A study to determine the species richness and spatial distribution of five meliponine bee species in three different habitats in the Kakamega forest was undertaken for the first time. Two forest (indigenous and mixed indigenous) and two grassland (with Eucalyptus spp. trees and indigenous trees) types, along with homesteads (in the vicinity of mixed indigenous forest and indigenous forest, respectively), were surveyed. Line transect methods were used in the nest survey in each habitat. The highest number of species was recorded in the indigenous forest, while no nest was discovered in the grassland with Eucalyptus spp. trees. The mean number of nests per transect was higher in homesteads followed by the indigenous forest. The nesting pattern of almost all species nesting in the indigenous forest, mixed indigenous forest (Meliponula bocandei [Spinola]) and grassland with indigenous tree species (Meliponula ferruginea [Lepeletier] reddish brown) was dispersed. The nesting pattern of M. ferruginea (reddish brown) and Hypotrigona gribodoi (Magretti) changed from a dispersed and random pattern, respectively, to a clumped nesting pattern when nesting in homesteads. The degree of nest clustering was low for M. ferruginea (reddish brown) and high for H. gribodoi. Differences in average nearest-neighbour distance were observed within species nesting in a dispersed or clumped pattern. This study reveals that habitat type in the Kakamega forest influences the species richness and nesting pattern of the five stingless bee species.

Olive ridley turtles Lepidochelys olivacea nest along the east and west coasts of India, with major mass nesting beaches in the state of Orissa. The coast of Andhra Pradesh, the state immediately south of Orissa, has sporadic nesting of olive ridley turtles and is believed to form part of the migratory route of the turtles that nest in Orissa. A survey of nesting beaches and offshore waters of the Andhra Pradesh coast was carried out from November 2000 to April 2001. Preliminary interviews and secondary data were used to determine potential nesting beaches. During January–March 2001 intensive surveys of seven beaches and monthly surveys of the rest of the coast provided a lower bound of c. 4,000 nests along the Andhra Pradesh coast. Nesting densities were higher at beaches near river mouths, at 60–100 nests km−1 in northern and central Andhra Pradesh, and 15–20 nests km−1 in southern Andhra Pradesh. Sightings and incidental catch in experimental trawls indicated the presence of olive ridley turtles in offshore waters. Fisheries related mortality is the major threat to the species, with nearly 1,000 dead turtles being washed ashore during January–March, but depredation of eggs by humans and feral animals was also widespread. Conservation efforts need to address these issues, and also the effects of coastal development and artificial illumination, especially at beaches that support relatively high densities of nesting olive ridley turtles.

The density of nests of the magpie goose Anseranas semipalmata on the Mary River floodplain fluctuated markedly during 1988–93, failing almost completely in unfavourable (El Niño) years. Nest density and timing of nesting were strongly correlated with variations in the time of onset of the wet season, but were much less sensitive to rainfall quanta in the mid- to late wet season. Nest densities were higher and nesting was initiated earlier in breeding seasons preceded by sustained rainfalls during the transition from dry to wet seasons. Clutch sizes were slightly larger in years of early wet-season onset. Within seasons, later clutches contained fewer eggs and the eggs were smaller, probably as a consequence of later nesting by younger birds. Second clutches from a small sample of marked re-nesting birds and a pulse of nesting after flooding losses, contained similar numbers of eggs to first clutches, but the eggs were larger. Dependence of nesting on events occurring months before clutch initiation, when birds are using habitats distant from nesting colonies, illustrates the importance of integrated management of floodplain systems to meet year-round habitat needs, and the risks posed by homogenization of wetlands by improvement of pasture for grazing.