So begins the next adventure of 2023, a return to Africa for five weeks. Although this time not on the mainland, but instead the legendary island of Madagascar. Once again my travel companion was Max, a friend from Germany who I have visited Africa with on both my previous occasions.
The stopover on this
occasion was in Nairobi, Kenya. My flight there from Amsterdam was notable for
the lack of sleep I could get, so most of the six hours I spent in
Nairobi was spent trying to catch up on that. Despite this, there were still a
few bits to be had, including a very tame Red-winged Starling and a phenomenal
colony of Little Swift under the eaves of the airport roof. Birds were circling
around just outside the window, the best views I have ever had of this species
by far.
Once we arrived in
Madagascar itself there was little time for exploring the birds around the
airport, but we managed our first few species on the island; Western Cattle
Egret and Common Myna. Not exactly the most incredible start, but it's certainly
something to build on for the rest of the five weeks. Upon finally arriving late at our hotel, we saw our first Madagascar day gecko species, with a tiny Modest Day Gecko, and we drove past an invasive Indian Spotted Civet on the side of the road.
Nairobi International Airport: Little Swift, Pied Crow, Red-winged Starling,
Antananarivo International Airport: Western Cattle Egret, Common Myna,
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