From a youthful dream of travelling to Africa to the culmination of a research project carried out over more than ten seasons in Kenya, the author takes the reader on a journey as a member of a group of biologists determined to find out why some birds carry plants to their nests. Using nest boxes placed in various habitats: savannah, jungle, mountain, gallery forest... and a ladder to climb up to them, two Spaniards and a Kenyan try to verify a working hypothesis that, with the passage of time, proves to be unattainable, while the serendipity of nature and the scenarios of Africa suggest other surprising and, at first, unsuspected ones. Against the backdrop of the animals, landscapes and people of Africa, the situations, anecdotes, dangers, difficulties and emotions that arise day after day in the passionate attempt to find answers through the application of the scientific method are narrated. Beyond new discoveries, the development of research inevitably brings with it profound lessons that touch the deepest essence of Africa. The contrast between African ecosystems and society and those of his homeland leads the author to reflect on the evolution of certain traits such as solidarity, mutual aid, horizontal organisation and even happiness. What makes African nature and people so different from ours? The author offers some suggestions, but it is up to the reader to draw his own conclusions.
19 parts