Madagascar; Day 12 - Parc de Tsarasaotra & Kirindy Forest Reserve

  Today was the last day of the first phase of our itinerary. From our base in Andasibe, we set off at 04:00 in the morning and drove the four hours to Antananarivo from where we would get an internal flight around lunchtime. The drive actually took four hours, which is expected without any delays, which should also have been expected but helpfully failed to materialise. 

  This meant that we had time to visit a wetland park near the airport, the Parc de Tsarasaotra, which is a popular stop among birders due to its high concentration of waterbirds. But even with that in mind, we were not prepared for the sheer numbers of wildfowl on offer here. The pond was covered in Red-billed Teal, with large numbers of White-faced Whistling-Duck also present. Among the rafts we picked out a few Blue-billed Teal, Comb Duck and the Madagascar endemic Meller’s Duck, which was the species we came to the site to find.

  We were also impressed with the huge numbers of herons on offer, with the heronry present containing hundreds of common egret species, as well as Black Heron, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, and our other target with Malagasy Pond Heron, of which there were a few individuals dressed in their fantastic white summer plumes. In the end, we spent an hour enjoying the birdlife on offer, before we headed to the airport.

  The flight to Morondava was, without question, the worst flight of my entire life. Not only was the turbulence horrendous, but the aeroplane was so hot I spent the entire flight sweating and there was even a screaming baby next to me for good measure. Once we arrived in Morondava itself, we were in for more bad news in that our driver was sick, and had sent a replacement who did not speak English. The car was battered and making all kinds of strange noises, and we were not sure if it would manage the journey to the Tsingy National Park. 

  But still we headed on our way. After passing through the iconic ‘valley of the Boababs’ we arrived at our destination, the Kirindy Forest Reserve, with its lodge situated deep in the dry woodland. We arrived just in time to do a night walk for two hours and had a phenomenal time with Red-tailed Sportive Lemur, the very smart Pale Fork-marked Lemur and the very abundant Grey Mouse Lemur. The Mouse Lemurs were even in the eves of the restaurant, running around while we ate our dinner. Truly a brilliant place to spend the night. 

-Malagasy Pond Heron

-Squacco Heron

-Meller's Duck

-Blue-billed Teal

-White-faced Whistling Duck

-Banded Kestrel

-Grey Mouse Lemur

-Pale Fork-marked Lemur

-Red-tailed Sportive Lemur

-Kirindy Leaf-toed Gecko

-Madagascar Ground Gecko

Species List:
Parc de Tsarasaotra: White-faced Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Blue-billed Teal, Meller's Duck, Red-billed Teal, Malagasy Coucal, Common Moorhen, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black Heron, Dimorphic Egret, Squacco Heron, Malagasy Pond Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Yellow-billed Kite, Malagasy Kingfisher, Malagasy Kestrel, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy White-eye,
Kirindy Forest Reserve: Banded Kestrel, Greater Vasa Parrot, Pied Crow, Madagascar Cisticola, 

Madagascar; Day 11 - Andasibe NP

  Despite yesterday's successes, we still had a few targets we needed to try and get to grips with for our last day in the Andasibe area. This would also be the last day of the first phase of our trip, before we had back to the capital tomorrow before taking a flight out to the west coast. We spent most of the day birding in and around the Analamazoatra Reserve, an area of forest not far from our lodging. 

  Before we entered the park, Luc took us to see a day roost of Madagascar Owl, perched high atop a large conifer tree just outside the park. I had hoped the bird would be lower, but it made its large size all the more impressive, as we had expected something more like a Long-eared Owl, instead it gave the impression of being almost as large as an Eagle Owl. We continued birding the woodland after this, and eventually came up trumps with a brilliant Nuthatch Vanga showing well in the trees above us. This was one of the last Vanga species we needed to find, so we were thrilled.

  At around 07:30 we headed to the main ticket office, and bought our entry for the day into Analamazoatra Reserve. The area was rammed with tourists so it took a little time, but after Luc took us straight down a small side trail with nobody on it. It didn’t look like it was going anywhere, and we eventually came out on the main road, but this absolutely delivered when we had phenomenal views of the very attractive but elusive Madagascar Ibis perched in the roadside vegetation, before flying over us and into the forest. We then headed back into the reserve from another access point, and were soon looking at another of our targets for the site; a day-roosting Collared Nightjar. 

  No sooner had we reentered the reserve than we came face to face with the park's flagship species, the spectacular Indri, the largest of all the Lemurs in Madagascar. We had truly fantastic views of a female with an infant resting in the trees above us, with a male nearby. After hearing them call all day yesterday, it was good to finally see one. We spotted another shortly after, and just after lunch, we found another after it nearly deafened us with its calls. The other lemurs we found were Diademed Sifaka and Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur.

  We spent the rest of the day marching up and down the depths of the reserve looking for Wedge-tailed Jery. Sadly we did not find it and the hiking up and down the hills with no paths absolutely broke me. There was very little in the way of birdlife generally, as it was already late morning. We had great views of a Tylas Vanga and found an active nest of Spectacled Tetraka, but otherwise generally quiet. Thankfully the day ended on a high when we had fantastic views of a White-throated Rail just before leaving the reserve. 

-Madagascar Owl

-Collared Nightjar

-Nuthatch Vanga

-Tylas Vanga

-Madagascar Ibis

-White-throated Rail

-Madagascar Wagtail

-Indri

-Diademed Sifaka

-Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur

Species List:
Analamazoatra Reserve: Malagasy Turtle Dove, Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Cuckoo, Collared Nightjar, White-throated Rail, Madagascar Ibis, Madagascar Owl, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Common Newtonia, Tylas Vanga, Red-tailed Vanga, Nuthatch Vanga, Madagascar Blue Vanga, White-headed Vanga, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Common Jery, Malagasy Brush Warbler, Long-billed Bernieria, Spectacled Tetraka, Malagasy Bulbul, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Nelicourvi Weaver, Forest Fody, Madagascar Wagtail, 

Madagascar; Day 10 - Andasibe NP

  Our first full day in Andasibe, and we had a lot of things to look for in a short amount of time. We hired Luc, a local bird guide, who also happened to be the proprietor of our accommodation, keeping our fingers crossed that he would be able to produce the goods. A good omen was when we suggested we leave the lodging at 04:30, but because of the long drive into the reserve, we still would not arrive until 06:00. Once we did arrive though, he showed his metal and we began to pick up birds.

  At our first stop, we almost immediately found Scaly Ground Roller, our penultimate Ground Roller, but the light was still dull from being in the forest so early. Still, the bird showed fantastically well, and we were able to watch it trundle through the undergrowth flicking leaves out of its way as it went. Also at this stop, we managed to wrap up Madagascar Dwarf Kingfisher and had phenomenal views of Hensts Goshawk, perched high in the canopy and calling. 

  We then drove a little further into the forest, on the way picking up Madagascar Starling, before getting out and commencing our main session of the morning, where we would walk around for a good few hours before returning to the car for lunch. Through this time we managed a few bird targets, including Red-breasted Coua and better views of Pygmy Kingfisher, it was really the mammals that stuck out during this time. We had excellent views of Diademed Sifaka near the road, before later watching them bounce between trees, and we also got my most wanted Lemur of the whole trip, with a brilliant pair of Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur feeding on fruits high in the canopy. But perhaps the highlight on the mammal front was a fantastic Lowland Streaked Tenrec which our guide found in the leaflitter. I was a way back at this point, and I was afraid it might have scarpered before I arrived, but once I caught up, he had the thing in his hands. Absolutely fantastic to see, a real bonus mammal for our trip.

  By lunchtime we were knackered and the birding had slowed significantly. Still, our guide kept trying to find birds for us, specifically the Short-legged Ground Roller, our final species in this unique family. We had not got a response all day from any bird, but he kept trying even during lunch, and just after lunch it finally paid off, when we heard a bird distantly in the forest. We had to climb up an insanely steep forest slope to reach it, but once we arrived we had simply sublime views of a pair perched together displaying to each other. It was absolutely brilliant to witness, with the male bobbing his head and fanning his tail before uttering a short ‘boop’ sound. Absolutely brilliant! 

  By this point it was already mid-afternoon, so we started making tracts to head back to the lodging. On the way we called off at a small pond that had Madagascar Grebe, as well as my first Madagascar Mannikins in the surrounding vegetation. The drive back took 90 minutes, and we were exhausted by the end of it. We had brilliant views of Lesser Vasa Parrot on the way, as well as an Eastern Madagascar Water Snake crossing the road, but it did little to offset discomfort from the constant bouncing from the numerous potholes. Helpfully the hot temperatures had been dulled somewhat by our first tropical rainstorm of our time here in Madagascar. Fortunately it stopped just before dark, meaning we would be able to go out for a night walk in a nearby forest reserve. 

  The night walk was fantastic. Although there were quite a few people around, Luc took off, charging deep into the forest in the quest for nocturnal life, and he delivered. In total, we saw a total of four different nocturnal lemur species. First was Goodman's Mouse Lemur, followed by a Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur, then Small-toothed Sportive Lemur that we had seen before. But the best was a superbly showy Gmelin's Woolly Lemur, a rare nocturnal species that we had not expected to see at all. In addition, we had a stunning Parson's Chameleon and a Mossy Leaf-tailed Gecko, rounding off a brilliant day in the forest. 

-Short-legged Ground Roller

-Scaly Ground Roller

-Rainforest Scops Owl

-Henst's Goshawk

-Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher

-Red-breasted Coua

-Lesser Vasa Parrot

-White-throated Oxylabes

-Madagascar Starling

-Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher

-Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur

-Diademed Sifaka

-Red-bellied Lemur

-Gmelin's Woolly Lemur

-Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur

-Lowland Streaked Tenrec

-Parson's Chameleon

-Parson's Chameleon

-Malagasy Leaf Commodore

Species List:
Mantadia Forest National Park: Madagascar Grebe, Madagascar Blue Pigeon, Red-breasted Coua, Madagascar Cuckoo, Madagascar Spinetail, Madagascar Flufftail, Common Moorhen, Henst's Goshawk, Madagascar Buzzard, Rainforest Scops Owl, Cuckoo-roller, Malagasy Kingfisher, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Olive Bee-eater, Scaly Ground Roller, Short-legged Ground Roller, Pitta-like Ground Roller, Greater Vasa Parrot, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Common Sunbird-Asity, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Tylas Vanga, Red-tailed Vanga, White-headed Vanga, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Green Jery, Malagasy Brush Warbler, White-throated Oxylabes, Long-billed Bernieria, Spectacled Tetraka, Rand's Warbler, Malagasy Bulbul, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Starling, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Forest Fody, Madagascar Mannikin, Madagascar Wagtail, 

Madagascar; Day 9 - Andasibe NP

  From our base in Ansirabe we set off at six in the morning to try and reach the Andasibe National Park sometime around lunchtime, giving us time to have some birding and prepare ourselves for the following days. Sadly the drive took much longer than anticipated and we eventually arrived in the park at around three in the afternoon, exhausted from long hours in the car. We only managed a short stop to try and see the Madagascar Pratincole, but we failed to find it in the half an hour we spent looking.

  Once we arrived at the park, we arranged lodging at Chez Luc, before hiring Luc himself to be our guide. We then headed to the park office to buy our tickets for the next day. With all that wrapped up and with a couple of hours left, we decided to try to find the Madagascar Rail, since it could be found outside the park in small wetland areas along the entrance road.

  We tried a few different marshes but only got a few distant heard-only birds. Fortunately, we eventually arrived at the location that seemed to have the highest concentration of eBird pins, and here we scored almost immediately with a pair of birds showing unbelievably well right in front of us. They were walking about right in the open in a small waterway, with at least one bird even calling in the open, fanning the white flashes on his tail as he did so. Absolutely brilliant to watch, and a nice end to a day spent mostly driving. 

-Madagascar Spinetail

-Madagascar Rail

Species List:
Vakona Marsh: Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Spinetail, Malagasy Palm Swift, Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Buzzard, Chabert Vanga, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy White-eye, Souimanga Sunbird, 

Madagascar; Day 8 - Ranomafana NP

  Sadly today was a designated driving day, and we were well prepared to write it off in its entirety. We managed to spend two hours birding the Ranomafana forest, but along the road and by doing this we had nice views of a few species we had already seen during our time in the forest, as well as a new lemur species for our trip with Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur, but they did not show particularly well.

  The rest of the day was spent driving to the town of Ansirabe, where we would spend the night to break up our journey. Along the way, we saw nothing birdwise, and to be honest, the countryside of Madagascar was almost completely void of natural vegetation, a real sharp contrast to the two days we had spent in the pristine rainforest.  

-Eastern Lesser Bamboo Lemur

Species List:
Ranomafana National Park: Blue Coua, Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Cuckoo, Madagascar Forest Rail, Western Cattle Egret, Yellow-billed Kite, Madagascar Buzzard, Greater Vasa Parrot, Common Newtonia, Red-tailed Vanga, Crossley's Vanga, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Green Jery, Long-billed Bernieria, Spectacled Tetraka, Malagasy Bulbul, Malagasy White-eye, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Malagasy Green Sunbird, Nelicourvi Weaver,