Birding Tour Report 2001

Lyn Mair's report of the World Birdwatch/Rainbow Tours Madagascar Birding Tour in September, 2001.

MADAGASCAR TRIP REPORT
15 to 30 September 2001

By Lyn Mair
For the World Birdwatch / Rainbow Tours Madagascar 2001 Tour.

15 September
The flight from Paris landed in Antananarivo a little early but my group were last out as they sorted their visas. We had a successful currency change and started out for Andasibe/Perinet.
Our first stop was to purchase honey from a stall on the roadside with yellow-billed kites and Madagascar Kestrels overhead. The Mangoro River, near the town of Moramanga, is the usual haunt of the Madagascar pratincole, but this time we did not see one on either journey: they were probably all sitting on the airstrip on Ile Ste Marie or winging their way home from East Africa.
Feon’ny ala was a good late lunch stop and I was able to meet up with local guide Maurice and discuss our plans for the next 2 days. After lunch we walked along the road and picked up the first rush of Madagascar birding, with great views of Madagascar blue pigeon - red tail and all. There were Blue and Chabert’s vangas, Madagascar white eyes and Souimanga and Long-billed green sunbirds. Maurice was dropped off en route to the Vakona Forest Lodge. Everyone was really tired and it was straight to bed after dinner.

16 September
In the quiet cool of the early morning we walked along the road with forest on either side and had great views of the Madagascar sparrow-hawk. It seems to have a much longer tail than Frances’s sparrow-hawk. Tylas and Coral-billed nuthatch vanga were easily seen at the park entrance while Mascarene martins and Madagascar spinetails were swooping overhead. Along the edges of the defunct fish farm Madagascar malachite kingfishers and Madagascar cisticolas were easy to see. Later in the day, Madagascar flufftails were heard calling frantically from here but were impossible to lure out of the thick grass. Climbing from the fish farm into the forest at Perinet we came upon several bird parties, which caused great excitement, Ward’s flycatchers, Long-billed greenbuls, Red-tailed vangas, Common newtonias and Common jerys, Souimanga and Long-billed green sunbirds were all over the place.
The post dawn silence was soon shattered by the haunting wailing of communicating Indri lemurs and in no time Maurice had managed to locate a family group. Everyone was quite entranced by these giant black and white cuddleys as they nimbly leapt from tree to tree or just sat clinging to the branches eating leaves and buds. A tiny orange and white Madagascar pygmy kingfisher sat in the low vegetation near the lemurs for ages and Brenda was even able to photograph him. Our last great bird of the morning was a male Velvet asity, in pristine breeding plumage.
While sitting down to a leisurely lunch at the restaurant of Feon ‘ny ala, a pair of Madagascar starlings came to the Ravenala palm (travellers palm) and proceeded to tuck into the inflorescences, which were obviously ripe and tasty.
The plan for the afternoon was to visit the Ampasipotsy marsh. After parking the bus and walking down the dusty road we soon had a group of giggling children trailing along with us. As we approached the marsh a pair of Painted snipe flew off in a hurry and soon a couple of Madagascar snipe flew right in front of us, and then gave us another fly past while we just stood and watched. Before long a few Madagascar rails with their insistent, piping calls could be heard and were seen moving through the tall thick grass and reeds. Soon, three rails came into the open patch one after the other, much to everyone’s jubilation.
At dusk we were intrigued to watch a party of Brown lemurs climbing high into the tall pines and calling raucously as the daylight faded. Soon the hollow call of a Long eared owl could be heard in the distance and it flew onto a perch and was clearly seen by all of us, its size and prominent ear tufts distinguishing it from any other Malagasy owl.
After the owl, we just had to go a little way into the forest from the car park as Maurice had a treat in store and there fast asleep, about 2 metres above our heads was a Pitta-like ground roller!
It had been a long day and everyone was really tired, they had barely had a chance to catch up on their long overnight flight.

17 September
This was the day set aside to explore Mantadia and look for Ground rollers. The Scaly ground roller was very shy and timid, but everyone managed to see it. We did quite a long walk looking for Diademed sifakas but only found several groups of Indris. During this part of the morning, going up a steep incline a pair of Collared nightjars were disturbed and one rested among some tangled roots close to the path. A shaft of sunshine lit up the deep rufous velvety looking collar and the bird just sat there quite unperturbed while we had saturated views of this rare endemic, before quietly leaving it to get on with its sleep.
Greater and Lesser vasa parrots were abundant and noisy, as were Cuckoo-rollers, calling high above the canopy and we even got to see a Madagascar lesser cuckoo. In the late afternoon the thin but piercing call of a Crossley’s babbler was tantalising and it was seen really close up.

18 September
A travel day was ahead of us, but first we had to walk around the orchid garden near the park entrance in the hope of finding the Madagascar crested ibis - no joy there, but so many orchids were in flower and most were named with metal tags. On the banks of the Mangoro river, a family of Chabert’s vangas were busy feeding in a clump of bushes, they were a nice diversion as we hunted again for the Madagascar pratincole.
We had to stop in Antananarivo for Hery, our guide to do some business before lunch. It was a long drive to Antsirabe and we only got there after sunset. The highlight of the afternoon was a beautiful male Reunion harrier, gracefully gliding over a valley of the Hauts Plateaux.

19 September
Another long travel day. Our bus driver was a very good, safe driver but we moved so slowly as the road twisted along the numerous hills!
We stopped at a great spot among some tall pines and Hery produced a marvellous picnic lunch. Alpine swifts circled rapidly overhead while Blue couas and Cuckoo rollers (Courol) were seen in the trees.
The dirt road leading to Ranomafana is worse than ever, and it took ages to negotiate the deep ruts and protruding rocks. Approaching Vohiparara, we stopped by the Namorana river and then went into the forest. The first 'Ranomafana Rush' of adrenalin was experienced by all as we quietly watched a pair of Rufous-headed ground rollers feeding on the path right in front of us. Madagascar pratincoles were seen (at last!) hawking insects as we left the river to get to Domain Nature hotel before dark.
I met with local guide Fidi and we worked out how best to maximise our time in Ranomafana. There were great expectations with many special birds and lemurs on the clients “want list”. Fortunately the fine weather was on our side.

20 September Thursdsay
An early breakfast of baguette and confiture and piles of pancakes gave us energy for a long day. First Fidi led us into Ranomafana to an area of tall bamboo thickets where the Golden bamboo lemurs were waking up and eating their favourite food. The extremely rare Greater bamboo lemurs and striking Milne-Edwards Diadem sifaka lemurs all put in an appearance for us. Pollen’s vanga was also seen in this area, the first one that I had seen here for two years!. Bird-wise, the forest seemed a little quiet but we managed to see Madagascar yellow-brows, White-throated oxylabes and a pair of Brown mesite.
After a very ordinary picnic lunch courtesy Hotel Domaine Nature at the roadside, we found Grey emutails making a lot of noise in what little is left of the swamp. So much natural vegetation has been cleared to make way for more paddy fields and the rainforest has been cleared up the hill for some sort of agriculture. A walk into Vohiparara was very quiet - no Asitys, but we did see the Rufous-headed ground-roller again and hopefully Brenda got some excellent photos. The Madagascar crested ibis too, was elusive.
We returned to Ranomafana for the night walk and though it resembles a circus, everyone was thrilled to see so many tiny Rufous mouse lemurs, plus Red-bellied and Red-fronted brown lemurs. The Madagascar striped civet (Fanaloka) came out into the open to take the meat scraps and was well photographed.
By the time we got back to Domain Nature everyone was exhausted.

21 September
An early departure was necessary to get to Isalo before dark. We were lucky enough to see a pair of Meller’s ducks on a quiet patch of the Namorana River and a Cryptic warbler in the telescope. A quick breakfast stop at Soafia turned out to be a long stop as they had nothing ready for us in the smoky, incense-filled dining room.
It was rather a long and boring drive to Relaise de la Reine but Benson’s rock thrush were perched on the roof and seen all around the hotel grounds. We arrived just after a large German group and we had to wait for ages before we were given our chalet keys. The food was as good.

22 September
Breakfast was laid out in my chalet the previous night so we were able to have an 05.30 start which is necessary to get into Zombitse Forest National Park before it gets too hot. Ilakaka, the sapphire mining town has a look of wild west about it, and is spreading fast. After this the first Baobabs came into view and we were soon in the dry deciduous transitional forest of Zombitse. No one was in the office at the park entrance so we walked without a guide along a nice path and came across a bird party with Rufous and Blue vangas, Madagascar paradise flycatchers and Long-billed greenbuls. We saw several small groups of the local 'special', Appert’s greenbuls, quietly fossicking among the leaf litter in the sunshine. Then nearby, a Giant coua could be heard making its snarly growl and we found it up a tree. One of the most successful mornings in Zombitse.
Continuing on to Tulear, we passed so many bags of charcoal on the roadside - the dry spiny bush must be disappearing at an alarming rate.
Lunch at the Arboretum d'Antsokay Botanical Garden outside Tulear, was good and we were rewarded with great views of the Running coua. An excellent guide took us around the Arboretum and told us so many interesting things about the vegetation including the medicinal properties of several trees. (His name was Prosper).
At this point we transferred into three 4x4s for the trip to Ifaty Beach. A stop at the lake produced hundreds of White-faced whistling ducks, Red-billed and Hottentot teal as well as several waders and a huge swarm of Little grebes.
Le Paradisier Hotel was most comfortable and the staff so friendly and accommodating. Hery and I went to locate the father and son birding guide team Mosa and Masindraka. Well, they now have a signboard up with a big green arrow indicating the “Mosa family – Guide to the Bird”

23 September
An early start with Mosa and his father took us into the weird and wonderful spiny forest where we had great views of the Long-tailed ground roller, White-headed, Hook-billed and LaFresney’s vangas and Archbold’s newtonia. The Sub-desert mesite proved very difficult. There were so many people and zebu ox-carts in the forest and we heard the continuous chopping of trees. Mosa knew of a Sub-desert mesite nest but on searching for the birds, he said the nest appeared abandoned with 2 eggs in it. We were just about to give up when a male mesite was located doing its freezing act head down.
After breakfast back at the lodge, James, Annette and Aart went on a snorkelling expedition and commented on the damaged coral. Sadly, it is being extensively dynamited. A walk around the hotel grounds gave us tantalizing views of Green capped-coua, and everyone picked up the Sub-desert brush warbler. The rare Madagascar plovers were seen wandering along the shoreline below the hotel.

25 September
Departure after breakfast for Tulear via the lakes again. All the luggage was deposited at the Hotel Capricorne with Hery, who had to reconfirm our flights. A quick visit to the pools by the airport produced nothing particularly interesting. We then went down to the mangrove to find the rare Humblot’s heron – several were seen by all, feeding on the flats at low tide. The Red-shouldered vanga was heard, but could not be enticed out of hiding. It was a wonderful and very relaxed lunch at Melodie Beach Hotel, St Augustin Bay.

26 September
A travel day back to Antananarivo. In the late afternoon, we visited Lac Alarobia and everyone was astounded at the sheer numbers of birds - it really was spectacular as they all came in to roost for the night. Various Egrets and herons (eg Squacco and Madagascar pond herons) were there by the hundreds and Whistling ducks galore!

27 September
No one was interested in going to the market so we went to Timbazaza Zoo which everyone was very pleased with: the group enjoyed the Ring tailed lemurs on the island and some even saw the Aye aye! Lunch at the airport and a flight to Mahajunga took up most of the afternoon. It was dark by the time we arrives in Ampijoroa for 2 nights camping. I was a bit alarmed when we had to consolidate our plans with the local guides - much had changed on the Ampijoroa guide front since my 2000 tour. Charl had died, Izo had been eaten by a crocodile, Olivier had changed careers and we had been told that Jacky was too ill. As soon as the tents were up Hery and I rushed into the village to find Jacky. He was expecting us and had recovered, thank goodness!

28 September
Birding in Ampijoroa with Jacky is always a treat: no macho tape-playing or any big noises - just a quiet, gentle soul who knows where to find the birds and how to whistle them up. White-breasted mesites were seen in pairs busily doing their clockwork walk; Red-capped and Coquerel’s couas abounded. Coquerel’s sifakas enchanted our group, as did the Brown and Western woolly lemurs. In the afternoon we spent time at Lake Ravelobe and enjoyed the Madagascar fish eagles on the opposite bank. The Madagascar jacana appeared fleetingly and frustratingly distant and we kept a watch for the crocs. A night walk was rewarding, including sightings of many tiny Grey mouse lemurs - none of the newly described Lake Ravelobe / Golden-brown species though….

29 September
A fairly early start into Ampijoroa to search for the Schlegel’s asity - I really thought we might be too early as there were not many flowers open yet. We found one male sitting high in the canopy calling. Then, half an hour later we came across two females with a fabulous male in full breeding regalia about 3 meters from us, above the path - my best ever views of this stunning little bird with his psychedelic blue and green eye wattles!
All to soon we had to return to the camp for lunch and our departure to Mahajanga.
En route, we stopped by the usual dam just past Amboromalandy, in hopes of finding the Madagascar jacana. Well, we were rewarded with a pair and two young very close to the road! Needless to say, we were surrounded by the usual mob of children who peered down the scope and enjoyed seeing the birds.
At this high point, I had to take leave of the group (due to recent flight timetable changes), so I jumped into my car and sped off to the Mahajunga airport for my flight to Tana and connection at dawn the next day back to South Africa.
With Hery Andrianatefana, the group remained in Mahajanga for their last night in Madagascar. Their hotel for the night was Zahamotel at Amborovy Beach.

30 September
The group took an excursion on the vast, muddy Betsiboka River Delta (by local 'lakana' boat), where the threatened Madagascar white ibis and highly endangered Madagascar (Bernier's) teal were seen, before flying back with Hery to Antananarivo and out to Paris CDG airport that night.

Summary:
In spite of being relatively early in the birding season, we had the most impressive list of 154 species of which 107 were endemic species and 2 heard only (Madagascar flufftail, Red-shouldered vanga).
Combined with an amazing variety of lemurs this is one of the best trips I have ever led.

Trip List:
By Lyn Mair
For Rainbow Tours / World Birdwatch 2001 Madagascar Tour

Sites visited:
Perinet /Analamazaotra - Mantadia National Park & Ampasipotsy marsh
Ranomafana National Park
Isalo massif
Zombitse Forest National Park
Ifaty Beach + St Augustin Bay
Lake Alarobia & Parc de Tsimbazaza, Antananarivo
Reserve Forestier de Ampijoroa
Betsiboka River Delta

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
*Madagascar Little Grebe Tachybaptus pelzelnii
Darter Anhinga rufa
Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
**Madagascar Squacco / pond Heron Ardeola idea
Black crowned night Heron Nyticorax n.
Green backed Heron Butroides striatus
Great white egret Casmerodius albus
Cattle egret Bubulcus ibis
Black egret Egretta ardesiaca
Dimorphic egret Egretta dimorpha
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
**Humblot’s Heron Ardea humbloti
Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
*Madagascar White Ibis Threskiornis bernieri
African open-billed stork Anastomun lamelligerus
Greater flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber
Red billed teal Anas erythrorhyncha
Hottentot teal A. hottentota
*Meller’s duck A. melleri
*Bernier's /Madagascar teal (Anas bernieri)
Fulvous duck Dendrocygna bicolour
White faced duck D. viduata
Knob billed duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
Pygmy goose Nettapus auritus
*Madagascar fish eagle Haliaeetus vociferoides
*Madagascar harrier hawk Polybroides radiatus
*Madagascar buzzard Buteo brachypterus
**Reunion harrier Circus mailardii
Yellow billed kite Milvus aegyptius
*Banded kestrel Falco zoniventris
*Madagascar sparrowhawk Accipiter madagascariensis
**France’s sparrowhawk A. francesii
**Madagascar Kestrel Falco newtoni
*White breasted mesite Mesitornis variegata
*Brown mesite M. unicolor
*Sub-desert mesite Monias benschi
**Madagascar buttonquail Turnix nigricollis
*White throated rail Dryolimnas cuverei
*Madagascar rail Rallus madagascariensis
*Madagascar flufftail Sarothrura insularis Heard only
Common moorhen Gallinula chloropus
*Madagascar jacana Actophilornis albinucha
*Madagascar snipe Gallinago macrodactyla
Greater painted snipe Rostratula benghalensis
*Madagascar pratincole Glareola ocularis
Ruddy turnstone Arenaria interpres
Black winged stilt Himantopus h.
Grey plover Pluvialis squatarola
Ringed plover Charadrius hiaticula
*Madagascar plover Charadrius thoracicus
Kittlitz’s plover C. pecuarius
Three banded plover C tricollaris
Greater sandplover C. leschenaultii
White fronted plover C. marginatus
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Common sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Sanderling Calidris alva
Curlew sandpiper Calidris ferruginea
Caspian tern Sterna caspia
Greater crested tern Sterna bergii
Feral pigeon Colomba livia
Namaqua dove Oena capensis
*Madagascar green pigeon Treron australis
*Madagascar blue pigeon Alectroenas madagascariensis
**Madagascar turtle dove Streptopelia picturata
**Grey headed love-bird Agapornis cana
**Greater Vasa parrot Coracopis vasa
**Lesser Vasa parrot C. nigra
**Madagascar coucal Centropus toulou
*Madagascar lesser cuckoo Cuculus rochii
*Green-capped coua Coua olivaceiceps
*Red capped coua Coua ruficeps
*Running coua C.cursor
*Giant coua Coua gigas
* Coquerel’s coua C. coquereli
*Red fronted coua C. reynaudii
*Blue Coua C. caerulea
*Crested coua C. cristata
*Madagascar long eared owl Asio madagascariensis
*Madagascar scops owl Otus rutilis
**Madagascar nightjar Caprimulgus madagascariensis
*Collared nightjar C. enarratus
Alpine swift Apus melba
**Madagascar black swift Apus balstoni
**Madagascar spinetail Zoonavena grandideiri
Palm swift Cypsiurus parvus
Brown throated sand martin Riparia paludicola
**Mascarene martin Phedina borbonica
*Madagascar kingfisher Corythornis vintsiodes
*Madagascar pygmy kingfisher Ispidina madagascariensis
**Madagascar bee eater Merops supercilliosis
**Madagascar Cuckoo-roller Leptosomus discolor
*Scaly ground roller Brachypteracias
*Pitta-like ground roller Atelornis pittoides
*Rufous headed ground roller Atelornis crossleyi
*Long-tailed ground roller Uratelornis chimaera
*Velvet asity Philepitta castanea
*Schlegel’s asity P. schlegali
* Wattled (common) Sunbird asity Neodrepanis coruscans
**Madagascar bulbul Hypsipetes madagascariensis
*Appert’s greenbul Bernieria apperti
*Long-billed greenbul B. madagascariensis
* Spectacled greenbul B. Zosterops
* Yellow-browed oxylabes Crossleyia xanthophrys
*White-throated oxylabes Oxylabes madagascariensis
*Crossley’s babbler Mystacornis crossleyi
*Madagascar magpie-robin Copsychus albospecularis
*Madagascar hoopoe Upupa marginata
*Forest rock-thrush M. sharpei
Stonechat Saxicola torquata
*Madagascar wagtail Motacilla flaviventris
**Madagascar paradise flycatcher Tersiphone mutata
*Ward’s flycatcher Pseudobias wardi
*Common newtonia N. brunneicauda
*Archbold’s newtonia N. archboldi
*Madagascar lark Mirafra hova
**Madagascar cisticola Cisticola cherina
*Madagascar swamp warbler Acrocephalus newtoni
**Madagascar brush warbler Nesillas typica
*Sub-desert brush warbler N. lantzii
*Grey emutail Amphilais seebohmi
*Common jery Neomixis tenella
*Stripe throated jery N. striatigula
*Green jery N. viridis
*Rand’s warbler Randia pseudozosterops
*Cryptic warbler Cryptosylvicola randriaasoloi
**Madagascar white-eye Zosterops maderaspatanus
**Souimanga sunbird Nectarina Souimanga
**Longbilled green sunbird N. notata
*Nuthatch vanga Hypositta corallirostris
*White-headed vanga Leptopterus viridis
*Chabert’s vanga L. chabert
*Madagascar blue vanga Cyanolanius madagascrinus
*Sickle-billed vanga Falculea palliata
*Rufous vanga Schetba rufa
*Red-tailed vanga Calicalicus madagascariensis
*Red-shouldered vanga C.rufocarpalis Heard only
*Hook-billed vanga Vanga curvirostris
*Lafresnaye’s vanga Xenopirostris x.
*Van Dam’s vanga X. damii
*Pollen’s vanga X. polleni
*Tylas Tylas eduardi
*Madagascar cuckoo-shrike Coracina cinerea
*Madagascar starling Hartlaubius auratus
Common mynah Acridotheres tristis
**Crested drongo Dicrurus forficatus
Pied crow Corvus albus
**Madagascar fody Foudia madagascariensis
*Sakalava weaver Ploceus sakalava
*Nelicourvi weaver P. nelicourvi
*Madagascar mannikin Lonchura nana

Notes:
Benson’s rock thrush seen, but it does not have species status.

156 species on the trip list of those 107 are endemic plus 2 which were heard only (Madagascar flufftail and Red shouldered vanga).

* Endemic to Madagascar **Endemic to the Indian Ocean Islands
(Reference: 'Birds of the Indian Ocean Islands' by Ian Sinclair & Olivier Langrand)

MAMMALS
Indri Indri indri
Coquerel’s Sifaka Propithecus verrreauxi coquereli
Milne-Edward’s Diadem Sifaka Propithecus diadema edwardsi
Eastern Woolly lemur Avahi laniger
Western Woolly lemur A. occidentalis
Common brown lemur Eulemur fulvus fulvus
Red fronted brown lemur E.f. rufus
Red-bellied lemur E.f.rubriventer
Greater bamboo lemur Hapelemur simus
Golden bamboo lemur H. aureus
Rufous Mouse lemur Microcebus rufus
Grey Mouse lemur M. murinus
Greater dwarf lemur Cheirogaleus major

Madagascar striped civet or Fanaloka Fossa fossana