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Madagascar– the eighth continent
17 October – 5 Nov 2004
Trip report and checklist
Leaders: Keith Barnes & Iain Campbell
Set Departure trip
One of this years major highlights, a nesting Collared Nightjar was located
One of Tropical Birding’s four trips to the Red Island for 2004, this was one of our best Madagascar tours to date, recording 121 endemics and near-endemic bird species in a total list of 189 in 20 days of birding. We saw every species of Ground-roller including mind-blowing views of Scaly, Short-legged, Pitta-like, Rufous-headed and Long-tailed Ground Rollers. We also had absorbing looks at each of the world’s three Mesites, all the Asities, including the seldom seen Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity, all of the world’s Coua species and all 13 Vanga species that were possible on this itinerary.
Perhaps the two most unusual birds were the 30-odd Bernier’s Teal and Madagascar White Ibis in the Betsiboka estuary. Tropical Birding is one of the few companies that attempts to see these two rare globally endangered species on its tours and our adventurous spirit was rewarded again. Other highlights included the bizarre and magnificent Cuckoo-roller, Crab Plovers, both White-tailed and Red-tailed Tropicbird, Madagascar Crested Ibis perched in the gloomy forest and the common but localised Littoral Rock Thrush.
Our mammal experiences were equally rewarding, with a surprising Red-tailed Sportive Lemur at Zombitse. We also saw Fanaloka at Ranomafana and 14 lemur species including the recently described (1998) Golden-brown Dwarf Lemur as well as old favourities including Coquerel’s Sifaka, Ring-tailed Lemur, Indri, Diademed Sifaka and the stunning Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur. Reptile highlights included the amazing Sikora and Fantastic Leaf-tailed Geckos as well as Madagascar Boa, Oustalet’s Chameleon and Long-nosed Chameleon.
Day 1: 17 Oct: Tana. After a late arrival in Tana the group assembled. Iain Campbell’s luggage had been lost in Paris, which delayed us somewhat, but we were soon on our way to the Tana Plaza Hotel, where we overnighted. Neither part of Africa nor Asia, Madagascar exudes an atmosphere that is quite distinctly its own. The terraced and double storey dilapidated dwellings have their own charm, standing in the middle of terraced rice paddies and surrounded by exquisite gardens, one feels transported to a landscape fit for Tolkien, not birding. It was late, so almost immediately we hit the sack.
Day 2: 18 Oct: Tana – Ifaty. With a scheduled mid-afternoon flight we had a bit of time to kill and so birded the vicinity of Tana, which holds a few marshes and rice paddies around the capital. Although there was nothing sensational, the first lifers included Dimorphic Egret, Madagascar Wagtail and Red Fody amongst the more familiar Great Egret, Cattle Egret & Striated Heron. We also located a large flock of the somewhat unusual Grey-headed Gull, an uncommon bird in Madagascar. Over the city we saw several large flocks of Mascarene Martin. The buildings and handful of trees yielded a small party of chuckling Madgascar Bulbul.
We flew to Tulear where once through formalities we headed off towards our beachside hotel. Soon enough we spotted some common roadside birds such as the immaculate Madagascar Bee-eater, Madagascar Lark and the “zitting” Madagascar Cisticola. Further stops included some marshy wetlands en-route surrounded by some degraded spiny desert and scrub, where we notched up Sub-desert Brush Warbler, Madagascar Lark, the neat grey and lime Gray-headed Lovebird and Madagascar Kestrel. We found some exciting wetlands where we managed locate a grating Madagascar Swamp Warbler in the reedbeds and Squacco Heron, Hottentot Teal, Black-winged Stilt and Madagascar Coucal. The coastline produced some waders and our first common but beautiful Souimanga Sunbirds and Crested Drongos and a large colony of the sociable and gregarious Sakalava Weaver. We found many Madagascar Nightjars coming out to play at dusk and enjoyed good views of these flying around by the side of the road. During dinner a Madagascar Nightjar kept landing on a bare tree just outside the dining area. The evening kicked off with a great sunset near the beach and some fabulous French flair in the meal, to which we toasted our first full day in Madagascar.
Day 3: 19 Oct: Mangily (Ifaty). We woke up and headed into the bizarre other-worldly “spiny forest”. The Octopus trees and baobabs, combined with the elephant’s foot succulents, make birding this habitat one of the highlights of a Madagascar trip, there is always something strange to look at. With the indomitable Moosa leading his troops (particularly son Freddy), we soon got our first endemic family, in the form of a Chabert's Vanga, quickly followed by a Madagascar Green Pigeon, and then another vanga, this time a Lafresnaye's. We were then taken to the nest of a Sub-desert Mesite, which was about two feet off the ground in the fork of a small bush. The bird was sat on the nest facing us (see below).
Sub-desert Mesite on a nest
The walk continued to yield some megas and soon we’d caught up with Running and Crested Couas and Madagascar Hoopoe. Extremely pleased, we continued, tracking down a Archibold’s Newtonia and both sexes of Lafresnaye’s Vanga. The heat was starting to get pretty intense, so we decided to head to the spot where Moosa had found a nest of the cosmic and globally threatened Long-tailed Ground Roller just a few weeks prior. Slowly walking the area we found the birds which we saw initially perched on a lowish branch, before they showed really well on the ground and up a Baobab tree! Further on we got two White-headed Vangas, and a few people saw Madagascar Buttonquails running across the trails. By now it was nearly midday and stinking hot. We headed via the salt pools near the village, picking up the threatened Madagascar Plover on our way back for lunch.
After lunch at the hotel we returned to the spiny forest, where our main target was Sickle-billed Vanga. Within ten minutes we had cracking views of these overgrown cackling beasts that brought the adrenaline up to speed. A party of remarkable Sickle-billed Vangas came through calling with their baby-like wailing to keep everyone happy. Shortly afterwards we were rewarded with great views of White-headed Vanga. A flowering tree was attracting both Souimanga and Long-billed Green sunbirds. The non-stop singing of the Thamnornis Warbler, Sub-desert Brush Warbler and Common Jery was enough to give them away. There was no sign of Green-capped Coua, but we did get superb views of the erratic and difficult to pin down Banded Kestrel eating a chameleon, as well as seeing a couple of Crested Couas, including one on a nest. We also scored with Common Newtonia and Madagascar Magpie Robin before calling it a day. We headed back to our beachside cove, happy that we had a great day in the spiny desert.
Banded Kestrel eating a chameleon at Ifaty
Day 4: 20 Oct: Mangily-Tulear. Because we had finished the birds at Ifaty it made more sense to head straight for the bizarre coral-rag scrub at La Table near Tulear, so we awoke predawn in an attempt to get there at first light. While the bumpy roads slowed progress we arrived at La Table shortly after dawn. This site, remarkably close to the city of Tulear, revealed a species of vanga new to science in the 1990s. We walked the tracks slowly, whistling the mournful call. One started calling a long way off and after much tracking and effort we managed to pull in both male and female Red-shouldered Vangas. Shortly thereafter we scored Verreaux’s Coua, the most localised of the world’s couas. Walking back along the track, we got good views of Hook-billed Vanga. This had taken us some time and when we arrived at the Madagascar Sandgrouse spot it was getting late and it seemed that the birds had moved off already! We did however get our first Madagascar Turtle-Dove of the trip, making this the 3,000th bird on Clare’s lifelist. After that we went closer to Tulear and saw the last of the areas specialty couas the Green-capped Coua.
The afternoon was spent down the coast looking for waders and waterbirds. We added Little Grebe, Red-billed Duck (Teal), Caspian Tern, Saunder’s Tern, Lesser Crested Tern, Common Moorhen and Red-knobbed Coot. Waders abounded on the coast and we encountered a glut of palearctic migrants and residents including Black-bellied Plover, Kittlitz’s, Three-banded and White-fronted Plovers, Whimbrel, Greenshank and Ruddy Turnstone amongst others. Some revealed yielded the sought after Greater Painted Snipe and Baillon's Crake.
Day 5: 21 Oct: Tulear. After another early breakfast we headed back to our stakeout for Madagascar Sandgrouse. We scored after about ten minutes, seeing eight in total, both on the ground and in flight. Then we headed on the coastal road towards St Augustin, birding the coastal scrub and mangroves. The only new species for the trip from there was Terek Sandpiper. Driving up the road our vehicle fell off the tracks and got stuck, and thus ensued another fantastic Malagasy adventure. With the driver intent in his belief that I was crazy to push the vehicle backwards, he attempted (with his two sidekicks) to push the 4-ton bus up a 23° incline for about one hour while the wheels were not touching the ground!! Anyway, the truth is that he was an exceptionally nice guy and an excellent driver and once he had “absorbed” the physics of the operation and agreed that we should push the bus down the slope we were back on the road after 30 seconds of pushing. With all this effort and being out in the desiccating coral rag had everyone pretty knackered, so we retired for lunch and a siesta.
After lunch we tried our luck with a group of Ring-tailed Lemurs near Tulear that are considered sacred by local tribes and they go completely un-persecuted and are protected by fady (taboo). Because some patience is often required we took beers and books. We approached their roosting cave, however two lemurs were there already when we arrived, and we got superb views (and pictures) of them leaping across the rock face. We enjoyed prolonged looks at a female with a tiny youngster. It was a great end to a super day and we returned to Tulear for the evening!
Day 6: 22 Oct. Nosy Ve & Anakao. We woke up this morning and after breakfast boarded our motorised boat for our trip to the island reserve of Nosy Ve. The boat trip to the island was pretty uneventful, although the scenery and being on the boat were wet but a lot of fun. We arrived on the island a little over an hour later and had to land at Anakao and ferry two groups over to the island. I stayed at Anakao while Iain took the first group across over. We found Littoral Rock Thrush in the scrubby vegetation easily and the boat was soon back and once we arrived on the island we found the other group watching a couple of superb pied Crab Plovers nestled on a sand bank. After setting anchor we enjoyed scope views of this monospecific family, and soaked up this neat and exciting wader. Another sandbank held a mixed group of terns and we soon found Lesser Crested, Great Crested and Common Tern.
However, the highlight of Nosy Ve was still to come. We crossed a channel to the main island and approached the eastern edge of the island, eventually seeing at a distance and then at point blank range several nesting pairs of the immaculate Red-tailed Tropicbird! Then, out of the blue a different tropicbird appeared! It was much smaller, more delicate, snow-white and elegant. It was a White-tailed Tropicbird, a new Madagascar bird for Keith and a great surprise, resulting in a family clean-up for several of the group. We returned to Anakao for those who still needed the Littoral Rock-Thrush and then headed back to Tulear in the steady wind. In the afternoon the group split, Iain took some of the group out to look for Madagascar Buttonquails (successfully) while I headed down to the Onilahy River mouth, where we encountered a beautiful pair of nesting Peregrine Falcons (endemic subspecies) and a lone Humblot’s Heron in the estuary.
The spectacular Red-tailed Tropicbirds were joined by a lonely White-tailed at Nosy ve!
Day 7. 23 Oct. Tulear-Isalo. We were up early for the long drive to Isalo. We headed for Zombitse, arriving at about 7.a.m. Once inside the forest Coquerel’s Coua was a lifer for most, amongst many other new birds. After some concerted effort we located a Giant Coua high up a tree. This pheasant sized bird is the largest of the couas and makes for some good eating accounting for its local scarcity. Eventually we lucked onto an Appert’s Greenbul. This highly threatened species is restricted to two tiny forest patches in the world, Zombitse being one of them. After several encounters we had all seen the greenbuls well and it was time to move on. Other new birds included Long-billed Greenbul, Madagascar White-eye and constantly calling Cuckoo-Rollers. Our first chameleon of the trip, a magnificent large, brown and fast Outsalet’s Chameleon was also seen. Then we drove to Isalo and checked into our hotel before heading back into the grasslands nearby. We spent some time walking through the dry grass getting flushed views of Madagascar Partridge, an unidentified Quail and Marsh Owl. A small pond ceded Madagascar Little Grebe amongst a few ducks and we then walked towards the lodge, locating a Benson's Rock Thrush on the roof of one of the buildings. This species is now often considered to be conspecific with the Forest Rock Thrush from further east, but we thought we’d bank this anyway! We sat on the porch of the exquisite Relais de la Reine hotel surrounded by the spectacular mountains of the Isalo massif, one of the most beautiful places of Madagascar, enjoying a beer and nibbles until it got dark. I then heard a Torotoroka Scops-Owl. We headed down the steps and located the owl reasonably quickly.
Day 8: 24 Oct: Isalo – Fianarantsoa. After an early breakfast we returned to the grassland patch as some people desired improved looks at certain birds and we relocated the Madagascar Partridge and Marsh Owl. After that we enjoyed a hearty breakfast and spent the remainder of the day on the 6-hour long drive to Fianarantsoa, where we checked into a massive Chinese-style place after crossing over the central escarpment enjoying some spectacular scenery. The drive was long, broken by a picnic lunch en route, and just before we arrived we stopped at some rice paddies and saw a few Madagascar Pond Herons, the group’s only lifer of the day.
Day 9. 25 Oct: Fianaratsoa-Ranomafana. This morning we were off extra early to cover the ground between Fianarantsoa and the park before dawn. We managed most of it and arrived at Ranomafana with plenty morning hours still available. We started birding almost immediately. A stop at the high altitude Vohiparara forest revealed a bevy of sought–after warblers including Green Jery, Cryptic Warbler and Rand's Warbler, all of which were perched high at the tops of trees. Much effort was spent trying to get a stubborn Madagascar Flufftail out of a bush. Being uncharacteristically uncooperative however, I heading into the shrubbery to try flush it, but instead a delightful Blue Coua leaped out of the bush for all to enjoy. The cearulean blue of this huge Turaco-like bird seems to glow in full sunlight!
We moved on to the main trails further down the hill. Just then, a distant “booooo” sound heralded one of our prime target birds, a Pitta-like Ground Roller. This sapphire, emerald, rufous and white concoction defies description. Stalking it with great anticipation, the bird was eventually seen exceptionally well, and for nearly two minutes as it called teed up on a branch in the open a few metres away bobbing its head with nods of approval at our admiration. The superb and aptly named Pitta-like Ground-Roller, which was amazingly bright, threw its head back and puffed up its white throat each time it called. A Red-bellied Lemur showed while we were looking at the Ground-Roller. Next we were at the site for the Brown Mesite and the tape quickly got some birds calling. They obligingly came towards us and then crossed the path 4-5 metres in front of us. Brown Forest Rat was omnipresent. Heading further into the forest, we located a Henst's Goshawk nest. This scarce but extremely vocal bird called incessantly while we were near. We saw this huge and very impressive goshawk fly in and perch nearby. It returned to the same two perches a couple of times and most of us got superb views. Although we were already late for lunch a flock distracted us. We stayed with it as it had Blue and Red-tailed Vangas, Common Sunbird Asity, Spectacled Greenbul, Common Newtonia, Ashy Cuckooshrike, Ward's Flycatcher, Madagascar White-eyes and Souimanga Sunbirds. Clare got lucky with a Ring-tailed Mongoose rushing up a trail at her, flushed by a nearby group. The afternoon was spent on the marsh at Vohiparara. This dwindling swamp will soon be gone. It is incredibly sad as it holds some birds that will be difficult to find once it disappears and it has in the past supported the Critically Endangered Slender-billed Flufftail. One can’t help but believe that this species will soon be extinct, with a host of other Madagascar specialties set to follow. This beautiful place is in deep trouble. We managed to get excellent views of the marsh-restricted Grey Emutail and flushed a pair of Madagascar Snipe before calling it a day as dusk was approaching. The evening’s activities however were just beginning with our turn to go on the “nocturne” forest watch. Although this feeding station within the park is somewhat zoo-like, there is no doubt it gives most visitors their only real chance at getting close to nocturnal mammals to photograph them. On the way we encountered the true special, the nocturnal, diminutive and incredibly tame Brown Mouse Lemur. The Fanaloka (Striped Civet) that comes in for chicken bits was also spectacular, and we trundled off into the night enriched by our mammal-viewing experience and the beers tasted all the better for it.
Day 10: 26 Oct: Ranomofana. This morning we returned to the Vohiporara (upper) part of Ranomofana, where we spent the morning birding. Early on we scored a Pollen’s Vanga. However, the rest of the birds we needed were in the forest interior. A Dark Newtonia was located. Soon after starting down the trail the tell-tale higher pitched “boo” of a Rufous-headed Ground Roller got the entire group excited. Playback brought the bird remarkably close and after a few partially obscured views the red-headed, green-backed beast charged out into the open for a handful of cortex-searing seconds! Everyone got good looks and the back-slapping began. The rest of the day was spent at Vohiparara looking for sunbird-asities and Yellow-browed Oxylabes, both of which remained elusive. After lunch, four people went looking for lemurs and were very successful with both Greater and Golden Bamboo Lemur, the latter not known to exist until 1985 when it was first described to the outside world. In the afternoon, the birders located a few new birds including Red-fronted Coua, White-throated Oxylabes and Brown Emutail just before dark. On the way back, we saw a pair of Rufous-headed Ground-Rollers low in the vegetation, and a Pitta-like Ground-Roller which refused to get off the path and we must have followed for over 100 m.
Day 11: 26 Oct: Ranomofana-Antsirabe. Our last morning at Rano. There were still two key birds to look for - both rare and hard to see - Yellow-browed Oxylabes and Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity. We went to Vohiparara, seeing a gorgeous female Velvet Asity early on, and climbed to a spot where other people had been seeing the Asity. After a while without success we moved higher still, and within a couple of minutes we struck gold when a male Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity appeared, very low down, foraging on some tubular red flowers. The huge carunclules and golden belly made it sparkle in the morning light. Delighted, we returned down the trail trying for the Yellow-browed Oxylabes at several reliable spots, but were not successful. Starting to get that dipping feeling, our luck turned when we bumped into someone else pointing out a birds nest to a group of general nature tourists. Lo and behold, it was the nest of a Yellow-browed Oxylabes! I had a quick look and discovered two fresh brown speckled eggs. Because of potential nest failure I asked everyone to move back and about a minute later a female Oxylabes came in and jumped into the nest. I got the group to come through, one by one, so as not to disturb the bird to look at this very rare sight, a Yellow-brow on a nest. Before we hit the road we enjoyed classic views of Forest Rock Thrush and an exquisite male Velvet Asity, resplendent with his glowing emerald wattle. Buoyed by our success at Ranomofana, moving on was easy and without hesitation or regret. The drive to Antsirabe was long and uneventful.
Day 12: 28 Oct: Antsirabe-Perinet. Another long travel day, we set off for Perinet after a latish and very good buffet breakfast, stopping on-route at a bridge over a river which got us great views of Madagascar Pratincole. Arriving at Perinet at dusk we tried for Madagascar Long-eared Owl. Most of us saw bits and pieces of it when it flew in and perched above us briefly (some better than others), and a couple of people saw it fly. Our final destination was Vakona Lodge. We arrived after dark and enjoyed a scrumptious meal at this great lodge.
Day 13: 29 Oct 2004. Mantadie N.P. full day. Today was our first real bite at the most famous of the “rainforest” reserves and there was palpable excitement amongst the group. Breakfast at Vakona’s platform dining room was difficult to eat as several croissants had to be spat out in an attempt to describe where an “interesting” bird had landed. Although bread & jam breakfasts are not my favourite, the Vakona staff looked aghast at the uncouth birders indulging in what they could only interpret as a croissant spit-ball fight! Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher, Mascarene Martin, Red Fody and Magpie Robin got the attention, but the finest bird was a Nelicourvi Weaver nest-building. Once Patrice arrived we headed off for Mantadie NP. A relatively new, but now unmissable destination on the birding circuit. En route, we stopped at a Madagacar Rail stakeout which delivered impeccable views of this rare rallid doing the dawn patrol march backwards and forwards in front of us through a well designed gap in the foliage. We got good looks at a pair of Madagascar Starlings on the main road feeding from a tree with ripe berries. A strident Rand’s Warbler called in the open atop the tallest tree in the neighbourhood. We were able to compare it to both Stripe-throated and Common Jerys nearby. Malagasy Spinetails hunted overhead as a pair of Cuckoo Rollers displayed evocatively. But we were here for the deep rainforest birds and after a fair bit of effort everyone enjoyed views of a stunning male Madagascar Flufftail, which Iain managed to photograph. The ground-rollers proved to be as frustrating and elusive as ever! Virtually nothing called all morning and we felt that we were never even close to these enigmas. Then it happened, the Short-legged Ground Roller started calling. We sprinted in the forest towards the sound, upon arrival the bird had stopped calling, but at least we knew it must be somewhere in the vicinity. We looked, and looked and there it was, sitting above our heads about 15m away. The giant Puff-bird-like beast sat motionless as it is want to do, and we all breathed a huge sigh of relief at having nabbed this toughie. Next we lucked onto a very co-operative Scaly Ground Roller that kept on coming in to playback and imitation. Although not everyone picked it up immediately because it moves so quickly on the ground, eventually we all got to see the bright red-les and eye skin and fine scales on this beautiful bird. Once again, the five ground-rollers had been seen by everyone on tour! Almost immediately we lucked into a group of Madagascar Crested Ibis as they flew off the forest floor and then spent a lot of time with an uncooperative Red-breasted Coua. A few people saw it as it snuck down the steep slope behind tangles and creepers. However the bird made no attempt to be fair and stayed well hidden, resulting in several people missing it. Eventually it moved off and we’d have to try elsewhere for the rest of the group. Emerging from the forest there was one last treat, a beautiful nesting Collared Nightjar. This is a very difficult bird and some years none are seen, so we were well pleased. After lunch we headed to Perinet, where we got some more of our target species, Ward's Flycatcher, Madagascar Wood-Rail and Malagasy Scops-Owl. The walk through the forest at Perinet was superb, not least for the family of exquisite Indri that we found. The largest lemur in Madagascar is definitely spectacular, and the wailing hoots they make are deafening from only 5 metres away. However, the highlight for some was a Sikoro Leaf-tailed Gecko that Nancy spotted on a tree trunk. At dusk we returned to the Long-eared Owl site. As soon as we got there we heard the owl calling, and saw it fly across into the trees, a different view to last night’s, but still not a great one. We then spotlighted along the road finding Greater Dwarf and Brown Mouse Lemurs and several chameleons.
A spectacular Short-legged Ground Roller was the second last of the Ground-rollers we needed to score a clean sweep!
Day 14: 30 Oct: Mantadie & Perinet. Returning to Mantadia N.P. our first stop produced a very responsive White-throated Rail, which was right in the open not far from the road. Our next major find was a beautiful Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher that was seen by all for a long time, and we were able to get stunning photos and video. We were then after a few key birds and after an hour in the forest we located the first, the truly bizarre Nuthatch Vanga – a very apt name indeed! In the afternoon we returned to Perinet. The Orchid gardens yielded a pair of breeding Madagascar Sparrowhawk that provided unrivalled views of this magical raptor near a nest. We succeeded in luring in a Crossley's Babbler, but it was dark and most people preferred to look for it tomorrow in better light. On the way back to the lodge we stopped at a feeding station where Greater Dwarf Lemurs were scoffing bananas. We had these cute beasties less than a foot away.
Day 15: 31 Oct: Perinet. After breakfast we returned to Perinet. Our target birds for the morning were Crossley's Babbler, Red-breasted Coua and White-throated Oxylabes. A group of White-throated Oxylabes were found early on and although they behaved uncharacteristically secretively, everyone got to see them eventually. Although the Crossley’s Babblers were unresponsive we eventually got a cooperative individual. Playback resulted in a beautiful male rocketing in and perching a few metres from the group where we all got absorbing looks in stunning light! Iain was able to take amazing photos of this normally mobile ground-skulker. The coua was equally tough, but eventually we got the bird to respond and it was seen by all as it crossed the path only a few metres in front of us. With nothing more of substance to look for except for chance raptors we took the opportunity to soak up another roosting Malagasy Scops-Owl, some Common Brown Lemurs, a Blue Coua and, just before heading back some Indris that were extremely close. We returned to the lodge for lunch, and then spent the afternoon at Mantadia, mostly birding from the road, and looking for Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs, which we saw very well. We walked back up the road in the dark, getting superb views of White-browed Owl and Eastern Woolly Lemurs, as well as Brown Mouse Lemur and Greater Dwarf Lemur. There were loads of fireflies, which made the place seem surreal and magical.
This spectacular male Crossley’s Babbler showed for some time and we all got great views!
Day 16: 1 Nov. Mantadia – Tana. We returned to Mantadia for our final target species, the Gray-crowned Greenbul, which we located and saw well after about an hour. We also found a Madagascar Tree Boa that had eaten a Lowland Streaked Tenrec. The tenrec’s spines had ripped through the snake’s body walls. It was obviously in for a slow and painful death. Anyway, the net result was me scratching tenrecs off my potential menu list! After our final lunch at Vakona we returned to Tana and the last leg of our adventure in the northwest of Ampijoroa.
Day 17: 2 Oct: Tana – Ampijoroa. It started as a bit more of an adventure than anticipated. An unannounced schedule change meant that we missed our scheduled flight. So we all piled in the car and started the drive to Ampijoroa. It was long and took most of the day with only a few leg –stretch stops arriving at Ankarafantsika Reserve in the early evening.
Day 18: 3 Oct: Ankarafantsika. After all the driving yesterday it was wonderful to be thrust into the wilderness area that is Ankarafantsika. It was hard to concentrate on breakfast as we were accosted by full-frontal Madagascar with Vasa Parrots streaming overhead. A few White-headed and Chabert’s Vangas were joined by the raucous gleeful cries of a party of gregarious Sickle-billed Vangas, which were quickly located by their baby-like “whaaaa” call; one of the most memorable of the northwest. A family party of Coquerel’s Sifakas had everyone “ooohing and ahhhing” as the chestnut and white beasts catapulted from tree to tree. Once we had actually managed some food we started our first walk along the edge of Lac Ravelobe, where we got superb views of Humblot's Heron. A small flock revealed a Blue Vanga lowdown that glowed in the bright morning sunlight. We next walked a trail through some dry forest, where our main target was Schlegel's Asity. Asities are unique to Madagascar and are bizarre relatives of Broadbills. The male is a stunning creature, the multi-lobed sky-blue and lime green caruncule apparently glowing in the early morning light, golden belly and black head. Fortunately this pair was nesting, otherwise this can be a tough bird to get views of as its habit is to fly around high in the canopy. Next we encountered a pair of the elusive, reclusive and skittish White-breasted Mesite and two Giant Hog-nosed Snakes on the path, and our first Cuvier's Iguanid, as well as a very obliging pair of Red-capped Couas and a tree trunk covered in large caterpillars. Further on we got superb views of a France's Sparrowhawk perched just above the trail, a bird that had only been seen briefly by one or two people earlier in the trip. However, what we were really looking for was the localised speciality, Van Dam’s Vanga. This inexplicably rare vanga, classified as Vulnerable by BirdLife International, is globally threatened and there were some tense moments when the bird came in but showed itself to only half the group. Eventually, however, we were able to walk in and get superb views from only 3-4 m away as both the dimorphic male and female foraged in the tree above us giving saturating views. At that point the only species we still needed was Rufous Vanga, and the excellent local guide showed us a nest. A pair of these beautiful and surprisingly large vangas appeared nearby and gave us good views. Immediately after that, we got great repeat looks and photos of a Coquerel's Coua. Having found all the forest birds we needed, we wandered back slowly, stopping to photograph Coquerel's Sifakas on the way. Other trail residents that were seen were Long-billed Greenbul, Madagascar Magpie Robin and Crested Drongo. We had lunch early and then rested until mid-afternoon as it was extremely hot. This afternoon started with us exploring the trails around the beautiful Lake Ravelobe. The crocodiles in the lake are protected by fady (Malagasy taboo) and have been known to attack unsuspecting villagers. The first main bird of the afternoon was a Madagascar Jacana that surprisingly responded remarkably well to call, flying from some distance away to alight on the lily-pads in front of us. Next was a majestic Madagascar Fish Eagle, perched alongside the lakeshore. We managed to get quite close to the Fish Eagle at which point we saw a second individual, a juvenile, which also gave us excellent views. With an estimated 50-100 breeding pairs remaining in the wild, this bird is on the edge of extinction as is classified as Endangered by BirdLife International. While it is exhilarating to see such a rare bird, it is equally sad to know it is disappearing so suddenly. Other waterbirds included Purple Heron, Common and Madagascar Squacco Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron. We continued the rather long walk round the lake, getting back just after dark. We indulged in a great nightwalk after dark that yielded a host of exciting nocturnal lemurs. The local and recently described (1998) Golden-brown Dwarf Lemur and Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur were spotted brilliantly by our local guide. Grey Mouse Lemur was also seen.
One of the neatest of all lemurs, the playful and co-operative Coquerel’s Sifakas are wonderful to watch at Ampijoroa
Day 19: 4 Oct: Ampijoroa – Majunga. As we'd seen all our target birds around Ampijoroa, the group split up for a few hours in the morning, according to what people wanted to see again or to photograph. The journey to Majunga was uneventful, but the nice hotel and great lunch was most welcome after the relatively rustic Ampi facilities. Then we hauled ourselves down to the beach for our boat trip up the Betsiboka River. This is seldom tried on commercial bird tours and there was an air of anticipation of what to expect. Lo and behold, on arrival Ian Sinclair (author of several Madagascar and Afrotropical fieldguides) and his client were standing on the jetty. Ian and Keith go back a while and we all agreed to share the two boats to head out and look for the birds. Fortunately the weather was in our favour and although we all found ourselves being drenched in the wake splash we were soon motoring our way to the mangroves. The tide was low and at that time the birds can be spread out. One of the boats located the Sacred Ibis and the other a great mudflat with well over 30 Bernier’s Teals present! This is another bird teetering on the edge, with maximum numbers in the very low thousands, perhaps in the hundreds. A highly threatened species, Bernier’s Teal has lost habitat everywhere and now hangs onto a tenuous existence mostly along the mangrove belt of Madagascar’s northwest coast. Nothing could have prepared us for the saturating and prolonged views we had of many birds wading on the estuary edge little more than 20 m away. The flats were very productive, with a pair of the desired (Madagascar) Sacred Ibis. Occasionally treated as a subspecies of the Sacred Ibis, this distinctly different bird with its pale eye, all white wings and highly specialised habits of mangroves and coastal estuaries, seems like a very good split. It is another rarity, with a global population estimated at c. 1000. We had several of them foraging to and fro. But there was more, both species of Flamingo, Greater and Lesser and African Spoonbill were seen as were more Crab Plovers, Greater and Lesser Sandplover and Saunder’s Tern and Madagascar Plover well north of its assumed normal range. With the birding done we returned to Mahajunga.
Over 30 Bernier’s Teal were foraging in the mud on the Betsiboka River
Day 20: 5 Oct: Mahajunga – Tana. With the birding done, we had most of the morning free. People lounged around and enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere and pool at Mahajunga. We had lunch at the hotel and left for the airport mid-afternoon. We arrived in Tana in the early evening, and went to the Tana Plaza for a farewell dinner where we toasted this, the most successful Tropical Birding Madagascar trip to date!
Species lists
Key
A = Antananarivo area, including Lac Alarobia.
T = Tulear and Le Table
I = Ifaty
S = St Augustin and Nosy Ve
Z = Zombitse Forest
Is = Isalo and drive over central plateau
R = Ranomafana
P = Perinet reserve and Mantadia
Am = Ampijoroa
B = Betsiboka River Delta
(h) = Heard only
(g) = Seen by other members of the group, but not by me.
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis - I
Madagascar Grebe Tachybaptus pelzelnii - Is, P
Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda - T
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus - T
Darter Anhinga melanogaster - Am
Gray Heron Ardea cinerea - T, B
Humblot's Heron Ardea humbloti - Sg, Am, B
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea - Is, Am
Great Egret Ardea alba - A, T, R, Am, B
Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca - A, T, Am
Little (Dimorphic) Egret Egretta garzetta dimorpha - A, T, Is, R, Am,
B
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides - A, T, Am
Madagascar Pond-Heron Ardeola idea - Is, Am
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis - A, T, Is, R, Am
Striated Heron Butorides striatus - T, Am, B
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax - T, R, Am
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus - T
Hamerkop Scopus umbretta – whilst driving (close to Perinet and Ampijoroa)
Bernier's (Madagascar White / Sacred) Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus -
B
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus - Am
Madagascar Crested Ibis Lophotibis cristata - P
African Spoonbill Platalea alba - B
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus - B
Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor - B
White-faced Whistling-Duck Dendrocygna viduata - A, T, Is, Am
Comb Duck, Sarkidiornis melanotos – Am (just one)
Bernier's Teal Anas bernieri - B
Red-billed Duck Anas erythrorhyncha - A, T, Is
Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota – A (a very small number amongst the Red-billed
Ducks)
Yellow-billed Kite Milvus migrans parasitus - A, T, Z, Is, R, Am, B
Madagascar Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides - Am
Madagascar Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides radiatus - T, Am
Frances's Goshawk Accipiter francesii – Am (also seen on one of the drives
by a couple of people)
Madagascar Sparrowhawk Accipiter madagascariensis - P
Henst's Goshawk, Accipiter henstii - R
Madagascar Buzzard Buteo brachypterus - T, Z, R, P, Am
Madagascar Kestrel, Falco newtoni - T, I, Z, Is, R, P
Banded Kestrel Falco zoniventris - I
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus – S(g), Z
Madagascar Partridge Margaroperdix madagascarensis - Is
Quail sp. (Harlequin or Common) - Is
Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris (introduced) – close to Ampijoroa
White-breasted Mesite Mesitornis variegata - Am
Brown Mesite, Mesitornis unicolor - R
Subdesert Mesite, Monias bensch - I
Madagascar Buttonquail Turnix nigricollis - T, I
Madagascar Flufftail Sarothrura insularis – R(h), P
Madagascar Wood-Rail Canirallus kioloides - R, P
Madagascar Rail Rallus madagascariensis - P
White-throated Rail Dryolimnas cuvieri – T(h), Is, P, Am
Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla - T
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus - P
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata - T
Madagascar Jacana Actophilornis albinucha – Am (just one)
Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis - T
Crab Plover Dromas ardeola - T, B
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus - T
Madagascar Pratincole Glareola ocularis – close to Ampijoroa
Black-bellied Plover Pluvialis squatarola - T, B
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula - T, B
Madagascar Plover Charadrius thoracicus - T, B
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius - A, T
Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris - T
White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus - T, B
Mongolian Plover Charadrius mongolus - B
Greater Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii - T, B
Madagascar Snipe Gallinago macrodactyla - R
Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica - B
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus - T, B
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia - T, B
Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus - T, B
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos - A, R, Am
Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres - T, B
Sanderling Calidris alba - T, B
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea - A, T, B
Gray-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus - A
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia - T
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis - T, B
Great Crested Tern Sterna bergii - T, B
Common Tern Sterna hirundo - T
Saunders's Tern Sterna saundersi - T, B
Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus - I
Madagascar Sandgrouse Pterocles personatus - T
Feral Pigeon Columba livia - A, T, Is, R
Madagascar Turtle-Dove Streptopelia picturata - T, Is, R, P, Am
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis - I, T, Is, Am
Madagascar Green-Pigeon Treron australis - I, T, Z
Madagascar Blue-Pigeon Alectroenas madagascariensis - R, P
Gray-headed Lovebird Agapornis canus - I, T, Am
Greater Vasa Parrot Coracopsis vasa - R, P, Am
Lesser Vasa (Black) Parrot Coracopsis nigra - I, Z, P, Am
Madagascar Lesser Cuckoo Cuculus rochi - I, T, Is(h), R, P(h),
Am(h)
Giant Coua Coua gigas - Z
Coquerel's Coua Coua coquereli - Z, Am
Red-breasted Coua Coua serriana - P
Red-fronted Coua Coua reynaudii - R
Red-capped Coua Coua ruficeps - Am
Running Coua Coua cursor - I, T(h)
Crested Coua Coua cristata - I, Z, Am
Verreaux's Coua Coua verreauxi - T
Blue Coua Coua caerulea - R, P
Madagascar Coucal Centropus toulou - I, T, Is, R(h), P, Am
Malagasy Scops-Owl Otus rutilus - P
Torotoroka Scops-Owl Otus madagascariensis - Is
White-browed Owl Ninox superciliaris - P
Madagascar Long-eared Owl Asio madagascariensis - P
Marsh Owl Asio capensis – A, Is
Madagascar Nightjar Caprimulgus madagascariensis - I, T, R(g), Am(h)
Collared Nightjar Caprimulgus enarratus - P
Malagasy Spinetail Zoonavena grandidieri - Z, P
African Palm-Swift Cypsiurus parvus - T, Z, Is, Am
Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba - Is
Madagascar Swift Apus balstoni - T, R
Malagasy Kingfisher Alcedo vintsioides - T, Is, R, P, Am
Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher Ispidina madagascariensis - P
Madagascar Bee-eater Merops superciliosus - T, Is, R, P, Am
Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus - Z, R, P, Am
Short-legged Ground-Roller Brachypteracias leptosomus - P
Scaly Ground-Roller Brachypteracias squamigera - P
Pitta-like Ground-Roller Atelornis pittoides - R, P
Rufous-headed Ground-Roller Atelornis crossleyi - R
Long-tailed Ground-Roller Uratelornis chimaera - I
Cuckoo Roller Leptosomus discolor - Z, R(h), P, Am(h)
Madagascar Hoopoe Upupa marginata - I, T, Z, Am
Velvet Asity Philepitta castanea - R
Schlegel's Asity, Philepitta schlegeli - Am
Common Sunbird Asity, Neodrepanis coruscans - R
Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity, Neodrepanis hypoxanthus - R
Madagascar Lark, Mirafra hova - T, Is, Am
Plain Martin, Riparia paludicola - R, P
Mascarene Martin, Phedina borbonica - A, T, R, P, Am
Madagascar Wagtail, Motacilla flaviventris - A, R, P, Am
Madagascar (Ashy) Cuckoo-shrike, Coracina cinerea - I, R, P, Am
Long-billed Greenbul, Phyllastrephus madagascariensis - Z, R
Spectacled Greenbul, Phyllastrephus zosterops - R, P
Appert's Greenbul, Phyllastrephus apperti - Z
Gray-crowned Greenbul, Phyllastrephus cinereiceps – R(g), P
Madagascar Bulbul, Hypsipetes madagascariensis - I, T, Z, Is, R, P, Am
Forest Rock-Thrush, Pseudocossyphus sharpei - R
Benson's Rock-Thrush, Pseudocossyphus bensoni - Is
Littoral Rock-Thrush, Pseudocossyphus imerinus - T
Madagascar Cisticola, Cisticola cherinus - I, T, Is, R
Brown Emu-tail, Dromaeocercus brunneus - R
Gray Emu-tail, Dromaeocercus seebohmi - R
Madagascar Brush-Warbler, Nesillas typica typica - R, P
Subdesert Brush-Warbler, Nesillas typica lantzii - T
Thamnornis, Thamnornis chloropetoides - I
Madagascar Swamp-Warbler, Acrocephalus newtoni - T, P
Rand's Warbler, Randia pseudozosterops - R, P
Dark Newtonia, Newtonia amphichroa - R
Common Newtonia, Newtonia brunneicauda - I, Z(h), R, P, Am
Archbold's Newtonia, Newtonia archboldi - I
Cryptic Warbler, Cryptosylvicola randriansoloi - R
Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Copsychus albospecularis - T, R, P, Am
African Stonechat, Saxicola torquata - Is, R, P, Am
Ward's Flycatcher, Pseudobias wardi – R(h+g), P
Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher, Terpsiphone mutata - T, Z, R, P, Am
Common Jery, Neomixis tenella - I, T, Z, P, Am
Green Jery, Neomixis viridis - R, P
Stripe-throated Jery, Neomixis striatigula - I, Z
Wedge-tailed Jery, Hartertula flavoviridis - R, P
White-throated Oxylabes, Oxylabes madagascariensis – R(g), P
Yellow-browed Oxylabes, Crossleyia xanthophrys - R
Crossley's Babbler, Mystacornis crossleyi – R(h+g), P
Souimanga Sunbird, Cinnyris sovimanga - I, T, Z, R, P, Am
Madagascar Sunbird, Cinnyris notatus - R, P
Madagascar White-eye, Zosterops maderaspatanus – A(g), Z, R, P, Am
Red-tailed Vanga, Calicalicus madagascariensis - R, P(h)
Red-shouldered Vanga, Calicalicus rufocarpalis - T
Rufous Vanga, Schetba rufa – Z(h), Am
Hook-billed Vanga, Vanga curvirostris - T, P, Am(h)
Lafresnaye's Vanga, Xenopirostris xenopirostris - I
Van Dam's Vanga, Xenopirostris damii - Am
Pollen's Vanga, Xenopirostris polleni - R
Sickle-billed Vanga, Falculea palliata - I, Am
White-headed Vanga, Artamella viridis - I, R(g), Am
Chabert Vanga, Leptopterus chabert - I, T, R, P, Am
Blue Vanga, Cyanolanius madagascarinus - R, Am
Tylas Vanga, Tylas eduardi - R, P
Nuthatch Vanga, Hypositta corallirostris - P
Crested Drongo, Dicrurus forficatus - I, T, Z, Is, R, P, Am
Pied Crow, Corvus albus - A, I, T, Z, Is, R, P, Am
Madagascar Starling, Saroglossa aurata - Rg, P
Common Myna, Acridotheres tristis (introduced) - A, T, Is, R, P, Am
Nelicourvi Weaver, Ploceus nelicourvi - R, P
Sakalava Weaver, Ploceus sakalava - T, Am
Red Fody, Foudia madagascariensis - I, T, R, P, Am
Forest Fody, Foudia omissa - R, P
Madagascar Munia, Lonchura nana - I, Is, Am
Mammals
Eastern Red Forest Rat, Nesomys rufus - R
Fanaloka (Striped Civet), Fossa fossana - R
Ring-tailed Mongoose, Galidia elegans - R
Brown Mouse Lemur, Microcebus rufus - R, P
Red-tailed Sportive Lemur, Lepilemur ruficaudatus - Z (all we saw was
some of its fur sticking out of a roost hole)
Eastern Gray Bamboo Lemur, Hapalemur griseus griseus - R, P
Greater Bamboo Lemur Hapalemur simus
Golden Bamboo Lemur Hapalemur aureus
Ring-tailed Lemur, Lemur catta - T
Common Brown Lemur, Eulemur fulvus - P
Red-bellied Lemur, Eulemur rubriventer - R
Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur, Varecia variegata variagata - P
Eastern Woolly Lemur (Avahi), Avahi laniger - P
Diademed Sifaka, Propithecus diadema edwardsi - R
Milne-Edwards Diademed Sifaka, Propithecus diadema diadema - P
Coquerel's Sifaka, Propithecus verreauxi coquereli - Am
Indri, Indri Indri – P
Reptiles
Nile Crocodile, Crocodylus niloticus - Am
Short-horned Chameleon, Calumma brevicornis - P
Nose-horned Chameleon, Calumma nasuta - P
Band-bellied Chameleon, Calumma gastrotaenia - P
Oustalet's Chameleon, Furcifer oustaleti - Z
Three-eyed Lizard, Chalarodon madagascariensis - T, I
Cuvier's Iguanid, Oplurus cuvieri - Am
Sikora (Mossy) Leaf-tailed Gecko, Uroplatus sikorae - P
Madagascar Day Gecko, Phelsuma madagascariensis - T
Phelsuma standingi - T, Z
Phelsuma mutabilis - I
Gravenhorst's Skink, Mabuya gravenhorstii - I
Madagascar Tree Boa, Sanzinia madagascariensis - P
Giant Hog-nosed Snake, Leioheterodon madagascariensis - Am
Mahafaly Sand Snake, Mimophis mahfalensis - I
Amphibians
Painted Mantella, Mantella madagascariensis - P
Others
Giraffe-necked Weevil - P
Large red and black millipede - R, P