Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Scaly Groundroller |
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Introduction
This is a report of a three-week holiday together with my girlfriend. We decided to do it at ease and arranged private transport on site, instead of roughing it with public transport. I found logistical information to be very scarce on the internet so I decided to write a full report. Moreover, I had good views of Slender-billed Flufftail (see species list for details).
Acknowledgements
I approached quite a few people beforehand to make this trip possible and without them it would certainly have been much less of a success. Many thanks goes to Justin Jansen for hours of help in preparing; to Remco Hofland, who gave critical advice on guides, sites and especially logistics in very short notice; Rob Hutchinson from Birdtour Asia to recruit all his friends in giving me the latest gen on birds and logistics, especially Mike Mills; Greg Roberts, for his gen on logistics; Peter Logtmeyer and Phil Koken for last minute trip reports.
Trip reports/books/tapes
I used all trip reports that I could find on the internet, especially those published on www.birdtours.co.uk and www.surfbirds.com. All helped out to form a picture on where to see the critical species. Unfortunately, advice on logistics seems scarce.
I used two field guides: Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands by Ian Sinclair and Olivier Langrand and Birds of Madagascar, a photographic guide by Pete Morris and Frank Hawkins. Both books are excellent although I found the text in Morris et al. to be more helpful for ID and it also gave more info on where to see what. The drawings in Sinclair et al are of very high quality and I found a few mistakes (the most misleading: one for me was the female Red-tailed Vanga which has a dark eye, not a white one as drawn, although this is mentioned correctly in the text.
For recordings, I bought the four CDs, Bird sounds of the Indian ocean Islands from Claude Chappuis, Oiseax. These are excellent, except perhaps for few species such as for Yellowbrow, for which the calls fade almost into the background noise of the recording. In addition, the call labeled as Red-shouldered Vanga doesn't belong to this species!
For identification of lemurs I used the guide, Mammals of Madagascar by Nick Garbutt, that I bought from www.amazon.com , an excellent book.
General impression and hassles
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world but also one of the richest in terms of unique birds and other wildlife. We found travelling in Madagascar a nice and relaxed experience. Malagasy people are friendly, discrete and relaxed. However, be prepared at airports to meet some overenthusiastic, aggressive taxi-drivers that want to book you for their taxi. Also, when you wish to book one, be prepared that at least a dozen other taxi-drivers will want to co-assist in calculating the best price. Take your time and stay calm, as you should be able to at least cut down the price with 20-30 percent. Always let the taxi-driver write down the price and currency and keep the paper until you have reached your destination. If you plan to cover distance, it may be wise to check the quality of the vehicle before you agree. Indeed, the only hassle we experienced was with our driver at Mahajanga airport that took us to Ampijoroa and back. The driver was quite intimidating verbally and we didn't quite make it to Ampijoroa since we got a flat tire and he didn't have a spare; so we had to hitch to the entrance on a lorry. Apart from that everything went smoothly. The food was generally very good and cheap (5 euro per person per 3-course meal), the standard of accommodation in national parks is often high and comparable to those you find in Europe.
Visa
Visas are required to enter the country and we obtained ours with the assistance of out local travel agent easily at the Madagascar consulate in Rotterdam three weeks before we went (cost: 50 euro pp). It is also possible to obtain one upon arrival, but this is not recommended as it may take considerable amounts of time at the small international airport with many people applying at the same time.
Health
With the occurrence of the more serious malaria forms, our GP strongly recommended us to take anti-malarials. (either Lariam or the daily Malarone tablets) and our guide Guy at Ampijoroa told us that he contracts malaria once every three months. We both took Malarone and although it is reported to have few side effects, we experienced some stomach upsets, reduced appetite and headaches. Other inoculations were recommended by the dutch travel health advise service (Hepatitis A, tetanus, polio etc) but always check your GP before you go for a recent update. We otherwise never experienced health problems but only used bottled water and avoided uncooked vegetables.
Language
The official language is Malagasy, but almost all people speak fluently French. English is spoken only by some of the guides but it is of little use elsewhere. The more French you speak, the more pleasant your holiday will be.... especially in arranging transport.
Flights
From Holland there are several possibilities to fly to Madagascar and they are all quite expensive. You can fly via Mauritius or Reunion which is convenient if you include these islands in your trip, or from Paris with Air France/KLM. We booked the flight with Air France (Amsterdam-Paris-Antananarivo) 5 months beforehand and paid 1350 euros per person including all airport tax. It apparently can get much cheaper when you book early. The flights were excellent.
In Madagascar, we booked three domestic flights, all carried out by Air Madagascar. You can check the flight schemes on the web and book there as well. However, the schemes seem to change regularly so it is wise to book less than three months before you start your trip to avoid impossible connections and wrecked itineraries. We did the booking through the Air Madagascar representative in The Netherlands, at Rotterdam Airport. Most countries seem to have representatives for them as will be indicated on their website. When you book your international flight with Air Madagascar as well you can apparently receive up to 20% percent discount for their internal flights, but check for conditions. Air Madagascar had excellent service, punctual schemes and friendly staff. We took the following flights: a return Tana-Mahajanga and a one-way Tana-Tulear and paid in total 350 euro per person including all tax.
Transport in Madagascar
In Madagascar we used private taxis at all times to allow comfortable travel and flexibility. For the three-hour drive Tana-Perinet we asked for a taxi at the reception of the Sunny Hotel in Tana. They asked us 70 euro for one way, but I haggled this down to 50 euro. The taxi was a Peugeot 205. We arranged the driver to pick us up four days later for the same price. On both ways he asked us for an advance, as they simply don’t seem to have the money to pay for the petrol beforehand. The price for petrol was about 1 euro the litre. For the Mahajanga-Ampijoroa stretch we used a taxi from the airport. We paid 80 euros for a return and paid him some petrol in advance. Instead of dropping us off and going back, he stayed for the full two days to take us back afterwards. For the last ten days I desperately tried to organize private transport from home through the web, but I found nothing below a 200 euro per person per day quote. I decided to ask at the Sunny Hotel desk once arrived in Tana, if something could be arranged. An hour after that, the receptionist had invited his friend that could do the driving for us. We booked him for 550 euro in total, which included a Mercedes 190E in excellent condition, all petrol (unlimited mileage), insurance, and a driver that took care of himself for food and a place to sleep and was at our disposal at all times for ten days. The deal also included the two days he needed to drive down to Tulear. We paid 200 euros in advance for which we got an official receipt from the hotel manager.
Also, we met a taxi driver at Tana Airport that speaks perfect English and is setting up a business for touring through Madagascar as well. His name is Mr Benjamin Raveloarimanana, email: come@visit-madagascar-tour.com , www.madagascar-tour.com, tel: +261-033-11-319-24, although we didn't use his services so I can't tell if he is any good.
Money
The currency in Madagascar is the Ariary. The exchange rate when we were there was 1 euro to 2430 ariary at the Bank of Africa. With the largest denomination 10.000 ariary, expect to collect some serious stacks of money, each time you leave the bank. The old currency, the Malagasy Franc (FMg) is no longer used except on restaurant menus and all market salesmen seem to give the prices still in this currency. 1 Ariary is 5 FMg. According to the Lonely Planet, traveller cheques and Credit cards are widely accepted. So, in addition to cash (euros), which can be changed at all banks with no difficulty, we brought both. However, only in Tana they were familiar with traveller cheques but staff at the bank of Africa (BOA) looked as if we came from planet Mars when we wanted to change cheques in Tulear. In addition, only Visa credit cards are widely accepted. Using your creditcard in the BOA of Tulear was an interesting experience that took 5 hours. There is a BOA when you enter Madagascar at Ivato airport that only changes cash.
Birding in general
My girlfriend is non-birding so I consequently spend much time at cocktail bars, swimming pools or at the beach. Despite this, I missed very little and recorded all Ground-rollers, Sunbird-Asities, Couas, possible Vanga's and best of all I had a pair of Slender-billed Flufftail!
As there is almost no natural habitat left in Madagascar, your birding will mostly be restricted to national parks (except for the spiny forest at Ifaty). In these parks, guides are either obligatory or highly recommended as there are no trails signposted in the forest. Some of these guides are truly excellent birders and lemur trackers and can show all of your desired species within hours or a couple of days. However, many of the spectacular species of Madagascar are very thin on the ground or extremely difficult to find, even for guides. You can see a very high percentage of the specialties without a guide once you realise which trails you can take but guides are essential for some of the toughest birds. There is however some risk that guides are already booked by the many tour companies that visit Madagascar, something that I experienced both at Perinet and Ranamofana. This can be quite frustrating and potentially cost you a few species. The best thing to do is to try avoid the peak season of birdtour companies. You are required to pay a fee at the park headquarters that usually allows for three days entry and these fees have risen sharply over the last year. At Perinet and Ranamofana we paid 20 euro per person, at Ampijoroa and Zombitse 4 euro per person. The park headquarters is the place where the guides hang out and there is a list of them ordered by name and photo.
The sites visited:
Perinet/Mantadia This is a fantastic rainforest site easily reached from Tana. It lies about three hours east along the route national. The site is best known to the Malagasy people as Parc national D'ankaranfantska (pronounce ankaranfantsiek), instead of Perinet. When you are on site, Perinet is the forest around the village Andasibe and Mantadia NP is the park on higher ground that lies an hour's drive from Perinet. I hired Luc for three days (80 euro in total). He is the brother of the excellent guide Florent and is a relative of the famous guides Patrice and Maurice. These four guides are essential if you want to see Collared Nightjar/Mad. Long-eared Owl/ Scaly and Short-legged Ground rollers, as they are very difficult to find all of them yourself if you have limited time. There are other guides such as Nescio that I used for one morning (10 euro) who knows all birds by call and regular spots for goodies but he was unaware of the exact territories of the abovementioned species at the time I was there. All guides are best contacted at the park HQ but Luc conveniently lives right across the entrance to hotel Feon' Ny ala. When I went there he was out but his sister made the arrangement. There are several options for accommodation ranging from the good Bungalows at Feon' Ny ala (there are about 40) at the entrance road up to the luxurious Vanga guest house which lies 6km down the road and is well signposted. We had no car and it was only a 30min hike through nice forest edge to the park HQ and access to Perinet forest. For Mantadia NP, one can hire a vehicle at Feon' Ny ala for 20 euro per day to drop you off at Mantadia NP and pick you up again late afternoon. We also rented a car for the drive to Torotorofotsy marsh (SB Flufftail) for 8 euros.
The essential birds at the site are: Collared Nightjar, Madagascar Rail, Scaly and Short-legged Ground Roller, Nuthatch Vanga, M. Spine-tailed Swift, Red-breasted Coua and M. Long-eared Owl, the latter that can be seen at Ranamofana but is apparently easier at Perinet. Most people also see M. Dwarf Kingfisher only here. In addition, I am unaware of any other site for Slender-billed Flufftail than the remnant ponds of Torotorofotsy marsh, except for the marsh at Vohiparare, which is no more than a rice field nowadays. This year there was a nest of Scaly ground-roller staked out by Luc and Florent at Mantadia NP. They had mixed success in finding Short-legged Ground rollers, with 3-4 singing in early spring but also completely missing them for all birders that birded the week before us?! It took us 6 hours to track one down. Collared Nightjar and Long-eared owl apparently change their roosting sites regularly and it took Luc 3 hours to find Collared Nightjar and 4 hours for the Long-eared Owl. Madagascar Rail is very easy at Torotorofotsy marsh and at a small marsh between Perinet and Mantadia NP, the latter I didn't visit. M. Spine-tailed swift was seen at both Perinet and Mantadia NP and I found one Red-breasted Coua myself on the first morning at Perinet and heard another one at a different site there. Other highlights for me were M. Dwarf kingfisher with one sleeping on the trail at Perinet and two at mantadia NP. Rufous-headed ground roller (Perinet. three males calling close to each other this year), fantastic views of Common sunbird-Asity and Velvet Asity at Perinet. Brown Emu-tail, Pitta-like Ground rollers, three males Forest Fody and Madagascar Grebe at Mantadia NP. Mammal watching also paid off with three groups of Indri, two tenrec species, Eastern woolly lemur, greater dwarf lemur all seen at Perinet. At Mantadia NP we were lucky with Diademed Sifaka and Black-and-White-Ruffed Lemur.
Ampijoroa
At Ampijoroa, it is fairly straightforward to find the birds yourself. The best guide is Jackie (Jaque), who is the park boss; Guy is also excellent and the brother of Guy, who's name I forgot (all are about 12 euros per day). Only White-breasted mesite can be hard, but our guide Guy knew well. All guides were assigned by the staff at the park HQ.
Ifaty/Tulear
At Ifaty, your only option for guiding is the Mosa family. He sent two of his five kids with us for two mornings (20 euro per morning) and they are essential if you don' t want to get lost in the spiny forest. Without them Long-tailed ground-roller and Subdesert Mesite are really hard/impossible to find, whereas the other specialties are straightforward and can easily be found by oneself. They know how to whistle in Red-shouldered Vanga and went along with us to La Table on our second morning. Mosa lives just north of Ifaty on the right hand side of the road. Every villager knows him and the village is very small.
Zombitse
At Zombitse, there are two guides (2 euro for 3 hours) assigned by the park staff, which can both find Giant Coua and Apperts Greenbul, the essential birds here. However, all birds are easily found along the circuit trail north of the road by yourself. The park entrance and HQ building are nowadays well signposted along the road. In case you think it is difficult to find, it is the only patch of forest between Tulear and Ranamofana along the road!!
Ranamofana NP
At Ranamofana, Jean-Cry, who seems to be the best guide, was booked so I used Theophile for three days (50 euros in total). He was very good for Ranamofana, for birds and lemurs but could only show me the way at Vohiparara. Jean-Cry was kind enough to point out the forest patch for Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity, which is uncommon at Vohiparara. This bird and Brown mesite at Ranamofana will be very hard to find without assistance.
Accommodation:
In Tana, we stayed at two places: The Sunny Hotel; Lot ID 54, +(261)-(20)2226304, Sunny-Ambohidahy (sunny@dts.mg or sunny@wanadoo.mg, www.sunnymada.com/sunnyambohidahy.htm) in the city centre, as this was the one that had a website and a pickup from the airport at midnight when we arrived. It was 55 euro per night, which is very expensive for Madagascar standards. However, international phone calls were easy, they spoke English at the reception, traveller cheques and cash could be changed at the counter and they arranged us a vehicle and driver for the last ten days of our trip. Also, I gave them a call from the Netherlands the day before we arrived to arrange a pickup, which was very convenient when you arrive at midnight after a long trip.
When in transit in Tana, we used Hotel Au Mirandav (Lot II F4 Fitroafana, Mandrosoa Ivato, Route de l 'airoport- 105 Antananarivo, (tel +(261)(20)2245916, Mobile +(261)(0)331206257, email mirandav@wanadoo.mg This was about 20 euro a night for a double with private bathroom, including dinner. A place close to Ivato airport, with a nice garden, clean rooms and friendly staff, although they only speak French.
At Mahajanga, we also used the Sunny hotel (35 euro a double), Sunny Amborovy, email; sunnymaj@wanadoo.mg, tel; +(261)(20)62-235-87 from the same company and with the same facilities as the one in Tana. It has a great shady garden with excellent swimming pool. The at that time French prime minister Jacques Chiraque stayed here a few months before we arrived so it must be one of the best places in town or he tried to save money for a return visit.
At Perinet/Andasibe we stayed in a Bungalow of the Hotel Feon' NY Ala, tel (local); 5683202, Andasibe, with private facilities. Our bungalow at Feon' Ny Ala was 4 euro a double per night and had running hot water and a private shower/toilet. Also, a mosquito net was provided. All bungalows face the rainforest across a small stream, which allows excellent balcony birding and even lemur spotting! Feon' Ny ala also has a good restaurant where each night Greater Dwarf Lemurs check out the palms for banana pieces hidden by the restaurant staff. Transport and pickup lunches, when going to Mantadia NP can also be arranged and are reasonably priced.
At Ampijoroa (Parc National d'Ankarafantsika), there are several accommodation options but these were all booked when we arrived. They set up a tent (5 euro per night) for us in specially roofed spots. They provide mattresses and bedding, which were clean. Showers and toilets are shared and were clean. The other accommodation options are three bungalows, which are almost always booked by major Madagascar tour companies according to guide Jaque and, as turned out for two American couples, even overbooked. Also, there are several so-called Gites, which are shared rooms with beds.
In Tulear we stayed at the Melody Beach resort, which was excellent, with pool, garden and nice bungalows (20 euros a double).
At Ifaty, we stayed at Mangily Hotel, email: info@mangily-hotel.com; BP 333, Ifaty, Tulear, Madagascar, tel: 032-02-554-28, which consists of 15 bungalows (10 euros a night for a double) bordering the beach. This was one of the best places we stayed and certainly the one with the best views from the balcony. Great freshly caught seafood in the restaurant. There is a diving school and there are snorkelling opportunities.
At Isalo NP, we splashed a bit by staying at Relais de la Reine (55 euros for a bungalow). This really was an excellent place with fantastic garden and swimming pool and a great cocktail bar.
At Ranamofana NP we stayed at the Centrest Hotel, easily signposted just before you enter Ranamofana village. Good food at the restaurant and excellent rooms with private bathroom for 22 euros per night.
Itinerary:
6 nov Amsterdam -Tana via Paris, arriving at Ivato airport just after midnight. Collected by a driver from the Sunny Hotel, transfer took 20 min.
7 nov Breakfast at 10, took taxi to Perinet at 12:00. Arrived at Feon 'Ny ala bungalows at 15:00. After settling in, short hike along Red lake to entrance/visitors centre of the park.
8 Nov Dawn at 4:30, got up at 5 and checked for a guide at the visitors centre. Everyone was booked out and Patrice recommended Nescio. Birded with him until 11 am. Lunch at Feon' Ny ala. Arranged for guiding with Luc who lives opposite the bungalow park and he agreed to take us for the rest of our stay. Late afternoon hike with him to visitors centre for entrance tickets.
9 Nov Balcony birding from 6-11 am. After lunch I went with Luc for Long-eared Owl and Torotorofotsy marsh.
10 Nov Whole day Mantadia from 5am to 6pm.
11 Nov Early morning to Perinet with Luc for missing species and photography of Indri. After lunch picked up by taxi and drove back to Tana stopping only for Madagascar Pratincole along the way.
12 Nov Flight from Tana to Mahajanga (90 min.). Arranged taxi at the airport to Ampijoroa. Flat tire at 4pm, no spare, hitched to Ampijoroa at 5pm, arriving 30 min later. After dinner at the local restaurant arranged Guy since Jacque was booked.
13 Nov Early morning walk with Guy at west end of Lac Ravelobe from 6-9 am, returned for breakfast. After this, we did a walk in forest behind the restaurant from 11am-1pm. Relaxed in afternoon, short walk again from 4-6pm and lemur watching from 7-8pm.
14 Nov Early morning hike behind the restaurant with brother of Guy. Lunch and departed for Mahajanga at 1pm. Checked in at luxurious Sunny hotel and spend rest of the afternoon in the swimming pool.
15 Nov Flight toTana at 11am, checked in at Hotel Au Mirandav, relaxed rest of the day.
16 Nov Flight at 8:20 to Tulear (60 min.), picked up by our taxi driver at the airport and drove to Ifaty (90 min). After lunch, looked for Mosa and organised guiding for two mornings. Rest of the afternoon at the beach.
17 Nov Spiny forest from 5-9am with sons of Mosa, relaxed at the beach for the rest of the day
18 Nov Picked up son of Mosa at 5am and drove to La Table. Arrived at 7;30 soon finding Red shouldered Vanga and Verraux' Coua. Drove to Melody beach and checked in after dipping on Sandgrouse. Went to Tulear at 10:00 to change money in Bank of Africa. After initial difficulty, we could use our MasterCard and pick up the money at 5pm, which thwarted our visit to Nosy Ve.
19 Nov 5-8am, dipping Sandgrouse for the second time, then after lunch drove to Zombitse (2hrs drive). Arriving at 2pm. A guide was quickly organized by the manager on site and we had a nice hike in the forest till 4pm. Then drove to Relais de la Reine, arriving at 5pm.
20 Nov Relaxing day with afternoon visit to Canyon de Maki at Isalo NP for Ring-tailed Maki.
21 nov After breakfast at 8 left for Ranamofana, where we arrived at 4pm. Arranged Theophile as guide for 2,5 days since Jean-Cry was booked.
22 Excellent morning at Ranamofana from 6-11am with Theophile. Returned for lunch and siesta. Back to Ranamofana at 4-6pm. Lemur watching from 7-9pm.
24 Nov Whole morning Vohiparara, 5-11am, back for lunch and Vohiparara rice fields late afternoon 4-6pm.
25 Nov Morning at Vohiparara for missing Yellowbrow and Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity. Departed at 11am to Ambositra (6hrs drive), staying at Motel Violette, recommended by our driver and the lonely planet.
26 Nov Final leg to Tana (5hrs) arriving in Tana at 2pm. Flight home at midnight, arriving the 27th back in Amsterdam.
Dips
My major dip was Madagascar Sandgrouse, which didn't come in for a drink at Melody Beach on two consecutive mornings. All birders I met dipped here, but succeeded at Berenty instead, a site we didn't visit. I also dipped on White-browed Owl, possible at Relais de la Reine, Mantadia NP at dusk/dawn and otherwise easy at Berenty. Bureaucracy at the Bank of Africa in Tulear prevented us having time to visit Nosy Ve for Littoral Rock Thrush and I failed to find M. Partridge and M. Harrier at Relais de la Reine. Finally, I made no effort in finding Mellers Duck as it resembles a female Mallard too much for my liking and wasn't on offer in any of the visited sites. Also I missed out on the boat-trip for Berniers Teal and the Ibis as I had no idea who organised.
Checklist (Species names and order essentially according to Sinclair and Langrand, Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands)
Madagascar Little Grebe
A summer plumaged adult in a graphite mine pool at Mantadia NP.
African Darter
One adult early morning perched along Lac Ravelobe, Ampijoroa and one in flight there the next day.
Black-Crowned Night Heron
Several downtown Antananarivo and fairly common along Lac Ravelobe
Squacco Heron
Common in rice-ponds at Antananrivo, also several Lac Ravelobe.
Madagascar Pond Heron
2-3 adults at Lac Ravelobe and a group of 4 adults flying around Relais de le Reine one evening.
Cattle Egret
A common rice-field bird.
Green-backed Heron
Small numbers seen regularly throughout.
Black Egret
Common (30+) at Lac Ravelobe, several also in rice-fields on the way down to Ampijoroa.
Dimorphic Heron.
The white phase was commonly seen throughout, a pair of the black morph was displaying at Vohiparara rice-fields and one more on the way out of Ranamofana.
Great Egret
Fairly common roadside bird.
Purple Heron
One adult at Perinet, from the hotel balcony.
Grey Heron
One adult in the Sandgrouse field at Melody Beach, Tulear.
Humblots Heron
An adult seen twice along Lac Ravelobe.
Hamerkop
2 pairs between Tana and Perinet and 2 pairs in rice-fields behind our hotel in Ambositra.
Glossy Ibis
Common (150+) at and around Lac Ravelobe.
Madagascar Crested Ibis
Poor views of one flushed along a stream in Mantadia NP. 2 active nests at Ampijoroa and one adults also crossing the trail here.
White-faced Whistling Duck
40-50 at Lac Ravelobe.
Red-billed Teal
About 50 on a small lake 20km south of Tana.
Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk
One at Lac Ravelobe flew around us while we were on the boat.
Yellow-billed Kite
Abundant around Relais de la Reine and commonly seen in the NW and South.
Madagascar Fish Eagle
A pair watched up close with a juvenile calling nearby at Lac Ravelobe. Massive birds!
Madagascar Harrier-Hawk
Up to three each day patrolling the skies of Ampijoroa. All birds had a pink facial skin.
Henst Goshawk
An adult seen and frequently heard calling close to its nest site at Ranamofana NP.
Madagascar Sparrowhawk
Three sightings at Perinet probably all relate to the same pair nesting in the reserve. One flew in with a kill late afternoon from the balcony of Feon' y ala, one flushed from the trail at the bottom of the nesting hill and an incubating bird.
Frances’s Sparrowhawk
Brief views of one flushed from the trail at Perinet, an adult male perched over the trail at Zombitse and two more males doing the same at Ranamofana and Vohiparara respectively.
Madagascar Buzzard
Surprisingly scarce. A single twice at Perinet, two at Mantadia NP, one perched at Ifaty spiny forest, two at Ranamofana soaring around the hotel each afternoon and one as a roadside bird between Ranamofana and Tana.
Madagascar Kestrel
Several at most sites, fairly regularly along the roadside. Most common at Isalo NP.
Banded Kestrel
The sons of Mosa didn’t know of any nest and were unsure if I would see it; after these disappointing words, it turned out to be the first bird I saw at Ifaty when we entered the spiny forest, just behind Mosa’s house!
White-breasted Mesite
A pair seen nicely the in the forest behind Ampijoroa headquarters. Two pairs or groups of birds heard the next afternoon, but I made no effort to see these.
Brown Mesite
One seen well at Ranamofana and three others (singles or pairs) heard.
Subdesert Mesite
A nice female seen and photographed very well at Ifaty spiny forest.
Madagascar Buttonquail
Two pairs at Ampijoroa, one at Ifaty and 4 flushed at Relais de la Reine.
Madagascar Flufftail
Commonly heard at Mantadia NP, Perinet and Vohiparara. One female flushed along the road of Perinet. Brilliant views of a male found by the Fieldguides' team at Vohiparare.
Slender-billed Flufftail
Possibly my “best”bird of the trip based on its rarity although I think they are just overlooked due to their late calling season (December onwards) and the lack of accessible sound recordings. One afternoon at Perinet, Luc took me to, what I later found out, Torotorofotsy marsh about 15km west of Perinet and an hours walk from the road along an abandoned railroad and rice fields to see Madagascar Rail and Grey Emutail. We ended up at the edge of a marsh remnant when Luc flushed a pair of flufftails from under our feet. I had a great look at one bird as it circled around us at no less than 2 metres. The rufous head and tail were obvious but so were the unmarked brown back and wings. This puzzled me as I was expecting to see black with white stripes. After seeing the picture in the Morris/Hawkins guide and an actual male Madagascar Flufftail (the red on the head is very different in tone) later on I was convinced that I had seen a male Slender-billed Flufftail. The Fieldguides trip leader Jay van der Gaast that I met at Ranamofana told me that he had heard of other ornithologists seeing the bird there or in the vicinity just before I did apparently.
Madagascar Wood Rail
Seen twice at Perinet; an adult with an almost fully-grown chick and a group of 4 adults.
Madagascar Rail
Three easily seen at Torotorofotsy marsh.
White-throated Rail
Two at Mantadia NP, one at Vohiparara, regularly heard at Relais de la Reine garden and Ranamofana.
Common Moorhen
A pair at Red lake, Perinet.
Madagascar Jacana
Distant views of five at the east corner of Lac Ravelobe, Ampijoroa.
Pained-Snipe
Two at Vohiparara marsh/rice field.
Black-winged Stilt
Several at Lac Ravelobe and a few along the way to Ifaty.
Madagascar Pratincole
A pair on rocks at the Mongoro river bridge, about 25km west of Moramanga (the river is about 50km west of Perinet). During the three hours drive from Tana to Perinet, this is by far the largest river you need to cross, so it's easy to find. Also, the bridge allows one lane traffic only. The river is bordered by large rocks and the rock almost under the bridge on the North side held one pair.
Ringed Plover
Fairly common at Ifaty beach.
Kittlitz’s Plover
Common in the fields at Melody beach with 20+ seen.
Madagascar Plover
A breeding pair in dry saltpans just opposite Mosa’s house at Ifaty.
Three-banded Plover
One in saltpans along the Tulear-Ifaty road and a pair at Melody Beach field.
White-fronted Plover
Three birds at Ifaty beach. A personal favourite.
Grey Plover
Several, Ifaty beach.
Madagascar Snipe
One both in flight and on the ground in the rice fields at Vohiparara. A big snipe.
Whimbrel
Several, Ifaty beach
Common Greenshank
Two at Ifaty beach
Common Sandpiper
Two at Lac Ravelobe
Ruddy Turnstone
Several, Ifaty Beach
Sanderling
Several, Ifaty Beach
Curlew Sandpiper
Several, Ifaty Beach
Madagascar Turtle Dove
Several daily in rainforest, but more common around Relais de la Reine, Ifaty.
Namaqua Dove
Common in dry parts of Madagascar, with the first ones seen along the road to Ampijoroa. Also common e.g. at Ifaty.
Madagascar Green Pigeon
Several in dry forest along Lac Ravelobe, Ampijoroa.
Madagascar Blue Pigeon
Several daily at Perinet and Vohiparara, although mostly poor views of a dark pigeon in flight. Telescope views of a one perched in the top of the dead tree at Feon ‘Ny ala Restaurant, at Perinet. A beautiful pigeon!
Greater Vasa Parrot
Scarce, with several seen at Perinet and Mantadia NP daily. One also visited the restaurant at Mangili beach regularly.
Lesser Vasa Parrot
Common at all rainforest sites, also at Ampijoroa.
Grey-headed Lovebird
A flock of 20+ at the campsite of Ampijoroa. 6 just outside Mangili beach resort and about 10 in the gardens at Relais de la Reine.
Madagascar Lesser Cuckoo
Commonly heard and seen at all sites. They are not difficult to see, even without tape, unlike some of its Asian friends.
Giant Coua
No less than 4 seen (2 in top of a tree) at Zombitse NP. A noisy bird, which makes it straightforward to find.
Coquerel’s Coua
5 the first morning and one the next, in the dry forest of Ampijoroa. Also commonly heard here. Several heard and one pair seen at Zombitse NP.
Running Coua
One at Ifaty.
Red-capped Coua
Common at Ampijoroa.
Green-capped Coua
One seen and photographed at Ifaty.
Red-breasted Coua
One taped in along the green lake trail, Perinet, which came as close as 3m and stayed calling from a log for over 30 min. Excellent bird! Another individual heard in a different section of the forest a few days later.
Red-fronted Coua
Seen twice, possibly the same individual at Perinet, along green lake trail. Also one heard along a different trail at Perinet.
Blue Coua
Fairly common in rainforest with several birds seen daily. A stunning bird and definitely one of the highlights of the trip!
Crested Coua
Fairly common at Ampijoroa, one also found roosting above a trail here. Fairly common at Ifaty.
Verraux’s Coua
One at La Table.
Madagascar Coucal
Commonly heard and 1-2 seen daily at most sites.
Madagascar “Rainforest”Scops Owl
Several calling each night at Feon 'Ny ala with one roosting bird seen in scrub at the entrance of the hotel.
Torotoroka Scops Owl
Commonly heard calling at Ampijoroa at night and one at Relais de la Reine. One rufous morph seen during daytime at Ampijoroa.
Madagascar Long-eared Owl
An adult perched in a pine behind the reception building at Perinet.
Collared Nightjar
A pair at Perinet. Definitely one of the trip highlights!
Madagascar Nightjar
One seen hawking over Perinet HQ. Heard calling most nights in all places visited with many at Mangily Beach resort and Relais de la Reine. A pair displaying and sitting on the roof of Hotel au Mirandav in Tana.
Madagasca Spinetail
One at Ifaty, one in Mantadia NP and 2 hawking in a mixed swift flock around Feon 'y ala restaurant.
African Palm Swift
Regularly recorded, several Perinet, Ifaty, Ampijoroa, common around palms at Isalo NP.
Alpine Swift
One from the balcony at Feon 'Ny ala one morning around 10 am in a mixed flock of palm swifts and spinetails. Another one at Relais de la Reine.
Madagascar Black Swift
Two at Zombitse NP. A large flock gathering (50+) each evening at Relais de la Reine. Also 2 at Ranamofana.
Madagascar Kingfisher
Singles or pairs regularly seen along streams and lakes at most sites (e.g. Red and Green Lakes, Perinet). Particularly common at Lac Ravelobe (10+).
Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher
One roosting above the trail along Green Lake, Perinet. Two seen perched and in flight along the main entrance road at Mantadia NP.
Madagascar Bee-eater
Regularly encountered throughout. Most easily seen in the spiny forest at Ifaty, and breeding at Relais de la Reine horse stables.
Broad-billed Roller
Fairly common, seen at most sites. 2-3 pairs were breeding at Ampijoroa campsite.
Short-legged Ground Roller
One found after searching for over 6 hours at Mantadia NP was one of the trip highlights!
Scaly Ground Roller
One adult seen and photographed close to the nest at Mantadia NP.
Rufous-headed Ground Roller
One taped in at Perinet, one seen in a gully without tape at Vohiparara and three heard calling nearby.
Pitta-like Ground Roller
Two seen at Mantadia with others heard. Commonly heard at Ranamofana and Vohiparara with at least 3 seen without the use of tape.
Long-tailed Ground Roller
One in spiny forest at Ifaty. Bird of the trip!
Cuckoo-Roller
Two males seen at Perinet with calling birds heard throughout the day. One in display flight at Mantadia NP. Several displaying at Zombitse NP and a male and female in dry forest at the Schlegels Asity site, Ampijoroa.
Madagascar Hoopoe
Regularly seen at Ampijoroa (right next to the restaurant) and in the Ifaty/ Tulear area.
Velvet Asity
A male at Perinet and a female at Vohiparara.
Schlegel’s Asity
A male and a pair at Ampijoroa. Fantastic birds, a trip highlight!!
Common Sunbird Asity
A pair at Perinet, three males at Vohiparara with others heard.
Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity
A male at Vohiparara. With my guide we positioned ourselves at the site the bird frequents. After about 10 minutes a male sunbird-Asity perched in the top of a tree close to the site. When the bird looked down, immediately the amount of green around the eye in the otherwise blue wattle struck me. It hopped in the sun a few seconds later, revealing its yellow breast. The green skin patch around the eye is noted as a field mark in the Photographic guide by Morris and Hawkins but not by Sinclair/Langrand. Excellent bird!
Madagascar Bushlark
Common on the road to Ifaty, abundant in dry country, such as Relais de la Reine.
Mascarene Martin
Regularly noted at most sites. Seen at Perinet, nesting at the information centre, Torotoroftsy Marsh, Vohiparara Rice fields, where birds also perched on the road early morning.
Brown-throated Sand Martin
Two in the rice fields, Vohiparara.
Madagascar Wagtail
Fairly common, often on roads with up to 6 birds daily at most sites.
Madagascar Cuckoo-Shrike
Fairly common at the rainforest sites with one female on the nest at Ranamofana.
Madagascar Bulbul
Very common and conspicuous at all sites.
Long-billed greenbul
Seen at Perinet, Mantadia (5+), and several (3+) at Ampijoroa.
Appert’s Greenbul
Three birds along the trail at Zombitse.
Grey-crowned Greenbul
Daily at Ranamofana (2-3 birds), 3+ associated with Spectacled Greenbuls and White-throated Oxylabes and a single at Mantadia NP.
Spectacled Greenbul
Fairly common at Mantadia NP, Perinet and Ranamofana/Vohiparara, seen daily (2-10 birds).
Red-tailed Vanga
Seen at Perinet in good numbers (3+ daily), the females have a dark eye, in contrast to the drawings in Sinclair and Langrand, which gave initially some confusion. Also heard at Ranamofana, but no effort was made to see them.
Red-shouldered Vanga
A male at La Table. Initially the bird responded at more than 100m from the road to Mosa’s imitation. Perseverance eventually paid off with the birds coming closer and closer, eventually down to 5m!
Rufous Vanga
Fairly common at Ampijoroa and Zombitse NP with about 10 seen and heard. A nest-building pair was seen and photographed at Ampijoroa.
Hook-billed Vanga
One seen at Perinet and one at Ampijoroa, also heard at Ranamofana.
Lafresnaye’s Vanga
A pair and a female in spiny forest at Ifaty. Also a male at La Table.
Pollen’s Vanga
3-4 birds seen at Vohiparara were in a flock with White-headed Vanga (1) and a pair Tylas. Also one heard here.
Van Dam’s Vanga
A female and later a male seen at Ampijoroa. Also one heard along one of the higher trails, which I missed as I left too early, but was seen by a British team a little later. Apparently this is the most difficult specialty to connect with at this site. This year however, the rangers knew about six sites.
Sickle-billed Vanga
Common at Ampijoroa campsite with 15+ birds seen in a communal roost. Also several pairs seen at Ifaty, with a female also on the nest.
White-headed Vanga
One seen along the road at Perinet, a pair at Mantadia NP was attending a nest. Three at Ampijoroa HQ, one in spiny forest at Ifaty photographed and one in a mixed Vanga flock at Vohiparara.
Chabert’s Vanga
Fairly common at Perinet with 2-4 daily. Also one in spiny forest at Ifaty and 1 at Ampijoroa HQ.
Blue Vanga
Fairly common at Perinet and Mantadia NP with 1-6 daily. Also seen at Ampijoroa (a pair), Zombitse and Vohiparara.
Nuthatch Vanga
One heard only, together with Luc on my final morning at Perinet flew apparently off before we could spot the bird. My main dip together with the Sandgrouse.
Tylas
A male at Perinet in a mixed species flock. A female accompanied by a begging juvenile also here. One at Mantadia NP and a pair at Vohiparara together with Pollen’s and White-headed Vanga’s. Also a single female at the start of the trail to Vohiparara and one heard at Ranamofana.
Forest Rock-Thrush
A singing male along the road near the clearing of Vohiparara.
Benson’s Rock Thrush
A male used the chimney of the Relais de la Reine reception building as its song post. Another male used the balcony of our chalet as its song post and its mate was often nearby at the horse stables. Also when it was raining, the male always took shelter in the roof of our chalet.
Madagascar Magpie Robin
Fairly common at all sites. Dark-bellied birds were seen at Ranamofana.
African Stonechat
A fairly common roadside bird to Perinet (3+) and scattered roadside records elsewhere. Common at Torotorofotsy marsh with more than 10 birds in the abandoned rice fields.
White-throated Oxylabes
Several in mixed species flocks at Mantadia NP, also fairly common at Ranamofana/Vohiparara.
Crossleys Babbler
A female taped-in at Ranamofana. Two more heard singing at Vohiparara.
Yellowbrow
Frustratingly only heard (2 birds or pairs) at Vohiparara.
Brown Emutail
One taped in at “Sifaka hill” at Mantadia NP and one along the border of the track at Vohiparara.
Grey Emutail
3-4 birds in shrub at Torotorofotsy marsh. One in the rice fields at Vohiparara.
Madagascar Brush Warbler
Very common at the rainforest sites.
Subdesert Brush Warbler
Common at Mangily Beach resort scrub.
Madagascar Swamp Warbler
2 at Torotorofotsy marsh and one along Lac Ravelobe, Ampijoroa.
Thamnornis Warbler
4 seen singing and several more heard in spiny forest, Ifaty.
Rand’s Warbler
Common at Perinet, Mantadia and Ranamofana singing in the highest treetops every morning.
Common Newtonia
Scarce, with just ones and twos at most sites, almost always in tops of trees. Most easy at Ifaty and Ampijoroa where the vegetation is much lower than at the rainforest sites.
Dark Newtonia
Three at Mantadia NP, one Vohiparara. As opposed to the canopy-loving Common Newtonia’s they tend to stay in the undergrowth. One bird with a completely dark eye was observed at Vohiparara.
Archbold’s Newtonia
Two in Spiny forest, Ifaty.
Madagascar Cisticola
Two at Perinet in a grassy clearing, several Torotorofotsy marsh and very common from Ifaty back to Tana as a roadside/scrub bird.
Green Jery
About five seen and several others heard at Perinet, 2 at Vohiparara
Common Jery
Very common and easily seen at Ifaty, also common at all rainforest sites.
Stripe-throated Jery
About 20 heard and two seen at Perinet/Mantadia. They were always singing close to Rands Warblers.
Wedge-tailed Jery
Two mobbing the Short-legged Ground Roller and several daily at Ranamofana.
Cryptic Warbler
At least five seen and no less than 10 heard singing at Vohiparara. Sorting out the songs of the Jery’s and Rands/Cryptic Warbler before the trip was very helpful.
Ward’s Flycatcher
About three seen at Perinet and others heard.
Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher
Fairly common at most sites, several birds also seen on the nest.
Souimanga Sunbird
Abundant everywhere.
Long-billed Sunbird
Scarce at both rainforest sites with 1-2 daily at Perinet/Ranamofana and a female nest building in the tree at Ampijoroa restaurant.
Madagascar White-Eye
Commonly seen at all sites.
Madagascar Munia
3 at Torotorofotsy Marsh, 6 at Mantadia NP along the road, were the only ones seen.
Nelicourvi Weaver
2-3 seen daily at Perinet-Mantadia/Ranamofana-Vohiparara with several active nests seen.
Sakalava Weaver
Common at Ifaty and several at Ampijoroa campsite.
Madagascar Red Fody
Regularly seen but not as common as suggested in other reports. 2 at Perinet, one at Mantadia NP, 1 at Tana in the garden of Au Mirandav, 3 Torotorofotsy Marsh, several Mangily Beach Resort. Few males were in full breeding plumage, the red however, was never as scarlet as in the male Forest Fody although this may off course be a seasonal thing with Forest Fody in full plumage at this time of year and Madagascar Fody not.
Forest Fody
Three full summer plumaged males at Mantadia NP, two heard at Vohiparara.
Common Mynah
Abundant near villages.
Madagascar Starling
Two at Perinet information centre, two feeding in the palms opposite Feon y a’la restaurant and two perched high up in Mantadia NP. Furthermore, a pair feeding in small bushes in the rice fields of Vohiparare and one perched in a big eucalypt tree nearby.
Crested Drongo
Common, in almost all habitats seen.
Pied Crow
Several roadside birds between Mahajanga-Ampijoroa. Common along Tulear-Tana stretch, especially at Relais de la Reine with at least 75+ birds around the reception buildings.