Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
 Madagascar Blue Pigeon |
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Introduction
Madagascar has a well-deserved reputation as one of the planet's ultimate natural history destination and this year's tour proved the reputation true. This year's tour started with a brief morning of urban birding in Tana, followed by a cross-country road trip from the spiny forest of the southwest to the rainforests of the east to the dry deciduous forest of the northwest. One lucky participant continued on to the spectacular lowland rainforest of the northeast, thus seeing all of the major habitats the island has to offer. Bird-wise this years tour was hugely successful. Not only did we see all of the endemic families of bird, we had incredible views of all four asities, four of the five ground rollers (hearing the fifth), all three mesites, and--including the Masoala extension--every single vanga. Add to this every species of coua, 31 species of mammals including 26 lemurs and a great variety of day geckos, leaf-tailed geckos, chameleons, frogs and snakes and you get the incredible Madagascar tour that we had this year.
We also introduced a new extension this year to the Masoala Peninsula to look for Helmet Vanga. Besides the nest-building Helmet Vangas that we found, it was an incredible experience to have daily walks in primary lowland rainforest, practically kicking ground rollers out of the way and having to walk carefully to avoid stepping on the innumerable frogs. Our lodge was perfectly situated, sandwiched between a remote, deserted beach and a huge tract of primary forest. Within thirty seconds of leaving our bungalows we could be snorkeling around a coral reef or watching Red-breasted Coua on a rainforest trail! This new extension is highly recommended.
Day 1: Tana to Ifaty
With an early afternoon flight, we spent the morning at Tana's Lac Alarobia, a wonderful bird-filled oasis. As usual, the lake was crowded with ducks and the island was full of breeding herons and egrets. The hoped for Madagascar Pond Heron was quickly located, with the semi-resident African Openbill was eventually found. We were also met with a fantastic surprise in the form of a female-type Madagascar Harrier, a usually difficult-to-find endemic that harassed the ducks before moving on. We also has our first looks at several common endemics that would become familiar as the trip continued: Madagascar Coucal, Madagascar Wagtail, Madagascar Munia and Madagascar Brush-Warbler.
We caught our flight to Tulear, boarded our bus and made our way north to our beachfront hotel in Ifaty. We birded en route, finding a few shorebirds on the mud including Greater Sandplover and a few landbirds as well, including Subdesert Brush-Warbler, Madagascar Lark, Madagascar Cisticola and our first vanga, a Chabert's.
Days 2-3: Ifaty
These days we really began our endemics quest, spending the mornings and afternoons in the strange spiny forest of Ifaty, cleaning up on the area's specialties. Our very first morning took care of the region's two top birds, with a Subdesert Mesite perched motionless in a Didiera (perhaps the forest's more characteristic plant), and the roadrunner-like Long-tailed Ground-Roller running around under the thorn-filled bushes. Not to be outdone on the bird-plant interaction front however was a Sickle-billed Vanga who we watched for ten minutes as it probed its remarkable bill into a baobab fruit in search of grubs.
Of course, we also found the forest's other specialties as well, including the often difficult Lafresnaye's Vanga, Thamnornis Warbler, Archbold's Newtonia and Green-capped and Running Couas. One afternoon just about the first bird we laid eyes on was a cooperative young Madagascar Sparrowhawk, a local and uncommon raptor. We finally left it perched in its tree but were immediately stopped again by a Banded Kestrel perched atop a Didiera! Two rare raptors in a matter of minutes! Of course not everything there is rare, and we took advantage of the openness of the habitat to secure great looks at more widesad species like Chabert's Vanga, Common Newtonia, Ashy Cuckooshrike and the beautiful Madagascar Paradise-Flycatcher.
One afternoon we took a side trip and quickly found the localized Madagascar Plover. Unfortunately the wind had picked up, covering the road in sand, so after getting stuck we decided to bird the mudflats adjacent to where we were stuck instead of nearby lakes, our intended destination. The mudflats proved very productive, producing a clean sweep of Madagascar's plovers for the day, with White-fronted Plover and Greater and Lesser Sandplover in addition to the more common species and the earlier Madagascar Plover. Saunder's Terns were flitting about over the water, while Lesser Crested and Great Crested Terns rested on a distant sandbank.
Day 4: Ifaty to Tulear.
We started the morning at the lakes which we failed to reach yesterday (reached today not without difficulty!). It was well worth the effort for the scope views of Baillon's Crake, a real skulker who posed brilliantly for us. We found the usual assortment of ducks, coots, grebes and shorebirds, and just as we were leaving spotted a group of Hottentot Teal. Next up was a search for Madagascar Sandgrouse, but unfortunately the field where they often occur south of Tulear was full of zebu, goats and people and a thorough search yielded none of the target species.
After lunch and a rest, we headed to the coastal scrub near La Table in search of two localized endemics, the recently described Red-shouldered Vanga and Verreaux's Coua. It was hot and the forest was silent when we set out and we were somewhat skeptical of our chances. Our local guides took us deep into the 'forest' and had us wait, all the while whistling the song of the vanga. Next thing we know the local guides were talking excitedly, then there it was! Just a meter in front of us, a pair of Red-shouldered Vangas, occasionally singing very softly and showing of their beautiful plumage. It was a remarkable effort by the local guides, but unfortunately the coua eluded us (but only for the afternoon).
Day 5: Nosy Ve and Anakao.
We took a short outing before breakfast to search again for Madagascar Sandgrouse. This time it took only a few minutes to locate a pair. As we were watching them, another pair flew in, then another...when we left ten were present! We had stunning views of the huge, spectacular sandgrouse before having to leave to return for breakfast.
After breakfast we headed to the harbor, boarded out boat and made our way through to water south to the small island of Nosy Ve. The tide was just right for shorebirds and terns to be roosting, and we had soon located our main target among the flock, four beautiful Crab Plovers. The tern flock contained Common, Lesser Crested and Great Crested, and shorebirds seen included Black-bellied (Grey) Plover, Sanderling, and Ruddy Turnstone. Back on the main part of the island we enjoyed watching the numerous nesting Red-tailed Tropicbirds, the island's real claim to fame.
We then headed to the nearby mainland to have lunch at a hotel, but before lunch we took a short walk around the hotel grounds and found another target bird, Littoral Rock Thrush. After lunch we enjoyed the beach--then had quite an adventure getting back to Tulear. It involved a mid-ocean boat transfer, a very slow catamaran and a zebu-cart ride in total darkness! But we made it safe and sound (if tired) having had a successful day of birding.
Day 6: Tulear to Isalo via La Table and Zombitse.
After an early breakfast we set off east, stopping first at La Table to search again for Verreaux's Coua. After much searching, we had had great views of Madagascar Green Pigeon and Running Coua, but not Verreaux's. Just as we were giving up, almost back to the bus, Angela spotted one from the back of the line. The bird fortunately sat long enough for everyone to come back and see it--we ended up leaving with the bird still sitting in the open!
Back on the bus, we were off to Zombitse Forest. We arrived as the temperature was rising. We found our local guides and set off into the forest for what turned out to be an absolutely remarkable two hour walk. We found all the main specialties of the forest, including the locally endemic Appert's Greenbul, Coquerel's Couas practically walking over our shoes, Giant Coua perched in the scope and a pair of Rufous Vanga. We also had superb looks at our first lemurs of the trip: a Hubbard's Sportive Lemur sitting at the mouth of its hole and wonderfully cooperative Verreaux's Sifaka. We also saw the incredible Oustalet's Chameleon and one of the best geckos, Standing's Day Gecko. Another Giant Coua wandered passed our picnic table as we ate lunch.
After lunch we went to our gorgeous hotel in Isalo. While having a rest by the pool we spotted a Benson's Rock Thrush perched on a bungalow roof. A short walk around the grounds in the evening yielded our first Broad-billed Roller. We stayed out into the darkness and quickly met success when we found a White-browed Owl, a species that it easily missed, and a short while later we watched a Madagascar Nightjar, faithfully hunting from the same rock as in previous years.
Day 7: Isalo to Ranomafana via Anjo.
We started the morning walking around the beautiful hotel grounds. We lured a White-throated Rail out of the dense undergrowth for great looks, then switched to the open areas on the opposite side of the hotel. As we approached the hotel's pond I noticed movement by the waterside--Madagascar Partridge! Most people got good looks before these very shy birds disappeared into the grass.
En route to the rainforest we stopped to eat our picnics at the community reserve of Anja. We took a short walk in the forest to see the local population of Ring-tailed Lemur, who duly obliged us with great show. We returned to the road, reaching the roadside forest near Ranomafana in the afternoon. We soon had located a flock and had our first taste of rainforest birds, including Nelicourvi Weaver and Green Jery. We also had our first looks at Madagascar Lesser Cuckoo as the sun was setting, after which we settled into our hotel for a three night stay.
Days 8-9: Ranomafana.
The first full day at Ranomafana we took a morning and an afternoon walk on the main park trails. In the morning we chased around Brown Mesite, which after much effort provided only brief views to part of the group. Our local guide did whistle out a Crossley's Babbler, which strutted about for incredible views. Also much more cooperative than the mesite was a remarkable Pitta-like Ground-Roller we watched singing in the scope for ten minutes, soaking in the details of its spectacular plumage. Some people got good views of a male Common Sunbird-Asity and everyone saw the huge Hents's Goshawk at its nest. Lemurs showed well as they usually do at Rano, with great views of Red-fronted Brown Lemur, brief but good views of Milne-Edward's Sifaka bounding through the forest, and fantastically cooperative Golden Bamboo Lemur on our way out of the park. In the afternoon we returned for a night walk, but on the way to the night spot were distracted by a brilliant male Velvet Asity in full breeding plumage who cooperatively perched in the open where we could study it's incredible green facial skin. The night walk didn't disappoint, with the usual Fanaloka and Brown Mouse Lemurs showing well and three species of frogs and one chameleon on the walk back.
The following morning we headed to the higher elevation forest of Vohiparara. A Cryptic Warbler was singing at the trailhead but staunchly refused to show itself; fortunately we found one another singing bird along the trail that treated us to scope views. A short while later our local guide whistled in a responsive Pollen's Vanga who showed off its massive bill wonderfully. As we reached the higher forest we heard the magic sound--a singing Yellow-bellied Sunbird Asity. Calling everybody to hurry forward, it stuck around at very close range so everybody got incredible views of this stunning and rare bird. As we watched the male and female joined it, then as we watched flew a short distance with a piece of moss and added it to its nest! We could hardly believe our luck. Soon we were chasing another skulker--Rufous-headed Ground Roller. This one was supremely uncooperative; it came very close but in a completely impenetrable bamboo thicket down a very steep slope and only one Marta got a brief view. Continuing on we found a singing Dark Newtonia that showed its dark plumage well. On our way back down we ran into a pair of Red-bellied Lemurs, then we were back to the bus and retuning to the hotel for lunch.
In the afternoon we took it easy, birding along the road. We stopped by a cave to see the resident bats, but the real star (and the afternoon's main target bird) came out only after a long search and a lot of whistling--a beautiful male Forest Rock Thrush.
Day 10: Ranomafana to Antsirabe.
When we arrived to Rano two days prior, our local guide had met us with exciting news--he had discovered an easily accessible location to see Meller's Duck, a very rare bird and a potential lifer for me. This was our morning to try for it--the trail was conveniently located on the way to our next destination. It was only a short, easy walk and there they were! Three Meller's Ducks swimming in a wooded stream among the more numerous Red-billed Teal. It was wonderful to see this seldom-seen duck and know that it hangs on in that area. After getting our fill of the ducks we headed down into a nearby wetland to look for Gray Emutail. After a few Madagascar Swamp-Warblers popped up we found the target species. It only gave brief looks at first--typical of this skulker--but the our local guide located a nest and after waiting for a little while it showed very well. With this latest success we headed back to the bus, bid the guides farewell and were off to Antsirabe, stopping en route for a roadside Hamerkop and a bit of shopping in the woodcarving town of Ambositra. We eve arrived early enough to Antsirabe to visit my favorite local attraction--the candy maker!
Day 11: Anstirabe to Andasibe-Mantadia.
After spending the morning driving through the vast rice paddies of eastern Madagascar, we finally made it to our hotel adjacent to the rainforest of Andasibe-Mantadia National Park. We stopped along the way at a marsh to try for Madagascar Rail, which we heard and a couple of the participants had brief views. We were disturbed to find the wetlands being converted into rice paddies, an serious problem for the continued existence of this endangered species. Arriving at the hotel, we were greeted at the hotel by a beautiful Madagascar Blue Pigeon eating fruit in a tree on the hotel grounds; during our stat the tree would attract up to six at a time! We did a bit of birding in the evening, but couldn't find the hoped for Madagascar Crested Ibis or Long-eared Owl. On a night walk we had good views of Crossley's Dwarf Lemur (formerly Greater Dwarf Lemur) as well as a Sikora Leaf-tailed Gecko, our first look at these bizarre creatures.
Days 12-14: Andasibe-Mantadia National Park.
We had three full days to explore this fantastic park. We spent the first morning tracking birds and lemurs through the forests of the former Perinet Reserve, famous for its Indri, the largest extant lemur. It didn't disappoint, we found them before even the mammal trackers did! It was great to watch them early in the morning while they were active; the energetic baby making its first forays away from its mother was particularly entertaining. While watching the Indri a mixed flock passed through containing the often tricky Nuthatch Vanga which provided great views of its appropriately nuthatch-like behavior. Next we heard a Red-fronted Coua, it didn't take long to locate it for truly incredible looks at this beautiful (and often shy) bird. We were really able to study the details of its plumage as it sat right in the open for an extended period. A few minutes later our local guide took us straight to a roosting Rainforest Scops-Owl. Afterwards we were off in search of the shy Madagascar Wood Rail. We accidentally disturbed group of sleeping Eastern Wooly Lemur comprised of mother, father and baby. We watched them as they watched us while our local guide tried to locate the wood rail. Suddenly he was shouting and we were off. After a bit of maneuvering everybody got good looks; there seemed to be three or four of them scurrying about on the ground, never standing still even for a moment. As we were making our way back to the bus we came across a mixed flock in a perfect place--we stood on a bridge while the birds fed at the water's edge at nearly eye level. We were able to obtain proper looks at Madagascar Blue Vanga, seeing not only the shining blue upperparts but also the blue bill and blue eye. A Nelicourvi Weaver was building a nest over the river, so we had great looks at the male, while a Ward's Flycatcher was flycatching over our heads. Leaving the flock we heard calling White-throated Oxylabes and yet another usually shy bird posed for us without a care in the world. It was a fantastic end to a great morning.
In the afternoon we stuck to areas near the hotel. With a bit of creative taping everybody had great looks at one of Madagascar's super skulkers, Madagascar Flufftail. Red-breasted Coua was a no-show, but while we were looking Ken spotted a tenrec, a very strange Malagasy rodent-like mammal. Along the road we relocated the previous night's Leaf-tailed Gecko, now able to appreciate its bizarre shape and incredible camouflage. We made further efforts for Crested Ibis and Long-eared Owl--we heard the owl but saw neither. We did, however, locate a pair of the fabulous Madagascar Pygmy Kingfishers as we searched for the ibis. Finally we turned in for dinner and a well-deserved rest.
Our second full day in the area was spent at Mantadia National Park, a much more remote and wild place than Perinet. What was incredible was after seeing dozens of other tourists searching for lemurs in Perinet, we saw not a single other vazaha the entire day in Mantadia! We started the morning looking for the park's most famous avian denizens, the ground-rollers. It didn't take (too) long--our guide miraculously produced a Short-legged Ground Roller that sat long enough for us to make it up the hill to where it sat, then perched motionless on a branch so that everybody got second, third, infinite scope looks at this fabulous bird. We returned to the road where a Hook-billed Vanga was singing and our local guide was able to whistle it into view where we watched it sing for several minutes. Now it was time to hit the trails in the forest. It was slow going at first but we hit real excitement when Scaly Ground Roller was spotted. Unfortunately the pair was supremely uncooperative. While trying in vain to relocate them, however, we did get great looks at another Pitta-like Ground Roller and watched a Madagascar Pygmy-Kingfisher catch a frog out of a large Pandanus. We then returned to the road, where we watched three Madagascar Cuckoo-Rollers displaying overhead on our way to a pond with a resident pair of Madagascar Little Grebes which showed very well.
While we ate lunch and took a post-lunch siesta on the bus, the tireless guide was roaming the forest in search of nightjars. Incredibly, he was successful, so when all were awake the first order of business was to relocate the roosting Collared Nightjar, one of the world's most beautiful. Sure enough, there it was, resting on the forest floor, completely unfazed by our presence. We then held a vigil near a Scaly Ground Roller nest, but it never appeared. On our way back to the hotel we made one last stop to try for Madagascar Rail. Some creative taping allowed everybody to get nice views as a pair crossed an opening in the reeds, one after the other. We finally made it back to our hotel, had a rest and went to have dinner. Our appetizers were just showing up when in came our local guide--his sister had located roosting Madagascar Crested Ibis just down the road! We made a quick exodus from the restaurant, boarded the bus, and three minutes later were watching the ibis preening and resting in the trees. Amazing! Today really showed why we make an effort to always line up the best local guides well in advance--it really makes a huge difference.
For our third morning in the area, we headed straight to the back of Perinet to search for Rufous-headed Ground Roller. Unfortunately it was not to be. We did pause on the way, however, to watch a beautiful Frances's Sparrowhawk eating its breakfast, an equally beautiful Souimanga Sunbird. We spent the rest of the morning tromping around less visited areas of the park, getting scope looks at a surprisingly cooperative female Common Sunbird-Asity. A few people got views of a Wedge-tailed Jery with a mixed understory flock, but Red-breasted Coua made like the Rufous-headed Ground-Roller and avoided us entirely.
After lunch we headed back to Mantadia for another go at ground-rollers. We started with another search for Rufous-headed Ground-Roller. While tromping around the hillside looking, we stumbled across another Short-legged Ground-Roller which provided incredible eye-level views, but the Rufous-headed eluded us. Now it was on to the next one--Scaly Ground-Roller. We headed straight for the nest. After half and hour waiting, and still nothing, I got up to check out a strange greenbul vocalization. Sure enough, it was Gray-crowned Greenbul which those close got a look at. But we were immediately distracted because there was the Scaly Ground-Roller! First it was along the river bank, then eventually made its way to its nest. It paused at the nest entrance for a couple long seconds where we soaked in the intricate plumage, before deciding it would come back later. We, too, decided it was best to leave so we headed off. A stop after dark for Long-eared Owl yielded not even a peep, to back to the hotel we were.
Day 15: Andasibe to Tana.
For our final morning we took it easy, taking a very nice walk in the nearby forests of Perinet. We again enjoyed great looks at Indri, this time getting the full Indri experience--hearing it's ear-splitting song at very close range. We also enjoyed further good views of Nuthatch Vanga, paused to watch the remarkable giraffe-necked weevil and eventually found a small group of the beautiful Diademed Sifaka. We bid farewell to our local guide and headed back to the capital, first making an emergency stop when Madagascar Pratincole was spotted circling overhead, then making the planned stop to visit the fabulous 'reptile farm' en route, where a wide variety of Malagasy reptiles are easily photographable. We had a farewell dinner for the Dolf and Herman--the rest of us were going to the northwest.
Northwest Extension: Ampijoroa and the Betsiboka Delta
Day 1: Tana to Ankarafantsika National Park (Ampijoroa)
Today we made the long drive from Tana to Ankarafantsika (formerly Ampijoroa). We had great looks at Madagascar Pratincole en route, but we didn't spend much time searching for Madagascar Harrier since we had seen it the first day of the tour. As we pulled into the park we spotted its most characteristic lemur, the gorgeous and charismatic Coquerel's Sifaka. We decided to take the evening off and begin the birding in earnest tomorrow.
Days 2-3: Ankarafantsika National Park (Ampijoroa)
We had two full days to locate the avian treasures of this dry forest park--it was a clean sweep! Our first morning was extremely successful. Our first boon was a pair of Rufous Vanga, but next was even better. A pair of White-breasted Mesites was calling in the understory; they proved extremely responsive to our local guide's whistling, and in no time at all we had incredible views of these skulkers. They slowly crossed the path as we watched in amazement before disappearing again into the forest. A distant spot on the trail in front of us proved to be a Red-capped Coua. Fortunately one was much closer moments later on a different path and we got great looks at the dry forest specialty. Our guide then took us to a Van Dam's Vanga next he had located. A few were lucky enough to see the male mobbing a Madagascar Buzzard, while everybody got to see the female seated on the nest. As we returned to the parking area we located yet another pair of Van Dam's Vangas, the region's rarest passerine, and this time everybody got great looks at male and female. And this was all before breakfast!!!
After breakfast we walked a short distance across the street to check out the lake. A variety of waterbirds were easily located, including our first of the endemic Humblot's Heron, as well as Comb Duck, Glossy Ibis, Black Herons doing their 'umbrella' feeding and a lone African Openbill. Best, though, was a gorgeous Madagascar Jacana working the lily pads around the lake's edge, a species endemic to wetlands in the west of Madagascar. A Madagascar Pond-Heron briefly flew past, showing off its bright blue bill, but fortunately the resident pair of Madagascar Fish-Eagles flew around more leisurely allowing for nice looks as they circled overhead.
In the afternoon we headed a short distance away to a large lake, Lake Amboromalandy. The normal road was blocked by a large, muddy puddle, but our local guide located an alternative route (partially straight through a mango plantation). Scanning the lake we found the sought after African Pygmy Goose, and after a struggle everyone got satisfactory views. Much better views were had, however, of Greater Painted Snipe, as two pairs fed in the open. A night walk before dinner was really incredible for the clear, prolonged looks we got at all of the lemurs we saw: Fat-tailed Dwarf Lemur, Milne-Edwards Sportive-Lemur, Western Avahi (Wooly Lemur), and Golden-brown Mouse Lemur. We also saw a Western Tuft-tailed Rat in the treetops.
The next day we started in a different part of the park just down the road. We had two targets in mind: primary was Schlegel's Asity, secondary was Madagascar Buttonquail. We searched and searched, twice hearing the asity without seeing it. We did locate two different pairs of Madagascar Buttonquail and eventually everyone got very good views. Things were getting tense when again we heard an asity sing. Then our local guide located it--there it was. An absolutely stunning male Schlegel's Asity, not only present and cooperative but sitting in a tree without a single leaf but full of bright red flowers! It was an explosion of color, a yellow and olive bird with bright green and blue bare skin around the eye sitting in a tree with red flowers! And it sat long enough for everybody to get scope views--it was almost too good to be true. With this ultimate success, we decided to head back to camp for a well deserved rest.
For the afternoon we took a relaxing pontoon trip onto the lake at Ampijoroa. As we got towards the back of the lake the skipper spotted the pair of Madagascar Fish-Eagles and we were able to get very close views of this magnificent and extremely rare species. We also found an African Darter at close range besides the innumerable Glossy Ibis, Common Squacco Heron and other waders, including a couple Humblot's Herons. Just as we were returning to shore we spotted a raptor flying in the distance--a Madagascar Cuckoo Hawk! Before dinner we took a brief walk near the restaurant to add yet one more lemur to our list: the rare Mongoose Lemur, a pair of which was feeding in a mango tree.
Day 4: Ankarafantsika to Mahajanga.
We had a last morning for birding in the dry forest. A couple people took a walk into the forest where they had further nice views of Rufous and Van Dam's Vangas as well as a Frances's Sparrowhawk. The rest of us stuck around the camp where we found the 'usual' camp birds, like parties of Sickle-billed Vanga, several breeding pairs of Broad-billed Roller, Cuckoo Roller, Madagascar Hoopoe, and Madagascar Green Pigeon. At one point I went back to get something out of my bungalow and spotted a strange shape flying through the forest. Fortunately it landed not far away and when I went around to get a better look I couldn't believe what I saw: a Madagascar Buzzard with a Madagascar Pond-Heron in its talons! Fortunately the bird sat in the same place for over an hour, allowing those who were around to get great views of the spectacle. After breakfast we were off to Mahajanga, with a brief stop along the way when an adult Madagascar Harrier-Hawk flew across the road. We took the afternoon to relax at our very nice hotel just outside of town.
Day 5: Betsiboka Delta, Mahajanga to Tana.
This morning we embarked on another boat trip, this time in the mangrove islands and mudflats of the Betsiboka River mouth. After a speedy ride out to the area, it took no time at all to locate our two main targets: Bernier's Teal and Madagascar Sacred Ibis, two endangered species endemic to wetlands and mangroves in western Madagascar. We got great views of both as we circled a large mudflat. A group of seven Crab Plovers was a nice surprise and a couple dozen Lesser Flamingos added a splash of color. Shorebirds were plentiful, and among the abundant Curlew Sandpipers and Whimbrel were number of Terek Sandpipers and Greater Sandplovers. Humblot's Heron was also present among the hundreds of both dark and white forms of Dimorphic Egrets. We returned back to shore, and after lunch and a rest we boarded a plane back to Tana. It was farewell for most; only Klaus and I were continuing on to the Masoala Peninsula.
Helmet Vanga Extension: The Masoala Peninsula
Day 1: Tana to Masoala.
We had an early flight to Maroansetra where we were met, driven to our boat and on our way around the Bay of Antongil to our lodge, perfectly situated at the edge of primary forest in the incomparable Masoala National Park. We took the afternoon to rest and ready ourselves for our four night stay.
Days 2-4: Masoala National Park.
Morning one, and its raining. We wait until it lightens up, and off we go. The rain is steady and the birds are quiet. We finally get up to a ridgetop forest where a mixed flock is present. We hear the extremely rare Bernier's Vanga calling, then we hear the magical call of Helmet Vanga. Then BANG! Both of those incredible birds appear at the same moment! We take a few moments to look at the black-barred brown plumage of a female Bernier's, but afterall we're really here after Helmet so we quickly switch to watching an incredible Helmet Vanga, sitting in the complete open on a vine. It was one of those birding moments that will never be forgotten. This was also when we decided we should see a Helmet Vanga every day. We took a short walk in the afternoon and spent some time sitting in the canopy tower, from which we saw Rufous Vanga with a mixed flock and had brief glimpses of Red Ruffed Lemur.
The following morning we set off again into the beautiful forest. We had soon found a Short-legged Ground Roller which we watched as it caught a crab, then sat on a branch singing with the crab in its bill. In the tree tops a gorgeous Red Ruffed Lemur (endemic to the Masoala Peninsula) came to check us out, found us uninteresting and proceeded to lie on a high branch soaking in the suns warming rays while we watched it through the scope. We were soon distracted, however, when Helmet Vanga sang. We soon had a pair flying around and this time we were really able to enjoy our views and soak in every detail of their remarkable plumage. Eventually they moved on, as did we. A Red-breasted Coua crossed the path who proved extremely responsive, when I softly put on the tape it did an immediate about face and practically walked over our shoes! A short while later we located a pair of Scaly Ground-Rollers; after chasing them around for a bit we eventually got great scope looks of one singing from atop a rock. It was time to slowly make our way back to the lodge. We were approaching a small river when our local guide stopped in his tracks and pointed--a Helmet Vanga was building a nest!!! Our plans immediately changed; we put ourselves in good positions and spent the next two hours watching as a pair of this most incredible bird brought billfulls of moss and occasional sticks to add to the already substantial nest. We learned to distinguish the male from female by size and bill size. Finally it was time for lunch so we worked out way back to the lodge, the indelible memory of Helmet Vangas building a nest seared onto our brain. We celebrated by taking the afternoon off to enjoy the isolated beach next to lodge. After dark we embarked on a short night walk, seeing a practically tame Weasel Sportive Lemur at incredibly close range and a slightly more distant Eastern Wooly Lemur.
For our third morning we headed into the smaller forests on the other side of the lodge. The birding was indeed rather slow. We did spot a beautiful breeding plumages Forest Fody and were entertained by a women trying to chase a group of fodies and Madagascar Munias from her paddies by banging a stick and against a machete. We made it to Tompolo Marine Reserve and spent some time snorkeling around the reefs (and watching Madagascar Pratincoles fly around the rocks), where unfortunately more of the coral was dead than alive. We took a boat back to the lodge for lunch, then again took an afternoon to relax in the beautiful surroundings of the lodge. We did another short night walk around the lodge grounds on our way to dinner, easily finding several Brown Mouse Lemurs and a lovely Greater Dwarf Lemur within a few steps of the restaurant.
Days 5-6-7: Masoala to Nosy Mangabe to Maroansetra to Tana.
For our last morning we decided we had to watch the Helmet Vanga nest one more time. We set off for the nest, and after a fifteen minute wait the pair showed up together. We watched for an hour as they seemed to be putting the finishing touches on the nest. After every addition the female would try different positions sitting in the nest, make a small adjustment to the construction of the nest, then try it out again. On the way back to the lodge we ran into another Short-legged Ground Roller perched cooperatively at eye level, showing off its purple nape, as well as another Red-breasted Coua foraging on the path in front of us. After our walk it was time to board the boat again and head to the forested island of Nosy Mangabe. We set up our camp, ate lunch with a couple White-fronted Brown Lemurs keeping us company (including a two-week old infant), had a rest, then took a walk through the forest. We found five different leaf-tailed geckos, Uroplatus fimbriatus, the largest of the genus, and got to study the intricacies of their camouflage. We also came across a lone Black-and-white Ruffed Lemur and several beautiful green Mantella frogs. That night we took a night walk to look for Aye-aye, undoubtedly the most bizarre of all lemurs, but as usual this rare and extremely shy species eluded us. We did find two snakes (Madagascarophis colubris), got to watch the leaf-tailed geckos while they were active, and found several Brown Mouse Lemurs and another Greater Dwarf Lemur. For our last morning, Klaus and the local guide took a short farewell walk in the forest, before boarding the boat and returning to Maroansetra, where two Crab Plovers flew by the boat at the rivermouth. We spent the rest of the day enjoying another beautiful hotel grounds.
We returned in the afternoon to Tana to prepare for our final departures from Madagascar. It had been an exhilarating month full of incredible birds, wonderful mammals and a wide variety of strange and beautiful reptiles and amphibians. We really got to enjoy the diversity of habitats that Madagascar has on offer while seeing a great cross-section of Malagay life.
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