So, despite yesterdays chaos, we had finally arrived in Bekopaka, next to the Tsingy National Park. However, without a car we were facing a whole host of new problems, and I will be the first to admit that I was not enjoying the predicament we found ourselves in. Max was more optimistic however, so we did what we could to arrange ourselves, to see if we could salvage the day.
We got a lift with a nice Belgium couple who were sharing
our accommodation to the National Park ticket office. While I waited in line
for tickets at 06:00, Max began to work on guides in the hope that we might be
able to source a car. In the end he found a guide, and in place of a car, we
found two Motorbikes with drivers who were willing to take us to the park. With
the tickets to the park bought, transport in place and a guide who would walk
around with us, it looked like we might be able to make something of the day
after all.
It took an hour by motorbike from the offices to the entry
point of the National Park. Our guide kinda seemed to know a bit about the
birds, and had suggested this location as there was a lot more forest. We
arrived at 08:15 and set off into the woods. For me, I had no expectation that
we would find the one species we had come all this way to see, the Tsingy Forest Rail, as most birders saw it at another location in the north of the park. But
this is what we had decided to try, so here we were, giving it our best shot.
And, incredibly, it took all of about 10 minutes to find the
bird. We had obviously brought speakers and tapes, and after a blast of tape
around 200 meters into the forest, we had a response somewhere down from us. We
started to walk to meet it, and on their way up came two Tsingy Wood Rails. To
say they showed well would be an understatement, as we got to enjoy walkaway
views of the birds at about a meter's range at times, vocalising and feeding
right in front of us. Truly enjoyable to watch, and all the stress of the last
24 hours washed away in a moment.
The rest of the walk was quite the adventure. On the bird
front we got nice views of the Schlegels Asity, a striking little bird that we
did have another site for, but was good to see here. There was a pair but they
stayed their distance, never really coming close. We also had excellent views
of Obscura race of Malagasy Bush Warbler, and Forest Rock Thrush. We
also bumped into another pair of Tsingy Wood Rails later on, which also showed
just phenomenally well perching atop a rocky outcrop calling away.
The walk however was something else. What started as a nice
stroll through the forest turned into a freehand scramble over limestone
outcrops, complete with climbing, bouldering and even a bit of spelunking. It
was mental, and not what we had envisioned at all. Still the views we obtained
were excellent, once we had climbed up to the top. However, the heat was
oppressive, and I can’t recall ever sweating so much in my life.
And of course, there were Lemurs as well, with Van Der Decken’s Sifaka and Red Brown Lemur both being new species for us, and both
showed phenomenally well for us. We finally finished up at around 14:00 and
took the bikes back to Bekopaka. After which we both crashed into some cold
drinks and a cold shower, recovering from a long day in the field before we could try
to work out how to get back to civilization without a car.
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park: Malagasy Turtle Dove, Crested Coua, Giant Coua, Malagasy Black Swift, Tsingy Forest Rail, Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Madagascar Buzzard, Cuckoo-roller, Madagascar Hoopoe, Olive Bee-eater, Broad-billed Roller, Malagasy Kestrel, Greater Vasa Parrot, Schlegel's Asity, Common Newtonia, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Malagasy Brush Warbler, Long-billed Bernieria, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy Bulbul, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Forest Rock Thrush, Madagascar Wagtail,
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