next door, and culture of the UAE is to make invading the area with deafening the public aware of the role played Major Ali showed us the last dhubs music, especially Friday nights, by nature in providing necessary that were rescued and placed under the entire night. And opposite resources to previous generations the care of his team. EMEG camp, construction of Palm that allowed them to live and to Island is in full swing; from this survive during difficult times.