Yesterday Katito Sayialel found four new born calves which brings the baby boom total to 102! Katito wins the prize and tonight we're all gathering to celebrate this amazing phenomenon.

Photos of the new calves will follow soon.

I was thrilled today to find Risa with a new female calf, just outside our camp as I returned from the field. She is a particularly pretty little female, and when I came to my notes, I discovered she's baby number 70 in this baby boom.

I had to share just how sweet she is!

Let me park links to some of my photos in this blog until I can get around to setting up a special website. Since many of the images are of elephants and Amboseli, it shouldn't be too much of an intrusion. Thanks for stopping by...

Hi everyone,

Well the ATE team has been kept incredibly busy during the first three weeks of 2012. The elephants have been in large groups, which keep us on our toes as we try to identify all the families and males present, as well of course as keeping track of all the new calves.

Here are some of my favourite shots of life in Amboseli over the past few weeks of the New Year.

With very best wishes for 2012, on behalf the of ATE team. We thank you for your support as we go into the 40th year of the project.

Vicki

More elephant tusks were seized in 2011 than in any year since 1989, when the ivory trade was banned, international wildlife trade group Traffic says.

Read the complete article at BBC NEWS AFRICA

The group said elephants have had a "horrible year", with 23 tonnes of ivory seized - representing at least 2,500 dead animals.

Here in Amboseli we're having a White Christmas!

I finally saw Jemima's white calf yesterday morning. I had been in Nairobi and couldn't wait to see him. I arrived in Amboseli two days ago. It's incredibly green and lush here--perfect conditions for the mothers of all the new calves. They have more than enough to eat to produce rich and nutritious milk.

Katito spotted the albino calf yesterday and directed me to him. He seems healthy and robust. We're a bit worried about sunburn but he seems ok for now.

Albino baby elephant first sighting by the Amboseli Elephant Research team in Amboseli National Park. Notice the white hair especially on the head and tail, pale skin and pinkish ears.

Click here to see the video.

Today marks the last day of fieldwork with Graeme Shannon and Karen McComb on the elephant cognition project, which has involved using playback experiments to study social and ecological knowledge among elephant family groups. Back in May 2007 at the beginning of the project, one of the first groups that Graeme and I spotted were the JBs, and Jemima the matriarch had a new female calf that was less than a week old - named Julep. Now, 4.5 years later, we saw the JB family once again, and this time with two new calves.

hi everyone,

Thanks for your patience; we're delighted to be able to share some images of our new arrivals, via our YouTube channel Amboseli Trust, and on our Facebook page.