The first thing to understand is that I made in error in publishing my posts. I posted Egypt before I had finished Madagascar, so the posts are out of sequence. Sorry about that.
It is the 1st October & we are walking down the road at dawn waiting for the Analmazoatra Reserve in Andasibe to open. It is quite birdy but birds are high up in the very large trees lining the road, so birding is not easy. However, birding is exciting as most birds seen are new species for me!
Hook-billed Vanga
My first Vanga!
However we do see Hook-billed Vanga & Nuthatch Vanga. Indris are calling from deep in the forest & this makes for a very evocative atmosphere.
Delana
The reserve opens & we obtain our tickets & enter into the forest. The trails are well laid out & the various trails clearly marked. It is a beautiful reserve but we were not expecting the number of other visitors present here. This is the place to see Indri, which is a massive draw. However, we soon explore the less travelled trails & for the next couple of hours we are birding alone, which was great!
Not all the reserve is forest, there are more open
areas as well.
Excellent trails made birding
a pleasure.
Madagascar Malachite
Kingfisher
Madagascar Brush Warbler
These birds look a little bit different than
the ones seen in Tana.
They are darker & more
heavily streaked.
They respond to pishing vigorously!
My first Lemur!
Brown Lemur.
Pollen's Vanga
Our only ones of the trip!
Crested Drongo
Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher
(white phase).
Madagascar Magpie Robin
Common Newtonia
Nelicourvi Weaver
After hearing them all around us, our first Indri!
Mummy with tiny baby climbing all over her!
This is the largest Lemur species & they are massive!
They always have this what the fuck stare
all over their faces!
Golden Sifaka
This is a young female who hasn't
attained her adult coat yet.
But she still had a baby!
We enjoyed a fantastic morning of Lemurs & birds! Great stuff!
On the way to the lake.
This lake is a top birding spot, but we only managed
Purple Heron & Common Moorhen in the pouring rain!
Went back to the lodge for lunch & then came out again but the heavens opened up. It was a real shame as we had the park to ourselves (nobody daft enough to venture out in this rain) & it was a lovely scenic walk. However, we saw next to nothing, so after a few hours we retreated back to our lodge. A very promising first full day out in Madagascar.
This is a slightly higher area,
with some fantastic birds!
Our driver, Delana & bird guide.
We were up well before dawn on 2nd October for our drive to the remote Mantadia National Park. This area has only just recently been opened up to tourists & birders, but it really is something special. The problem is getting there! The road is in a terrible state & it is not a pleasant drive. This area deserves several days of exploration but there is nowhere to stay. If someone constructed a lodge here it would quickly become a birding mecca.
As stated earlier, getting there was not easy. Here the bridge was down so we couldn't get into the national park. What we didn't know at the time was that locals had removed the planks & hidden them in the bush! When we stopped they suddenly appeared out of the bush & for a small price they showed us where the planks were & hammered them in place! As we drove away I saw them removing the planks again waiting for the next vehicle to stop. A nice little earner!
Madagascar Blue Pigeon at dawn.
Madagascar Dwarf Kingfisher
Always a difficult bird to see.
Madagascar Cuckoo
Giraffe-necked Weevil
What an incredible insect!
Our first stop was along the roadside with good mature forest around us. In particular we had superb views of Madagascar Dwarf Kingfisher. We then went inside the forest for Pitta-like Ground Roller, which we eventually saw & obtained good views of. However, I didn't get any photos as I was stood in the wrong spot. Very frustrating!
Finally!
Short-legged Ground Roller
One of the great birds of the world.
We then heard Short-legged Ground Roller calling. This is the only reliable place in the world to see this species, so we were off! We crossed the river & for two hours slowly scrambled our way up the forested hillside. We could hear it, but couldn't see it. Then our guide found it & we had the most amazing views of one bird for several minutes. This was a bit of a holy grail moment in birding. Probably the rarest & most difficult of the Ground Rollers to see. Pure magic!
Spot them if you can!
Collared Nightjar.
Our next challenge was seeing Collared Nightjar on its day roost! This is one of the most beautiful of all the world's Nightjars & was high on our list. Our bird guide found the birds (there were two together) so we scrambled up a steep hillside & had brilliant views. One of the highlights of the trip!
Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher
Madagascar Munia
We then had lunch at a pond in the hills. This is a known location for Madagascar Grebe but unfortunately this species eluded us today. We did see Madagascar Buzzard; Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher & Madagascar Munia. We spent quite some time trying to coax out a very vocal Madagascar Flufftail but without any success.
Madagascar Coucal
Often heard, bur rarely comes out in the open.
Madagascar Green Pigeon
Madagascar Starling
Brown Lemur
We returned to the village of Andasibe mid-afternoon & visited the local community forest, which proved to be an excellent choice. We saw two Madagascar Green Pigeon, difficult to get photos in the thick canopy. A Madagascar Flufftail played hide & seek with us. We saw it several times, but it was like lightening crossing any small open area, so no photos! Our first Malagasy Starlings were also present.
Rainforest Scops Owl
We rounded off the day with a Rainforest Scops Owl on its day roost close to the Orchid Garden. It had been another great day in Madagascar!
Crossley's Vanga
Female on the nest.
The 3rd October proved to be another great day. We started at dawn close to the Orchid Garden. A Red-breasted Coua gave us the run around again but we did see a pair of Crossley's Vanga: the female on the nest. It was incredibly dark in the forest hence the poor quality photos.
The entrance to the reserve.
The community has protected just over
3,000 hectares of forest.
There is more forest surrounding the reserve,
but it is not protected.
One can see here where the forest is slowly
getting nibbled away.
This reserve is well known for its
wide variety of herps.
Parson's Chameleon
Madagascar Dwarf Kingfisher
The search for the Rufous-headed Ground Roller
Rufous-headed Ground Roller
The terrain was incredibly steep.
Indri
Female Velvet Asity
This bird was regularly taking nesting material
from this orchid.
Poor photos because of very low light.
Blue Coua
Madagascar Long-eared Owl
One of my most wanted birds of the trip in the bag!
It gave us great views & seemed totally
unconcerned by our presence.
What a star bird!
We spent the afternoon in & around Andasibe. Our guide Barry had arranged for a friend of his to search for the Madagascar Long-eared Owl, as it wasn't roosting in its normal spot. He spent several hours searching & then he found it! So it was a quick dash to the orchid gardens again. We received directions & after a short search found it high up in a pine tree.
White-throated Rail
In the river close to the community forest.
Malagasy Kestrel
Sat on the roof of the railway station.
Red-tailed Vanga
Late afternoon was spent in & around the community forest in town. It proved to be an excellent choice & we had a great time. Once gain we spent some time on the lightening fast Madagascar Flufftail. Despite glimpsing it several times, I failed to get a photo.
The beautiful river which the
Ibis frequent.
We spent a long time on this bridge
hoping the Ibis would appear.
But they never did!
It took us all day to find the Ibis.
But find them we did!
The 4th October was our last day birding here & what an adventure it has been! We could probably have spent at least one more day here, as there are still plenty of birds to be found. Today we concentrated in & around the Andasibe Analamazoatra Reserve. We had one major target to see: Madagascar Ibis. Now this is a secretive & rare forest Ibis. The reserve & surrounding community forests are vast & there are only six Ibis present! The odds were not good but we set out in high spirits & the birding was great!
Lesser Vasa Parrot
Francis's Sparrowhawk
Madagascar Cuckoo
Nuthatch Vanga
Rare & highly localised.
Madagascar Magpie Robin
Randt's Warbler
A baby Brown Lemur with its mummy!
We enjoyed some great birding from the bridge. Then we went Red-breasted Couaing again. We saw it fleetingly several times but I failed to obtain a photo. In the afternoon we heard that one of our spotters had found a pair of Ibis! So it was a fast trek through the forest to the spot & suddenly there they were!
Delana photographing the Ibis.
Madagascar Ibis!
At last! We worked hard for this bird.
What a star bird!
This pair were very intimate,
preening each other all the time.
Job done!
The Indri goodbye song!
What a fantastic ending to our stay here. Birding can be difficult, but thanks to our spotters & our birding guide Barry, we did incredibly well.
Typical scenery along the journey.
A greener area where they are growing rice.
One of the many chaotic towns that
you have to pass through.
The next day we left for Tana & an overnight stay. The distance between Andasibe & Tana is only 140 kilometers, but because of road conditions it took us around six hours. Outside of the reserves the countryside is totally devasted. It really is quite shocking.
What a wonderful start to our trip here. The reserves are awesome, well organised & brilliant trails. Great guides & wonderful wildlife.
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