2010 Tour Narrative
As usual this was an exceptional tour, providing group members with most of the regional endemics: 22 species of lemurs, a whole host of reptiles, amphibians and butterflies and some extremely good food. By the end of the tour the group had worked very hard to find all three mesites, three endemic rails, five endemic nocturnals, all 10 couas, all five ground-rollers, three asitys and 18 members of the extraordinary endemic family the Vangidae, including the incomparable Helmet Vanga with its strangely swollen, glowing, electric-blue bill. The Nuthatch Vanga had the last laugh however, and was only heard in spite of intensive searching. Never before considered a problematic species, it hid well on this tour – but then, “that’s birding!”
Climatic changes are very evident in Madagascar as elsewhere. At Ranomafana it had been three weeks since the last rain. Things were very dry and birds very quiet and unresponsive, if calling at all. Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity was decidedly absent, having none of its favorite epiphytic plants in flower. Brown Emutail was more surprising, only calling twice, then never heard again. In addition to the 22 lemurs we had four other endemic land mammals and three whales, and identified 32 reptiles including an impressive 11 chameleon species. Although some frogs are still to be identified, we saw over twenty species. Maybe though, it was the delicious cuisine, stunning scenery, and knowledgeable and personable guides scattered throughout that made this tour yet again a resounding success.
We gathered for breakfast on our first full day before catching our early morning flight to Mahajanga. In Mahajanga we were met and shuttled to Ankarafantsika, where we were soon in the forest admiring many of the country’s endemics. In the car park vangas of five species were foraging in the trees, including the bizarre Sickle-billed. They were accompanied by comical Crested Drongos and delightful groups of Grey-headed Lovebirds. With the expertise of our local guides, the specialties of the area fell one by one: Coquerel’s and Red-capped Couas, Rufous Vanga plus a whole host of widespread endemics. Often-difficult Van Damn’s Vangas were curious about us and came closer and closer. White-breasted Mesites just posed on a branch at very close quarters and sylph-like Madagascar Paradise-Flycatchers danced around us. The group’s encounter with lemurs was also an “ooh” and “aah” experience, with bouncy Coquerel’s Sifakas, endearing Yoda-like Milne-Edward’s Sportive Lemurs and sleepy Western Avahis. Reptiles and butterflies were equally eye-catching with watchful Crocodiles, indifferent Madagascan Green Day-Geckoes, somewhat brazen Collared Iguanids and the enormous Madagascar Giant Swallowtail, a relative of the New Guinea Birdwings.
Picnics during our stay were casual affairs of freshly prepared spring-roll pastries with shallot handles. The lobsters went down well, especially with the béarnaise, and no one complained about the spit-roasted King Prawns, nor all of the accompaniments, the fresh fruit and the welcome coffee with ranono-sirimamy for that extra taste! The chocolates that went with the coffee were just too much after tucking into freshly made honey crepes. Later, a nocturnal sojourn rewarded us with the Golden Mouse Lemurs endemic to Ampijoroa and then only around Lake Ravelobe. We also found several sleeping Oustalet’s Chameleons, the world’s largest species. Our cottages, beautiful both in appointment and location overlooking the lake, ensured a comfortable and well-earned sleep.
Our sojourn on the lake provided us with incredible views of Madagascar Fish-Eagles, immense Humblot’s Herons, Madagascar Jacana and a wide variety of waterside birds including several extravert Allen’s Gallinules. At this time of year the weather in Ankarafantsika was pleasant, not becoming anything resembling hot until after 11 o’clock, and there were no biting insects of any description, so very different to what can be expected from mid-October onwards when temperatures start to soar, and biting insects start to bore! We returned to Mahajanga, had an appetizing evening meal and settled back into the comfort of our rooms.
The next morning was a boat trip on the Betsiboky River, where we found two of the country’s rarest species, Bernier’s Teal in little groups in the mangroves, and the dapper Bernier’s Ibis feeding on the oozy mud. It was a beautiful day with pleasant temperature and calm water, and the interesting assemblage of birds included Greater Flamingos, many Whimbrel and parties of comical Terek Sandpipers. The dark-phase Dimorphic Egrets were a startling shade of blue as they flew ahead of the boat before landing back in the mangroves. In the evening we caught the flight back to Tana and returned to our hotel.
Due to Air Madagascar’s air schedules, we were obliged to visit Perinet early on this tour, whereas it is normally left to the end. As a result it was perhaps a bit early for the spring explosion of bird song. On arrival we were met by our extremely thorough and capable guide and, after completing the formalities, we set off for a pair of roosting Rainforest Scops Owls, which were at home, and a pair of Collared Nightjars that weren’t. Our first exposure to Indri was dramatic, and after this taster of what was to come, we set off for our lodge and lunch.
Over the next few days our local guide led us to most of the special species of the area. Short-legged Ground-Roller taunted us from high up on a slope but was finally and expertly tracked down, and we found Scaly Ground-Rollers that must have been amused by the dance that they led us. Henst’s Goshawk appeared whilst the group were having their picnic, silky Velvet Asitys just glowed in the shady parts of the sunlit forest, and the numerous other forest denizens fell, albeit slowly, one by one. Apart from the Indris we had beautiful Diademed Sifakas, striking Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs and appealing Eastern Woolly Lemur. Our guide was very skilled when it came to calling in Madagascar Long-eared Owls, and we had superb views on one evening. In addition to birds, we had the usual commoner chameleons and much other herp fauna.
After Perinet we visited Tsaratsaotra Reserve, near the centre of Antananarivo. The group was able to appreciate the herons of seven species involved in raising their young. The recently arrived Madagascar Squacco (Pond) Herons were in full breeding dress, earlier resident birds such as Great Egrets and Black-crowned Night-Herons had as usual commenced in late winter, and most of their broods were already on the wing. Common Squaccos were behaving like Birds of Paradise, waving their exaggerated plumes in the faces of their intended, the Dimorphic Egrets were in all stages from nest-building to feeding nearly independent young, and noisy clusters of Cattle Egrets incubated their eggs in the stands of bamboo. Scattered pairs of Black Egrets were nest building amongst the other heron species. There were large numbers of ducks present as well, mostly White-faced Whistling Ducks and Red-billed Teals, but also a good number of Knob-billed Ducks. In the afternoon we caught the flight to Fort Dauphin, where we were met and transferred to our hotel then had a look at the nearby cliffs. Here we scanned the restless seas finding Kelp Gulls, Humpback, Southern Right and Fin Whales.
After breakfast we met up with Philbert and bumped and bounced our way to Berenty. Our one day at this lemur sanctuary successfully netted a trio of Madagascar Sandgrouse. White-browed Owls were at their daytime roosts and noisy in the evening, as was the Torotoroke Scops Owl. White-footed Sportive Lemurs were equally obliging and a visit to the Madagascar Flying Fox colony was something special. We were also exposed to the Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux’s Sifakas, and quite a number of Giant Couas fed unconcernedly along the tracks. We returned to Fort Dauphin the next day, seeing the various Alluaudia species on the way from the bus. From here we flew to Tana and continued south to Tulear.
An early breakfast, off to the wharf, then transferred to our boat by zebu cart, and we were off on our boat trip southwards. On our arrival at Anakao we had refreshments, and then it was not long before we had located our first male Littoral Rock Thrush on top of a spiky euphorbia. A few Sub-desert Brush Warblers were clicking away whilst hopping over the sand. We then boarded the boat again for our short hop across to Nosy Ve. This most exquisite island paradise was all the more welcoming with a nice party of Crab Plovers. The numerous Red-tailed Tropicbirds greeted us with their strident calls, whilst offspring of various ages waited quietly under the bushes for a parent to come and feed them. Dapper White-fronted Plovers skittered amongst the tide wrack with their precocial chicks only days old, and well-travelled Turnstones chased the lazy lapping wavelets. Our boat crew were experts at locating the smallest of channels to guide us into deeper water for our return to Anakao – and the most delicious of lunches in a sumptuous, if not decadent, setting. In the afternoon we returned to Tulear and back to the comfort of our rooms.
After traveling to Ifaty, our next outing would be a morning visit to the spiny forest, and soon we had successfully located all of the local specialties. The bizarre Didierea, two baobab species (Adansonia fony and A. za – although in some publications this is stated to be a giant restricted to the Mandrare River valley), giant Pachypodium geayi and strange Euphorbias were so fascinating. But our main targets were Running and Green-capped Coua, Archbold’s Newtonia, Thamnornis Warbler, Long-tailed Ground-Roller and Sub-desert Mesite. By 8:30 a.m. it was all over and we had had wonderful views of all of these species, plus White-headed, La Fresnaye’s, Sickle-billed, Red-tailed, Chabert’s and Hook-billed Vangas. Then we retired to the lodge for a well-earned late breakfast and a morning of doing absolutely nothing, which went down very well. In the afternoon we backtracked toward Tulear to search for rallids in a swamp. A successful swamp drive with the help of some local children also provided us with a Little Bittern of the endemic race, a Greater Painted-snipe and about five Baillon’s Crakes, one of which sought shelter under a fallen branch. A little further on, we found Red-knobbed Coot and a nice group of Hottentot Teal. The next morning we would to look again for Verreaux’s Coua and Red-shouldered Vanga – early risers and equally early retirees.
After an early breakfast and all of our luggage packed, we set off for La Table to search in the grey dry scrub on the coral rag. The vangas (possibly one of the world’s least-numerous species, with a maximum of six known) led us a merry chase all through the occasionally unfriendly vegetation. We had incredible success on both counts. The pair of vangas had an immature in tow, which was good news for the species, and the Coua was more concerned in sun basking than us. From here we started the first leg of the epic drive back to Tana. Our first stop, Zombitse, was quite quiet when we arrived, but on a winding route through the forest we saw much of interest. One Oustalet’s Chameleon was in excess of 60 centimeters, a real monster, a rare Standing’s Day-Gecko was discovered resting on a tree trunk, Three-eyed Iguanids with their pineal eye were scurrying about at the edge of the forest and quaint Red-necked and Madagascar Skinks were basking near the picnic area. We were shown many orchids and interesting plants, and of course the endemic and quite endearing Appert’s Greenbul, whose world distribution is restricted to that very place. Both Giant and Coquerel’s Couas obliged us and Cuckoo-Rollers put on a very fine and loud display. There were a few butterflies along the tracks, and the most delightful Red-tailed Sportive Lemurs peered at us from outside of their daytime retreats. From here we continued on to the luxury of our lodge in Isalo National Park. Before reaching Isalo, we were most fortunate to find a male Madagascar Harrier hunting over some rice paddies, a very “iffy” bird nowadays.
In the dawn light, the Benson’s Rock Thrushes were their obliging selves, and we found a covey of Madagascar Partridge and another at the local dam, plus other niceties such as Madagascar Hoopoes and Grey-headed Lovebirds. The vegetation was not ignored, and three species of Vinca, Pachypodium and some very strange-looking unidentified plants completed our all-too-short stay. A post-birding breakfast was much enjoyed following the successful morning walk, and then we set off for our drive toward Ranomafana. Our hotel on the edge of the national park was very comfortable with cooperative staff, and they were punctual with the early breakfasts that we had become accustomed to.
Our expert local guides again led us to all of the local specialties, although not all of the species wanted to reveal themselves very willingly. The mainly one-and-only chance birds, namely Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, Forest Rock Thrush, Cryptic Warbler and Pollen’s Vanga, did give a fight but we were successful one by one. A visit to a popular night spot provided ample opportunity for photographing endemic chameleons, frogs and a good number of the cutest imaginable Brown Mouse Lemurs, which leapt from branch to branch licking squashed banana from the stems. On one day we had a picnic at Vohiparara and, during a patient wait by an epiphytic flowering shrub, a male Common Sunbird Asity arrived in gleaming splendour amidst much excitement. The cool spring mornings certainly affected many of the passerines, and the forest edge was quite silent, but the interior was where we found many good species with a mixture of persistence and stubbornness. We visited the new Meller’s Duck reserve, where we were successful with a pair of this very rare species and where we also had quaint Grey Emu-tails. Male Velvet Asitys were vying for attention whilst we studied several Wedge-tailed Jerys that were busily feeding in dead leaf tangles. At a nearby swamp we flushed a Marsh Owl, which just sat at close quarters and posed for us. Amongst the sedges we found the endemic Sundew. Our time here was were very full, and after the final hour at Vohiparara we began our trek back to Tana.
The last part of our tour was to the far northeast, and in the morning we caught our flight to Maroantsetra, and after lunch transferred to adjacent Nosy Mangabe for the night. Before we had lunch we watched the bizarre Lowland Streaked Tenrec and several incomparable Tomato Frogs that the gardener had located for us. We were so fortunate to have a smooth crossing, and soon we pulled into Nosy Mangabe. After dinner we had a walk and found one of the world’s smallest reptiles, a terrestrial leaf-litter chameleon named after the herpetologist Peyriras. We were unlucky with the Aye-Aye in the evening, but our walk produced a number of frogs, a half-dozen of the incredible Large Leaf-tailed Geckos, two species of snakes and a number of mouse lemurs.
After an early breakfast we completed our journey to Cap Masoala, arriving at Tampolo whilst it was still early. As we completed the formalities, a Madagascar Pratincole landed on the beach. Shortly we were trekking through the forest and seeing Red-breasted Coua, our last of the 10 species. We found the incomparable Helmet Vanga not far from the lodge, and on one afternoon we had an extraordinarily lengthy close experience with a very curious Scaly Ground-Roller. We had seen all five ground-rollers at this point, but we had not seen the stunning Scaly as well as this.
After two days in this very beautiful area we returned to Maroantsetra for a final night, and the next morning we departed very early, catching the flight back to Antananarivo. Stopping off at Tamatave we found our last new bird for the trip, a specialty only of Tamatave – House Sparrow.
Finally it was time for the group to say farewell to the great Red Island. But the red soil of Madagascar is indelible – once in the system, nothing will remove it! In the evening the group departed for the airport for their international flights. From the hotel it was just 10 minutes to the airport, farewells, formalities and time to reflect on what the participants had experienced during their stay in the “Magical Isle.” This most successful tour would not be possible if not for the professional guides who assist us, all the staff in the lodges that prepare our breakfasts in the wee hours, the incomparable picnics provided by the Hery family in Mahajanga, Transcontinents’ logistical support, and the open friendliness of the Malgasche people. Thanks also go to our safe and considerate driver, who shuttled the group safely through half the length of the island. And of course gratitude is due to the participants themselves, whose wonderful group dynamics were a compliment to a very merry holiday, with birds, buffets and barrels of laughter!
Brian Finch
Updated: March 2011