Day 38: Patrol to Bare-tree Korongo
| Date: | August 6, 1974 |
| Start: | 09:59 |
| Finish: | 19:25 (nest) |
| Duration: | 9 hr. 26 min. |
| Observers: | Curt Busse and Petro Leo |
Curt’s Report. Figan was found traveling into Camp at 0959 (from east). Several Figan pant-hoots had been heard on Dung Hill where he had probably been feeding on ngazi. Sherry, Jomeo, Goblin, and Pallas all avoided as Figan displayed into Camp. Figan drum-displayed once before traveling half way down the main Camp trail where he fed on ngazi in the same tree where Faben had fed earlier in the day. At 1149 there were screams by Gigi as she went into a tree with Sherry 100 m away. Figan then descended his ngazi tree and there were screams, waah’s, and pant-hoots by this nearby group. Figan did a long arrival display which was initially directed at Jomeo (bad observation). Jomeo attacked Gigi. Fifi, Satan, and Goblin were also present.
The Mkenke waterfall, downhill from the watu path. 
Minutes later there were nearby pant-hoots and the group traveled over to investigate. Faben and Hugo were feeding in an mtobogoro tree. There were many food-grunts and ASR by Satan, Sherry, and Jomeo to Figan as all the chimps went into the mtobogoro tree to feed. After 20 minutes of feeding, Figan and most of the others moved to the ground for a half hour rest. Figan also groomed Faben for 15 minutes. There were a few minutes of play between Sherry and Freud. At 1320 Sherry and Jomeo initiated travel towards the Mkenke fishing village. Figan was last to follow.
Faben leads travel along the Mkenke beach to the watu path.
The group fed on matete and lambstail before hitting the Mkenke fishing village at 1419. The chimps – Figan, Faben, Gigi, Goblin, Satan, Sherry, Jomeo, Fifi and Freud – briefly inspected the fishing huts then traveled up the Mkenke watu path slowly to the top of the first ridge.
The chimps sit in a tight group on the watu path looking northeast into Mkenke valley.
Here they sat in one small tree on the ridge overlooking Busambo valley (photo below). Jomeo and Sherry then led travel into lower Bare-tree korongo where the group again stopped to watch and listen for “strangers” (see Stranger Contact, for a full report).
The group sits and watches from a tree overlooking Bare-tree korongo. Jomeo is in the middle; Gigi to the right.
At 1608 there were distant squeaks to the east in Bare-tree korongo less than 200 m away. The group immediately put hair-out and oriented in that direction; there was much reassurance behavior. Sherry led slow travel in the direction of the squeaks. There was much “scouting behavior” as the group looked for whoever had made the squeaks (photo, below). The group traveled up Bare-tree and past the colobus house, but no “strangers” were found. Fifi stayed behind as the group fed on mnazi and mshai below McGinnis lookout before traveling up to the watu path above Windy Point at 1801.
The group descends stealthfully into Bare-tree korongo upon hearing squeaks, most likely from a Kahama chimp.
As the males sat looking into Upper Mkenke, Jomeo traveled down and pant-hoot-drum displayed down by the Mkenke stream. This set off a wild eight-minutes of “tension release” displaying down to the Mkenke stream. Faben attacked Goblin during one display near the stream. Figan, Faben, and Gigi then left the others to feed on mnazi north of the northern Mkenke branch by MK2, They fed for half hour then traveled to Sleeping Valley to nest. Figan fed briefly in an ngazi tree where Madam Bee [Kahama community] had fed yesterday, before nesting.
Buttressed tree along a korongo in Mkenke valley.
ASR Details. At 1149 Figan was feeding on ngazi on the main Camp trail when there were screams from 100 m away as Gigi arrived in trees where Sherry, Jomeo, and Satan were feeding. Figan immediately descended the ngazi tree with hair-out and there were many screams and waah’s by the others. Figan began a long charging display towards the other group, which scattered and many vocalizations were heard. Figan had displayed way ahead of us and there was bad observation. The initial display seemed to be directed at Sherry. Screams were heard from nearby as Figan finished his display and Petro Leo reports that Jomeo attacked Gigi. Later in the day this group traveled to Bare-tree korongo. Upon returning to Upper Mkenke there were several minutes of wild “tension release” displaying (see Stranger Contact).
Nesting Details. Having returned from an expedition to Bare-tree korongo in Kahama, Figan, Faben, and Gigi fed on mnazi in Upper Mkenke until 1858. Figan then led travel 200 m across Upper Mkenke to an ngazi tree on the Mkenke path in Sleeping Valley where Madam Bee [Kahama community] had fed the previous day. Figan went into the ngazi tree to feed; Faben and Gigi merely sat on the ground, then at 1918 Gigi went 15 m up into a nearby tree. A minute later Faben nested in the same tree as Gigi, about 20 m from Figan. Faben grunted when he finished nesting. Faben then pant-hooted and there were pant-hoots in response by Figan, Gigi, and many others several hundred meters to the east (including Goblin). Gigi nested near Faben at 1925. There was another round of group and distant pant-hoots. Figan then nested 5 m from the ngazi tree and 15 m from Faben and Gigi. There were more group and distant pant-hoots at 1935.
