Madagascar; Day 16 - Kirindy Forest Reserve & Morondava

  We had decided to spend the morning birding the Kirindy Forest Reserve before heading back to Morondava around lunchtime, where we would spend the afternoon preparing for our flight back to the capital tomorrow. Our morning in Kirindy actually started fantastically well, with a small female Fossa appearing around camp nice and early, before the crowds arrived. Because of this, we had a little more time with the animal and it wasn’t being pushed around so much. It did spend quite a bit of time eating garbage, which somewhat shattered the illusion, but it was certainly a much better experience than the last time we saw the animal here. 

  On the birding front, we did have a few nice birds around camp. The France’s Sparrowhawk was present again, showing nicely low down in the woods. We took a two-hour walk around the forest and did find our main target for the day, White-breasted Mesite. They were absolutely fantastic, as they walked along the ground in completely horizontal gait, flicking leaves as they went. Without a doubt the best bird of the trip thus far. They were fantastic. Other good birds we encountered included a Banded Kestrel, Giant Coua, Coquerel’s Coua and a day-roosting Torotoroka Scops Owl. 

  Our drive back to the capital passed without much incident. We drove through the alley of the Baobabs, although in the heat of the late morning sun we did not stop for long. We eventually arrived in the city of Morondava early afternoon, where we sorted out a hotel and grabbed a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant. 

  In the afternoon we explored the beach to try to find Madagascar Plover, one of the few birds we had skipped on our itinerary to try and save time in the south, knowing we would have another chance to find one here. We walked a good distance on the beach and encountered many waders, all common species, except for a single Terek Sandpiper that was always frustratingly distant.

  And we did also find ourselves our main target with a very nice Madagascar Plover. The bird was very confiding, and we had truly brilliant views, much better than we would have expected for the species. With that wrapped up, and it being a Saturday night, we headed to a local bar for a few drinks to celebrate a very successful second phase of our trip now being completed.

-Fossa

-Red-fronted Brown Lemur

-White-breasted Mesite

-Torotoroka Scops Owl

-Long-billed Bernieria

-Frances's Sparrowhawk

-Madagascar Plover

Species List:
Kirindy Forest Reserve: Malagasy Turtle Dove, White-breasted Mesite, Crested Coua, Coquerel's Coua, Giant Coua, Madagascar Cuckoo, Madagascar Buttonquail, Frances's Sparrowhawk, Torotoroka Scops Owl, Madagascar Hoopoe, Olive Bee-eater, Broad-billed Roller, Banded Kestrel, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Common Newtonia, Chabert Vanga, Madagascar Blue Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Rufous Vanga, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Common Jery, Long-billed Bernieria, Malagasy Bulbul, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Sakalava Weaver,
Morondava: Namaqua Dove, Grey Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Madagascar Plover, White-fronted Plover, Eurasian Whimbrel, Terek Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Common Greenshank, Ruddy Turnstone, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling, Pied Crow, Madagascar Lark, Common Myna, 

Madagascar; Day 15 - Bekopaka

  The previous evening we had managed to arrange a (slightly expensive) lift to the town of Belo, where we would meet our actual driver and we would continue our trip from there. However, since our lift would not be leaving until midday, we had some time in the morning around Bekopaka to try and find some birds to fill the time with. Helpfully, about a 45-minute walk from our accommodation was a medium-sized wetland with a few records of interesting species, so we decided to spend our few hours of morning birding there.

  And it paid off big time, with five new birds in and around the lake. The main target we hoped to find here was Madagascar Jacana, and we quickly found a pair although they remained pretty distant throughout our time there. Madagascar Pratincole was a nice addition, with a few individuals flying around over the lake and the nearby river. Humblots Heron was good to get out of the way, as was Grey-headed Lovebird, and African Pygmy Goose was a nice bonus. Considering our visit here was rather off-the-cuff, we actually had a phenomenal morning birding.

  The rest of the day was spent in transit, as we headed south with a car that had some spaces available, on the now-dry road. In the town of Belo we met up with our actual driver, and after making some arrangements to cross the river, we managed to make it to the Kirindy Forest Reserve for about 20:30, where we got a room and immediately crashed!

-Madagascar Pratincole

-Madagascar Jacana

-African Pygmy Goose

-Humblot's Heron

-Cuvier's Madagascar Swift

-Western Girdled Lizard

Species List:
Bekopaka: White-faced Whistling Duck, Fulvous Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, African Pygmy Goose, Malagasy Coucal, Malagasy Black Swift, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Madagascar Jacana, Madagascar Pratincole, Dimorphic Egret, Squacco Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Grey Heron, Humblot's Heron, Madagascar Harrier-Hawk, Yellow-billed Kite, Malagasy Kingfisher, Olive Bee-eater, Broad-billed Roller, Malagasy Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Greater Vasa Parrot, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Grey-headed Lovebird, Crested Drongo, Pied Crow, Madagascar Cisticola, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy Bulbul, Common Myna, Madagascar Magpie-Robin, Souimanga Sunbird, Sakalava Weaver,
Tsiribihina River: White-faced Whistling Duck, Red-billed Teal, Black-winged Stilt, Common Sandpiper, Grey-hooded Gull, Western Cattle Egret, Pied Crow, Common Myna, 

Madagascar; Day 14 - Tsingy National Park

  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 Forest Rail

-Schlegel's Asity

-Giant Coua

-Malagasy Bush Warbler

-Forest Rock Thrush

-Van Der Decken’s Sifaka

-Red Brown Lemur

-White-lipped Smooth Snake

-Cuvier's Madagascar Swift

-Thick Tail Gecko

-Aterica rabena

Species List:
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, 

Madagascar; Day 13 - Kirindy Forest Reserve

  Birding today would be taking a back-seat, as our priority for the time in Kirindy was to try to see the Fossa, Madagascar's largest predator. Although widespread, this reserve offers the only realistic opportunity to see one, as they often visit the camp area deep in the forest. And so our plan was to stick around the camp in the hope that an animal would walk through, after all, it had apparently been seen twice the previous morning.

  As we waited we enjoyed the very pleasant birding on offer. There was a pair of Frances Sparrowhawks around the camp, a species we had missed until this point, and a good one to finally see. It was no wonder that they were around, as there was a flock of 100+ Sakalava Weavers feeding around the car park, showing very well at times. Only the second Sickle-billed Vanga of the trip was also here, feeding low down in the understory and offering absolutely fantastic views, much improved on what we had seen before in Reniala.

  It was around 07:30 and we had done a circuit of the lodge area multiple times with no joy on the Fossa front. I headed back to the room to visit the loo, when all of a sudden we heard a tremendous commotion from the car park area. A member of the guiding team who had taken us on our night walk rush over to our room calling us, saying the Fossa had arrived. We raced over to see a crowd of people who had emerged from somewhere all lining up, and then the animal crossed the road right in front of us!

  It was absolutely fantastic, watching this rare and secretive mammal as it slithered through the forest before crossing the road. The crowd was a bit distracting but we still had phenomenal views. However, it was a bit disappointing that once it had crossed, the rangers went back into the forest to try to push it back out onto the road. While we stayed to see it again, when they did this a third time we walked away, a bit disappointed with the experience. While obviously amazing to see the animal, this was not the way we had really wanted it. There is obviously a compromise; the animal knows it will get some grief, but at the same time there food on offer is too good to turn down, so is still worth the effort.

  A bit later before leaving, we had another Fossa, this one a male, scoffing rice behind one of the chalets. While this was more relaxed, it was still a bit of a strange experience. He also spent some time moving through the forest around the camp, and we even saw him lie down for a bit. Overall a very strange experience, but still, as I said before, very nice to see this elusive animal irrespective of the circumstances.

  Since we had seen our target so well in the morning, and heading into the woods on a walk would cost us, we decided to make tracks to Bekopaka now, a day earlier than planned, simply to try to save time on this stage of our itinerary. This turned out to be a fateful decision! We managed to make it to the first river crossing quite smoothly, we only lost one part of the car, which appeared to be a brake of some description. However, once we crossed the river things went downhill fast.

  In taking the car to the mechanics, without telling us, our driver managed to miss the police escort for the four-hour drive north to Bekopaka. The road is not super dangerous, but even so, we were a bit peeved. There was another car behind us however, so we knew we were not alone. They came in very handy when another part of the car fell off about halfway through the drive, this time a large box piece from under the car. The removal of this piece caused the car to start leaking fluid, but a bit of repair work later and we were able to continue.

  And then it started to rain! The first rains of the season, and it was absolutely torrential. The roads which had been bumpy before, now turned into a slip-and-slide, and our car could not handle it. First we hit a small tree. Then we got stuck. Then we got stuck again, but this time really badly, where it took six of us to push it out. And then, in the dark at this point, about 35 kilometres from our destination, it became too much and car gave up on life. We were piled into another car, a straggler we had picked up on the way, with a couple from Mauritius, and they took us the rest of the way. We did not reach Bekopaka until 21:30, but now we were without a car and at a complete loss as to how to make this part of our itinerary work at all…

-Fossa

-Frances's Sparrowhawk

-Hook-billed Vanga

-Greater Vasa Parrot

-Sakalava Weaver

-Crested Drongo

-Sickle-billed Vanga

-Malagasy Turtle Dove

Species List:
Kirindy Forest Reserve: Malagasy Turtle Dove, Crested Coua, Malagasy Coucal, Madagascar Cuckoo, Frances's Sparrowhawk, Madagascar Hoopoe, Greater Vasa Parrot, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Common Newtonia, Chabert Vanga, Hook-billed Vanga, Sickle-billed Vanga, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Malagasy Bulbul, Sakalava Weaver, 
Tsiribihina River: White-faced Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Malagasy Palm Swift, Black Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Yellow-billed Kite, Pied Crow, Red Fody,