Madagascar

Day 1: The trip begins this evening in Antananarivo (Tana). Night in Tana.

The Madagascar tour was just fantastic. Brian and Bruno were as good as tour leaders get…; just wonderful. The itinerary was well-planned, our local guides were superb, and WINGS office assistance was excellent. I have no recommendation on how to improve this great tour. - Kent V.

Days 2-3: We’ll depart early on Day 2 for the airport (conveniently close to our hotel) and a flight to Mahajanga. On arrival we’ll transfer to Ankarafantsika Reserve, one of the last stands of western deciduous forest. Many bird species here are among the last of their kind. The bizarre endemic family of mesites, of unknown taxonomic affinity, is represented by White-breasted Mesite. Another endemic family, the remarkably variable vangas, is represented by White-headed, Blue, Chabert’s, Rufous, Hook-billed, Van Dam’s, and the extraordinary Sickle-billed. One of the rarest, Van Dam’s, may be found ripping into rotten wood with its heavy hooked bill. A third endemic family, the asitys, is present in the form of Schlegel’s Asity, but they are very scarce and difficult to locate. We’ll also be looking for the bizarre Madagascar Ibis, Madagascar Fish-Eagle, Madagascar Buzzard, Frances’s Sparrowhawk, and Coquerel’s, Red-capped, and Crested Couas. A large dam nearby could produce Humblot’s Heron and Madagascar Jacana. In addition to birds, Madagascar is also renowned for its unique reptile and mammal fauna. We should be able to locate some fantastic chameleons, including Oustalet’s, the world’s largest, which can be up to a meter long. There are a number of lemur species, and with persistence we should see Brown, Western Woolly, Milne-Edwards Sportive and the diminutive Gray Mouse Lemurs, but it would take much greater fortune to see the nocturnal Mongoose and regionally endemic Golden Mouse Lemurs. The agile Coquerel’s Siffakas are frequently in the camping area. Nights near Ankarafantsika.

Day 4: After a final morning in the Ankarafantsika Reserve, we’ll return to Mahajanga in the afternoon. Night in Mahajanga.

Day 5: This morning after an early breakfast, we will take a boat out onto the Betsiboky Estuary. Here we hope to see terns and a variety of waders, hopefully including the incredible Crab-Plover on the recently exposed mudflats. Following the river upstream, we’ll look for other waterbirds like the very rare Bernier’s Teal and the entirely white-winged and white-eyed Malagasy Sacred Ibis. We’ll have a picnic lunch at Katsepy, with a chance to see Humblot’s Heron, African Spoonbill and Yellow-billed Stork if we have not already encountered them by this point. In the afternoon we’ll return to Tana and overnight there. Night in Tana. 

Days 6-8: We’ll set off early on Day 6 for the long journey toward the large university city of Fianarantsoa. Shortly before the city we’ll turn eastward to the magnificent Ranomafana National Park, arriving in the evening. Ranomafana National Park will provide our first look at the eastern rainforest, the richest region in Madagascar for all forms of wildlife. We will have nearly three full days here, which will allow us to sample most of the area’s specialties. The Golden Bamboo Lemur was discovered here in 1986, and almost simultaneously the Greater Bamboo Lemur, once thought extinct, was rediscovered. These events led to the park’s creation. Birds have profited from these discoveries, and we’ll be alert for the huge Henst’s Goshawk, the timid Brown Mesite, Madagascar Wood-Rail, the stunning Blue Coua, the secretive Yellow-browed Oxylabes, and mixed flocks containing Spectacled and Gray-crowned Tetraka, spectacular Pitta-like Ground-Roller, Green Jery, and (following recent taxonomic changes) Rand’s Warbler. The more highland forest areas produce a different group of birds including Rufous-headed Ground-Roller, Brown Emutail, and the very elusive but stunning and sometimes very confiding Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity. In the nearby river and swamps we could find the greatly endangered Meller’s Duck, plus Madagascar Pratincole, Madagascar Snipe, and (with luck) Madagascar Partridge. Gray Emutails hide in the rank marshy grasses of the swamps. In these highland areas the secretive Milne-Edward’s Siffaka may be found. We will also have a night walk for the curious and varied frog fauna, and usually find a number of sleeping chameleons and quaint Rufous Mouse Lemurs. Butterflies can be spectacular if there has been good rainfall. Nights at Ranomafana.

Day 9: After another nearly full day in Ranomafana we’ll depart and drive for our overnight stay in the city of Fianarantsoa, from where we’ll get an early start the following morning to the Anja Community Reserve. Night in Fianarantsoa.

Day 10: Shortly after breakfast we’ll depart Fianarantsoa and drive to the Anja Community Reserve. Some enterprising locals, seeing that Ring-tailed Lemurs were fast disappearing from the region, set aside their rocky hill as a reserve, which now hosts several large family groups. This reserve brings these entrepreneurs a reasonable income and encourages them to protect the area. We’ll also keep an eye out for Madagascar Buttonquail.

Afterwards we’ll head for the Jaccaranda Restaurant, a small pleasant establishment run by the community. If the shop is open, we’ll be able to purchase special papier antaimora, paper with pressed flowers. We’ll pass through some stunning scenery with vast monolithic granite formations before crossing the flat Plateau l’Horombe. Here we’ll keep a watchful eye out for the rapidly declining Malagasy Harrier, and we’ll eventually arrive at Isalo National Park. Night at Jardin du Roy.

Day 11: Often the local endemic ‘Benson’s’ Rock Thrush is the first bird to greet us after our early wake up, as it has found the roof of the lodge to its liking. The dawn might also reveal Greater Vasa Parrot, Madagascar Lark, or Madagascar Cisticola. There is a nearby seasonal pond, which in the past has provided birds such as Madagascar Grebe, Malagasy Pond Heron, Baillon’s Crake, and Madagascar Sandgrouse. Some years, however, it may be dry. Later, we have the entire day to explore Isalo National Park, including a visit to the beautiful “La Piscine Naturel,” where Ring-tailed Lemurs and Verreaux’s Siffakas can be found. Night at Jardin du Roy.

Day 12: After an early breakfast we’ll continue our journey to Zombitse Forest, where we’ll stop to look for Giant Coua and the endemic Appert’s Tetraka, found only here! Other birds may include Cuckoo-Roller and White-browed Owl. The largest of all the diurnal green geckoes, the spectacular Standing’s, is found here. Sleepy Verreaux’s Siffakas might look curiously down on us and Zombitse Dwarf Lemurs, endemic to this forest, may peer at us from their tree cavities. After our picnic lunch we’ll set off for Tulear, continuing another 20km to Ifaty, arriving at our lodgings in the early evening. Dinner may be interrupted by noisy Madagascar Nightjars. Night in Ifaty.

Day 13: In the morning we’ll have our first look at the bizarre spiny forest for which the region is renowned. Among the stunted baobabs, sinister-looking didiereas, and assortment of sclerophyllous plants we’ll look for such birds as Subdesert Mesite, Running Coua, Thamnornis, Archbold’s Newtonia, Subdesert Brush-Warbler, and Lafresnaye’s Vanga. With a little luck, a search might yield the difficult-to-find Long-tailed Ground-Roller. Two butterflies attract attention here, firstly the giant swallowtail Pharmacophagus, a close relative of the New Guinea Birdwings, and the stunning Morpho Pansy, as bright a blue as there is. After lunch we’ll search extensive swamps that harbor widespread though secretive species such as Little Bittern, Baillon’s Crake, and Greater Painted-snipe. There are frequent outbursts from other rails plus a variety of herons, ducks, and waders. Along the muddy bays, if the tide is low, we should see migrant waders: Greater Sand-Plovers trotting across the mudflats with Curlew Sandpipers, and maybe flamingoes. Near the salt fields there is often a pair of the increasingly rare Madagascar Plover. The sand dunes are surprisingly rich in reptiles, and the curious Three-eyed Lizard (with a primitive pineal eye on top of its head) will scatter before us. Night in Tulear.

Day 14: Depending on what we have not yet seen, we will have some early birding and lunch in the Tulear area before catching our flight back to Tana. In the afternoon we will visit the Tsimbazaza Museum, Zoological Gardens and Arboretum, where we will hopefully get to see the only complete Elephant Bird skeleton in existence. At some point there will be opportunity to purchase some souvenirs from an Art Centre. Night in Tana.

Days 15-17: On the morning of Day 15 we’ll visit Tsarasaotra Reserve where a lake protected by the resident Malagasche family holds a breeding colony of several species of heron. Among the more widespread Great and Cattle Egrets are numerous Dimorphic and Black Egrets, and with the abundant Squacco Herons are a few pairs of Malagasy Pond Herons. Along with the many White-faced Whistling-Ducks and Red-billed Ducks we might find a few Fulvous Whistling-Ducks, Knob-billed Ducks, Meller’s Ducks and the diminutive Blue-billed Teal. Other endemic birds found here include Malagasy Kestrel, Malagasy Coucal, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, Malagasy Brush-Warbler, Red Fody, and Madagascar Munia. Afterward, we’ll leave for Perinet, perhaps the best known of Madagascar’s reserves, as it is home to the largest of all the lemurs, the tail-less Indri. Our accommodation will be adjacent to the neighboring Mantadia National Park, where many species not found in Perinet/Analamazaotra can be seen with relative ease. The understory provides cover for all four species of rainforest ground-roller including Scaly and Short-legged. The extremely wary Red-breasted Coua is on the edge of its range here and lives in the shade of the luxuriant growth with Red-fronted Coua. Mixed flocks of vangas and flycatchers often contain the extraordinary Nuthatch-Vanga as well as Ward’s (Flycatcher) Vanga and Nelicourvi Weaver. Both Velvet and Common Sunbird-Asitys are not uncommon, but the latter is often difficult to see well in the forest, and other birds here include Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Flufftail, and Madagascar Spinetail. In the nearby Analamazaotra Reserve, in addition to appreciating Indris, we’ll look for roosting Collared Nightjar (whose song is still unknown), Madagascar Owl, Madagascar Ibis, Wedge-tailed Jery, and Forest Fody. We will not forget the lemurs, with luck adding Greater Dwarf Lemur, Common Bamboo Lemur, Eastern Avahi, and possibly even Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur to our list. On night walks we should encounter a good variety of frogs and some more spectacular chameleons such as Parson’s and Short-nosed. Nights in Mantadia.

Day 18: After a final morning birding in these rich forests we’ll have our last delicious lunch and bid farewell to Perinet. We’ll drive back to Tana in the afternoon, stopping along the way if opportunities present themselves. Night in Tana.

Day 19: The tour concludes this morning in Tana.

2024 Narrative

All of the participants for this successful tour had arrived the previous one or two days and were well acclimatised by the time we had our first meeting in the lounge of the Relais des Plateaux, which was going to be our home every time we arrived back in Antananarivo. Brian Finch had arrived five days earlier and had held meetings with the resident and very accomplished Bruno Raveloson, who was also meeting with the guests for the first time. 

Each year the conditions of the roads, and utilities grows less comfortable, and having learnt about the condition of the roads all participants were presented with a neck pillow at the meeting. This was a good move, as with the care provided by all of our drivers and the excellent condition of all the vehicles, we did not need it. However, the road journeys were long with the local trip for the 410 kilometres from Antananarivo (Tana) to Fianarantsoa which used to take 8 hours, was to take us 14! This was the worst that we experienced and this was the national highway longitudinally bisecting the island. All other roads we travelled were in poor to bad condition with the exception of the 30kms from Toliara to Ifaty which was super recently finished highway. The dirt road to Mantadia was in an appalling condition and from here on we will not discuss any more roads!

Because most of our hotels had backup generators and water tanks, we were not affected with the rationing of both at the facilities where we stayed. Tana was suffering badly with electricity rationed to one-hour or less on, alternating with an hour off, all day every day. Water was rationed to an hour a day, but more often days with none. But nowhere did the group experience this disastrous situation.

After a briefing explaining the “lie of the land” and how the tour will unfold, we had our first of many meals together and retired for an early start in the morning. When in Tana it is always important to allow time for traffic congestion, which can cost hours at the wrong time of the day.

After breakfast, we departed for Tsaratsaotra private reserve closer to the city. This pair of lakes and woodland has the full protection of the property owners, and they welcome visitors by pre-arrangement. We were expected and passed through the entrance gate, and instantly greeted with wall-to-wall ducks and herons in their thousands. Highlights were eight Meller’s Duck (our only observations), the only Fulvous Whistling and Knob-billed Ducks for the tour and a truly extravert White-throated Rail (all others on the tour were only heard). We also picked up a few passerines, which included our first meeting of endemics such as Madagascar (abbreviated to Mad.), Swamp Warbler, Brush Warbler, Wagtail, White-eye, Bulbul and Fody, as well as non-passerine Coucal, Black Swift and Kingfisher, Souimanga Sunbird, and the non-endemic Mascarene Martin also found on neighbouring islands with small numbers wintering in East Africa. After a good introduction to Madagascan birds, we visited the Tsimbazaza Museum seeing the only complete Elephant Bird skeleton, plus a wide selection of rather old bird specimens on display and followed this with a lunch on the opposite side of the road.

In the afternoon we returned to our hotel, collected our luggage we were taking to Mahajanga and left the remainder in storage. We were then driven to the airport where we boarded the flight northwards arriving in the late afternoon. Our driver for the next few days was there to meet us and we transferred to the Baobab Hotel for overnight, and after an excellent meal sat down to our first bird-list and learned of the plans for the next day which was going to include a boat trip on the Betsiboky Estuary. We had an early breakfast overlooking the beach, and whilst House Sparrow was the most numerous species, Brian found a distant group of three House Crows, a species he had never seen in Madagascar nor was he aware that this awful nest predator had finally made landfall on the island-continent. Fortunately, the birds continued in our direction and flew right past us. On enquiring from Bruno as to the status of this species, he advised that he had seen them in Mahajanga on a previous occasion.  

We departed for the wharf where our two boats awaited us. After completing formalities there were three House Crows pursuing each other at this site, hopefully the same birds as we had seen earlier, as we don’t want them to be successful in establishing themselves in Madagascar [in a short time they could easily evolve into a thousand birds and decimate the indigenous birds!] Our target birds in this tidal estuary were the very uncommon Madagascar Sacred Ibis and Bernier’s Teal (whose closest relative is the Grey Teal of Australasia). We were very fortunate with both, but also luck was with us for a compact flock of thirty-two Crab-Plovers and over 200 Lesser Flamingos! There were scattered Curlew Sandpipers and Terek Sandpipers as well as solitary Greenshanks and Whimbrel. 

Shortly before we ended our exploration of the area encouraged by a fast-falling tide, the two boats were separated by several hundred metres, the forward boat was close to a mud island but we could not communicate. Brian located a couple of very distant White-winged Black Terns which again was a species not personally seen in Madagascar before! They were flying around the front boat who were obviously seeing them well and we both headed off back to the wharf. On return the front boat was asked if they had managed good images of the terns, as it was certainly a record that was going to warrant proof in an image and the back boat had been too far off although did have a couple of conclusive if not distant images. The front boat hadn’t seen the White-winged Black Terns but did get superb images of terns identified as something else…which later turned out to be incredible in your face White-winged Black Terns! The images were sent into eBird by those keeping eBird lists live. Whilst a very common visitor to major lakes on the African mainland, the previous records of the species in Madagascar was of three birds on Lake Alaotra in 1929, and singles in tern flocks reported in 1998, both here and Toliara… and that appears to be it!

After lunch back at the Baobab we set off for Ankarafantsika with a decidedly birdless journey in between. The Torotorofotsy rice fields that always used to harbour Glossy Ibis in flocks, and well scattered Humblot’s Herons failed to produce both and with no sightings for either species at any other of their previous haunts the entire trip. Arriving at Ankarafantsika we had taken over all of the newly refurbished bungalows on site, and met up before heading off to dinner for our first night walk. It was very successful with a roosting huddled cluster of Common Jerys and a roosting Mad Dwarf Kingfisher, which had expanded itself into a very unkingfisher-like powder-puff with the tip of its bill just protruding. We were successful with the Golden-brown Mouse Lemur (found no-where else in the world), and a Tree Boa on the ground, which seemed rather indifferent to our presence. The supper was excellent, and we retired to our comfortable rooms. Ample electrical outlets and power all night plus a good fan made things all that much more comfortable. 

After an early breakfast the next morning we set off for the Botanical Gardens section next to the Lake. We had several targets but the prime one was Schlegel’s Asity. About an hour after setting off our incredible guides had located a male that was already in as good as full summer plumage and the facial wattles shone back a peculiar mixture of cobalt, mauve, lilac and pink, depending on your own personal angle to the bird, and this male showed itself off as if enjoying being the spectacle. We also had a female close by. Additionally on this sortie we had many other new birds such as Mad. Green Pigeon, Mad. Hoopoes, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Cuckoo-Roller, Brown Newtonia, Mad. Cuckoo-shrike, Mad. Crested Drongo and Mad. Green Sunbird.

We returned to the restaurant area, ordered lunch and then set off on the sandy climb up to the plateau forest. Coquerel’s Sifakas were in the car park and joined by a group of improbable Sickle-billed Vangas, whilst a neighbouring tree held much smaller Chabert’s Vangas. Our trip up to the plateau reserve rewarded us with Mad. Buzzard, France’s Sparrowhawk, Mad. Turtle-Dove, Coquerel’s Red-capped and Crested Couas, a roosting low Torotoroke Scops-Owl, a resting Mad. Nightjar, Rufous Vanga, many Mad. Paradise-Flycatchers including white-phased birds, Long-billed Tetraka and friendly Mad. Magpie-Robins. We were finding reptiles that were warming themselves up as Spring crept closer, amongst these were Large Day Gecko, Collared Iguanid, Common Plated Lizard, Oustalet’s Chameleon, and three Mahafaly Zig-zag Snakes. New mammals were Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur, Milne-Edward’s Sportive Lemur and Common Brown Lemur. After a very pleasant lunch we had a short break before the first boat set off for its exploration along the waterside, followed an hour later by the second half. There were many Mad. Kingfishers and many colourful Mad. Bee-eaters along the reedy edge, amongst the many herons were four most attractive Purple Herons, a pair of Mad. Fish-Eagles posed for photos, but the “cute” prize went to a male Mad. Jacana with three chicks tripping over behind him that were so small they might have just hatched!  

Our last morning was a search for the species that have been eluding us so far, and after an early breakfast we climbed up onto the plateau again, we were fortunate with a family of White-breasted Mesites which gave prolonged views, and likewise with a couple of Mad. Buttonquails, we picked up a posing group of very active Grey-headed Lovebirds, and our first sighting of Hook-billed Vanga…but there was one species that was eluding us and not even calling – and once we left here there was no other chance of finding the bird. This was Van Damn’s Vanga of which there are very few remaining of this highly threatened endemic. We searched the forest but neither sight nor sound, so the guides said to wait in the shade whilst they tried another area and would call us if successful….and this they were, as after an hour the message came through that they had located a pair and the birds remained in the area for everyone to catch up with them and obtain superlative views as they fed unconcernedly just above our heads. So it was off for lunch!

It was another uneventful section of road that took us back to Mahajanga, and prior to catching our evening flight back to Antananarivo we had dinner in a pleasant hotel along the waterfront. Upon arrival, our bus was there to meet us at the airport and we were soon back at the Relais des Plateaux and reunited with our stored baggage. After a good but short night’s sleep, we were all ready for our pre-set breakfast before we met at the bus at 5:30am for the start of a long journey that had suddenly become a lot longer! Along the way we purchased voluminous snacks for the journey, and several of us tried on our neck pillows. However, the driver was so careful and considerate that it was just as comfortable without it! Ornithologically the section leading up to our lunch stop at Ambositra was without any excitement (although there were egrets in the endless expenses of rice paddies) but our lunch was very tasty and the local entertainment of singers and dancers were very good and put on a fine show.  The roads thus far had been in reasonable condition although some sections were in a state of decay and the early start was necessary for us to reach our lunch stop by lunchtime. But from here the road was in a much more serious state of disrepair and it took a further five hours to reach our destination at Ranomafana. En route we had a successful stop for Mad. Snipe and had views of three birds though only in flight. We also had our first Blue Coua at the site, as well as African Stonechat, although they had been seen before the tour officially commenced as they are resident at the Relais des Plateaux. After a long day we climbed up the driveway and were soon comfortable in our rooms at Setam Lodge for a three-night stay, and enjoying our first of many meals. 

Breakfast service normally begins at 6:30am, but the lodge staff are always happy to come in earlier for a little extra incentive, and this is an ideal situation for birders. We had a fortifying 6:00am breakfast and were soon on our way for our first taste of rainforest birding, on a beautiful Spring day. At this time of year, birds are coming into their breeding plumage and are vocally pronouncing their claim for a territory. Whilst some arboreal breeding species have already started constructing their nests and even had flying young, the terrestrial species were just setting up their own space but had not reached the time for nest-building and raising their first brood of the season, making this the ideal time to see them. Once they have young, the calling stops and they can be extremely difficult to locate. Other advantages of having the tour in September can be summed up in the very pleasant environment: on our tour not a drop of rain fell on us, we never saw a leech, there were no biting insects and the temperature was comfortable at all times in all locations… try this a month later and the story will be very different! 

We met up with Jean Cree and his family who were to be with us for all the time we were in that area, and they certainly put their all into it ensuring we saw as much as was possible. Our first morning was in the main section of the Park and the afternoon along the road. The following day we spent in the highland Vohiparara section and the third day involved a return to both places in search of species that had been eluding us. During our stay the new birds we picked up included: Mad. Kestrel, Brown Mesite (after a considerable amount of effort), Mad. Flufftail, Mad. Wood Rail, Mad. Blue Pigeon, Mad. Cuckoo, Scaly, Pitta-like and Rufous-headed Ground-Rollers, Velvet and Common Sunbird-Asity, Red-tailed, Hook-billed, Pollen’s, Blue, Tylas, Ward’s and Crossley’s  Vangas, Dark Newtonia,  Mad. Martin (split from African Plain Martin), Green and Stripe-throated Jerys, Grey Emutail, White-throated Oxylabes, Spectacled Tetraka,  Rand’s Warbler, Pelzeln’s Magpie-Robin, Forest Rock Thrush and Nelicourvi Weaver. Whilst Red-fronted Coua and Rainforest Scops-Owl, were only frustrating voices! 

A short pre-dinner night walk provided the recently split Grow’s, as well as Blue-legged and O'Shaunessy's Chameleon’s, whilst during daylight we also saw Asiatic House, Four-eyed Day and the absolutely outrageous Fantastic Leaf-tailed Geckos and a pair of Madagascar Boas. Mammals encountered featured Golden Bamboo Lemur, an endemic to this forest -- and the reason that the original forest was declared a National Park was to protect this beautiful mammal! Others included a pair of the most arresting Ring-tailed Mongooses, Eastern Red Forest Rat, Brown Mouse, Red-bellied, Red-fronted Brown Lemurs and the stunning Milne-Edward’s Sifaka. After such a successful stay in this area, which warranted much effort that was well and truly rewarded, we farewelled our superb guides who had worked tirelessly for us and headed off for an overnight in Fianarantsoa.

As usual we left early for the long road journey that awaited us, but first call of the day was to a Tapia weaving concern followed by a group producing the incredible Papier Antaimoro, uniquely prepared paper with real flowers embedded. This was a remarkable experience for everyone, and the guides provided a very detailed explanation as to how each item was produced. From here it was only a short distance to Anja, the reserve set up entirely by the local people to protect the last of that region’s Ring-tailed Lemurs. The lemurs put on a fine display although there were no additions to the bird list; new reptiles included White-lined Chameleon and Flat-tailed Plated Lizard. We departed after a good lunch, with a stop for the tour’s only Madagascar Pond Heron picked up by Bruno’s sharp eyes. We were driving through dramatic if not barren landscape, and finally in the evening arrived at our destination, the Jardin du Roi where we would be spending two very comfortable nights in this beautiful opulent setting in the stunning Isalo National Park.

The next morning, we had an early breakfast and departed for the main centre where we would be finding a couple of guides for a walk along a beautiful clear mountain creek. We had target species and were most fortunate to encounter a pair of roosting White-browed Owls, the first Greater Vasa Parrot, our first Mad. Cisticolas and several Benson’s Rock Thrushes. Incredibly, on leaving here we found our first Mad. Larks (which are all over the island and yet all we had seen of them to date was them flying off the road and dropping into grassy cover) but the roadside prize was a pair of attractively marked Mad. Partridge. Now we were heading to Zombitse Forest, one of just two forest parcels that provide home to Appert’s Tetraka, but our other target was the impressive Giant Coua. We walked the trails for a couple of hours with two local guides, but try as we might we could not locate the Tetraka’s…although we ran into Long-billed on a number of occasions. This was quite a blow as it was our only chance at the bird, so we sat down to a leisurely picnic provided by the Jardin du Roi, whilst guides put that extra effort into locating the birds. After an hour and being visited by a Giant Coua for handouts, one of the guides came back and said they had located the Appert’s in a mixed feeding party. It was a bit of a rush to cover the distance before the birds moved on and were again lost to the world, but we all enjoyed the four birds feeding on the ground in a most un-tetraka way! We were also fortunate to find the locally endemic Zombitse Sportive Lemur, and parties of the infamous side-jumping Verreaux’s Sifaka.

 Now we were heading towards the coast on a very bad road, but thankfully we had a break to visit a village that protected some of the last Mad. Sandgrouse, where we had superb views of a pair of these impressively large birds. It was already dark by the time we entered the outskirts of Toliara (Tulear), but having traversed the large town we were suddenly on the smoothest road in all Madagascar! The thirty kilometres to our destination just south of Ifaty was such a pleasurable experience compared to what we had been “suffering,” and soon we were pulling in to Hotel la Paradisier and settling down to consume a welcome evening meal.

The next morning we drove into Ifaty and met up with the Mosa family with whom we were going to search out the spiny-forest specialities. The family was extended in that whilst we were being escorted along the trails, other members were deep inside the bush searching out all the specialities. They were keeping in touch using mobile phones and by this modernistic approach to bird guiding we were led to our target species, a pair of extraordinary road-runner-like Long-tailed Ground-Rollers, two single Sub-desert Mesites, bouncy Archbold’s Newtonias, busy Sakalava Weavers and a solitary Running Coua. Sadly, the once common Thamnornis Warbler or Kiritika was now no longer in the area, yet this used to be one of the most familiar bird sounds at this site. Nearby we found several noisy Sub-desert Brush Warblers, and a visit to the salt works produced just a solitary Mad. Plover, although there were several each of Kittlitz’s and Three-banded Plovers. This site originally held up to 14 Mad. Plovers!  After checking out from the hotel, together with a couple of our guides we left for the nearby swamps of Belalanda. We found three young men who would for a price wade out into the swamp and walk through the muddy edges. It paid off with four Baillon’s Crakes, one of which landed in front of us, and no less than fifteen Greater Painted Snipe. Black-winged Stilt on being flushed were gathering in a flock at the end of the lagoon and Brian decided to count them as there seemed to be a rather large number of this usually small party species… there were exactly 125. This is possibly a record size for a single flock in Madagascar! Also there were a few early Palearctic waders with Whimbrel, Greenshank and Common Sandpipers. Surprisingly there were no grebes present, (the widespread Eurasian Little Grebe used to breed here), in fact we managed to complete the entire tour without a single grebe as tragically Mad. Little Grebes had also become extinct in the Perinet/Andasibe/Mantadia area. We arrived in Toliara in the late afternoon staying at the Victory Hotel on the far eastern side of the city. After a good dinner we retired to be ready for another early start the next morning. 

We started the day with breakfast in the dark at 5:30am and met up with our guides whom we had brought with us from Ifaty. The aim for the day was to find Verreaux’s Coua and possibly the rarest of all endemics, Red-shouldered Vanga. There was also a chance of Humblot’s Heron in the mangrove-fringed bay. We had been advised that the place we had been visiting Red-shouldered Vangas for the past fifteen years had been destroyed and the birds were no longer findable there. However, the guides said they had found a new place for them and we would try there. We went to the area and whilst they gave themselves up grudgingly and for a long period showed no interest in the recordings being played to them, we eventually had incredible views of the pair as well as an obliging Verreaux’s Coua. What amused Brian was that this was exactly the same locality that the birds were brought back from being extinct twenty-five years prior and had produced them for a number of groups in the past, however the guides would have been barely walking at that time and did not know their ‘discovery’ was the original site of its rediscovery! The area did also hand us the so far elusive LaFresnaye’s Vangas. 

From here we drove to the Auberge de la Table for a look at the incredible collection of the spiny-forest components. We had an excellent lunch there and also stayed for dinner before setting off for our flight back to Antananarivo. In between the two meals we had a guided tour around the reserve, seeing Olive-capped Coua for the first time, although classed merely as a race of Red-capped Coua, and outrageous views of a pair of Mad. Buttonquails, but we also had a new species in the form of our first Mad. Mannikins. A new Chameleon was the Warty, and we also had our first attractive Western Iguanid. The Three-eyed Iguanid was throughout the dry south-west, with its extraordinary pineal eye on top of its crown. 

We farewelled our superb driver at the airport. In the past ten plus days he had always been reliable and a careful and considerate chauffeur, but now he was going to return to Tana and take our excess baggage for storage with him. The flight was comfortable and in what seemed like no time at all, we were back in Tana where we were met and transferred to the familiar Relais des Plateaux. In the morning we were met by three very nice four-wheel drive vehicles, all with very competent and careful drivers. It should be mentioned here that throughout our entire trip we had the best of vehicles and the best of drivers in that there was not the remotest problems of any kind, nor did we get stuck on the worst tracks that we were on. 

After an early breakfast we were off to Perinet, and stocked up on bitings for the bus en route. The road was not as bad as what we had been experiencing but could still have done with a bit of love and care, however three hours after leaving we were at our destination of the Eulophiella Lodge in an attractive hilly setting, a wonderful place to stay and by far the nicest accommodation in the whole region. We met up with Patrice and his family who were going to be with us throughout our stay here. This being our last destination resulted in having a list of the most difficult to find species that had eluded us up to now, so there was plenty to keep our eyes and ears open for. The team worked exceedingly hard to get us on to the birds and were quite tireless in their endeavours, we were lucky not just with a pair of Mad. Crested Ibis in a regular place, but also had another in the main reserve where they were very rarely found, superb views were finally had of Mad. Rail near the entrance to Mantadia, and both Red-fronted and Red-breasted Couas were revealed. News came of a Mad. Long-eared Owl by its nesting tree and we went up the slope through the pines and there was the owl sitting on a low bush almost near the ground literally under the nesting hole used annually. All were happy with the bird, but it became an “Emperor’s New Clothes” situation for Brian who was wondering what to say with everyone so happy with the Mad LEO, but it came out…. “but that’s a Marsh Owl!” But it so obviously was a Marsh and not a Long-eared. For Perinet area, a Marsh Owl was by far a more rarer bird than Long-eared but in the end we only ever heard a Long-eared and the species eluded us. Collared Nightjar was the final bird on the last morning before we returned to Tana, but it was a pair of posers for those that made the trip that morning. Mad. Spine-tailed Swifts finally surrendered on the second trip to the Fish Farm. The tracking down of the Short-legged Ground-Roller in the hilly part of the forest reserve defies all normal explanation apart from the obvious fact is that the local guides truly know their birds. We encountered White-headed and Nuthatch Vangas several times, the Nuthatch headed towards being the ‘Bird of the Tour’ when it was found on its nest almost at eye-level and finally superb views were had of both Wedge-tailed Jery and Mad. Starling. 

After an extremely successful trip we returned to the Relais des Plateaux for the last time on this tour, and toasted the adventure that had been both kind and cruel to us. There is no doubt that all the guides throughout the nation had been very instrumental in making this WINGS tour a huge success. On the downside, many species are becoming scarcer and scarcer and harder and harder to find, making every new year just that more difficult for them. It seems that every year a few species are no longer available and that the members of  2024 tour chose the right time to come as the situation of birds and habitat is only going to worsen in future years. 

-          Brian Finch

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