Thesis Submitted for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Bath Department of Biology and Biochemistry
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Birding Madagascar 1-22 November 2018
Birding Madagascar 1-22 November 2018. Trip report compiled by Tomas Carlberg. 1 Front cover Daily log Red-capped Coua, sunbathing in Ankarafantsika National Park. Photo: Tomas Carlberg November 1st Some of us (TC, JN, and RN) flew Air France from Photos Arlanda, Stockholm at 06:00 to Paris, where we © All photos in this report: Tomas Carlberg. met OP (who flew from Gothenburg) and IF (flew For additional photos, see p. 30 ff. from Manchester). An 11 hrs flight took us to Antananarivo, where we landed just before Participants midnight. Once through after visa and passport control we met Zina at the airport. We stayed at IC Tomas Carlberg (Tour leader), Jonas Nordin, Hotel and fell asleep at 01:30. Sweden; Rolf Nordin, Sweden; Olof Persson, Sweden; Jesper Hornskov, Denmark; Eric November 2nd Schaumburg, Denmark; Hans Harrestrup Andersen, Woke up at 6, met the Danes (JH, ES, HW, and Denmark; Hans Wulffsberg, Denmark; Ian Fryer, UK HHA), and had breakfast. Changed c. 400 Euro each Serge “Zina” Raheritsiferana (organizer and driver), and got 1 540 000 ariary… Departure at 7:30 Fidson “Fidy” Albert Alberto (guide), and Lala. heading north towards Ankarafantsika NP. Saw a male Malagasy Harrier c. 16 km south of Ankazobe Correspondence (-18.45915, 47.160156), so stopped for birding [email protected] (Tomas Carlberg) there 9:45-10:05. Stop at 11:40 to buy sandwiches for lunch. Lunch with birding 12:55-13:15. Long Tour organizers transport today… Stopped for birding at bridge Serge “Zina” Raheritsiferana (Zina-Go Travel), over Betsiboka River 16:30-17:30; highlight here Stig Holmstedt. -
Trip Report BA048 Madagascar Nov2016.Pages
! Birding Africa Madagascar Tour 14 November - 5 December 2016 Tour Report by leader Michael Mills Photos by participants Don MacGillivray & Martin Painter (Helmet Vanga) www.birdingafrica.com Our comprehensive 2016 Madagascar Tour once again showcased Madagascar’s best birds and wildlife in just 16 days, with an optional five days spent at Masoala at the end. We enjoyed excellent views of all available endemic birds, making it our most successful tour of Madagascar to date. Among the 190 species logged were all five species of Ground Roller, all three Mesites, all species of Vanga, all ten Couas and all four Asity species. The most enjoyed birds of the trip were Rufous-headed Vanga and Crossley’s Vanga in tie ninth, Pitta-like Ground Roller and Giant Coua in tie seventh, Short-legged Ground Roller in sixth, Scaly Ground Roller in fifth, White-breasted Mesite in fourth, Long-tailed Ground Roller in third, and Velvet Asity in second, and the peerless Helmet Vanga took our top honours! We also recorded 25 lemur species and lots of other great critters. Deservedly called the eighth continent, Madagascar is simply one of the most unusual and spectacular wildlife destinations on the globe. With more than 120 bird endemics and several endemic bird families, plus all the unique mammals and habitats, we met up at our comfortable base hotel in Antananarivo, exhilarated at what the coming weeks held for us. A short stint of birding in the hotel gardens with Madagascar Nightjar on its day roost tickled our taste buds before we enjoyed our first of many scrumptious meals together. -
Ultimate Madagascar
Subdesert Mesite (Craig Robson) ULTIMATE MADAGASCAR 10 – 30 OCTOBER 2017 LEADER: CRAIG ROBSON This year’s tour delivered an impressive selection of Malagasy specialities. Iconic species like the ground rollers, asities, and mesites were all seen well, and other highlights included feeding Bernier’s Teal, several Humblot’s Herons, Madagascan Grebe, Madagascan Cuckoo-Hawk and Madagascan Sparrowhawk at their nests, Madagascan Fish Eagle, nest-building Madagascan Wood Rails, Madagascan Plover, Madagascan Snipe, Madagascan Sandgrouse, 10-11 species of coua, roosting Madagascan Owl and Collared Nightjar, Cuckoo Roller, Madagascan Pygmy Kingfisher, 20 species of vanga, including Crossley’s and the much- 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Ultimate Madagascar www.birdquest-tours.com wanted Helmet, Red-tailed Newtonia, both Brown and Grey Emutails, White-throated Oxylabes on the nest, Wedge-tailed Jery, Appert’s Tetraka, and Madagascan Yellowbrow. We also saw a very respectable 35 species of mammal. 25 species of lemur were headlined by the impeccable Indri, and the likes of Diademed Sifaka, while Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec, the lovely Ring-tailed Mongoose, and scores of Humpback Whales are also worthy of a mention. The lucky few, even had brief views of a road-crossing Fossa. For those with a more in-depth and wide-ranging love of wildlife, there were 34 species of reptiles and amphibians to be appreciated, and numerous interesting plants and insects, from Giraffe-necked Weevils to Hissing Cockroaches. Brown Mesite can be extremely tame (Craig Robson) The tour began with a long drive from the capital, Antananarivo, to Ranomafana National Park. There was little for us to see on the way, though we did gain a strong impression of what much of interior Madagascar looks like. -
THE BEST of MADAGASCAR and NORTHWEST and BERENTY EXTENSIONS TRIP REPORT 15 September ‐ 5 October 2016 by Justin Nicolau
THE BEST OF MADAGASCAR AND NORTHWEST AND BERENTY EXTENSIONS TRIP REPORT 15 September ‐ 5 October 2016 By Justin Nicolau Giant Coua - Coua gigas www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T MADAGASCAR, 2016 ITINERARY Day Date Start Finish 1 15 September 2016 Antananarivo Antananarivo 2 16 September 2016 Antananarivo Antananarivo 3 17 September 2016 Antananarivo Mahajanga 4 18 September 2016 Mahajanga Ankarafantsika NP 5 19 September 2016 Ankarafantsika NP Ankarafantsika NP 6 20 September 2016 Ankarafantsika NP Mahajanga 7 21 September 2016 Mahajanga Antananarivo 8 22 September 2016 Antananarivo Berenty Reserve 9 23 September 2016 Berenty Reserve Berenty Reserve 10 24 September 2016 Berenty Reserve Ifaty 11 25 September 2016 Ifaty Ifaty 12 26 September 2016 Ifaty Toliara 13 27 September 2016 Toliara Isalo 14 28 September 2016 Isalo Ranomafana NP 15 29 September 2016 Ranomafana NP Ranomafana NP 16 30 September 2016 Ranomafana NP Antsirabe 17 01 October 2016 Antsirabe Andasibe 18 02 October 2016 Andasibe Andasibe 19 03 October 2016 Andasibe Andasibe 20 04 October 2016 Andasibe Antananarivo 21 05 October 2016 Antananarivo Departure Day 1: 15 September 2016 Arriving in Antananarivo mid afternoon, the group set out after the meets and greets and currency exchange toward our hotel for the next two nights. En route the bird sightings were few and far between, as one would expect while in transit. We picked up Common Myna, Dimorphic Egret, Squacco Heron, and a few Mascarene Martins. Malagasy Kingfisher - Corythornis vintsioides www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] [email protected] 3 | T R I P R E P O R T MADAGASCAR, 2016 Arriving at the hotel, bags offloaded, and room keys in hand, we set off for a brief walk around a small body of water in front of the accommodation. -
Madagascar: Custom BLNG Tour November 1St – 14Th 2013
http://birdingecotours.co.za [email protected] Madagascar: Custom BLNG Tour November 1st – 14th 2013 By Mike Nelson This was a custom tour for 14 members of the Birdlife Northern Gauteng group, and we had a blast! The group dynamics were great, as the group all knew each other before the trip, which made for some great camaraderie. And with both Chris and myself plus our local guides we were never short of eyes and help for such a large group. As a group we only missed three birds that the entire group didn’t get on to, so it worked out well. Special thanks have to go to Philip Calinikos for arranging the group and making it all happen. Day 1, November 1st. Transfer to Andasibe Our tour started with a long drive to Andasibe after our arrival in Madagascar’s capital Antananarivo, whose name is often shortened to Tana. Along the way we were able to pick up common species like Madagascan Wagtail and Dimorphic Egret from the bus. Our comfortable accommodations awaited us upon arrival, and we got settled in after a wonderful dinner. Day 2, November 2nd. Andasibe-Mantadia National Park Our first full day in Madagascar was greeted by the wailing sounds of indri coming from the surrounding forest, while Madagascan Stonechats sang in the garden. For a few who also woke early the sounds and sightings of Stripe-throated Jery and Malagasy Coucal greeted us to the new day. A Blue Coua was also seen, and while we were enjoying breakfast a Madagascan Magpie-Robin burst into song. -
Annual Report 2019
Annual Report 2019 Mangrove landscape at low tide shot by a drone (near Andrahangy, western Madagascar) Dear friends and members of Night at the zoo: Chances for Nature at the Chances for Nature, conservation day at the zoo in Hannover 2019 is coming to an end, and we would like to give Chances for Nature presented its work in the event you an overview of our activities. The focus of this „Late-Zoo“ at the zoo in Hannover. Late-Zoo enables year’s work has been on environmental education for visitors to enjoy the evening atmosphere at the zoo children and juveniles in Madagascar. while being entertained by changing special events In total, approximately 50.000 € were spent in 2019 for until ten o'clock in the evening. At the species the projects (editorial note: annual statement of conservation day on the 20th of June, a total of 15 account not available at time of print). conservation organisations informed the visitors about You will find these and more topics in this annual their work. Chances for Nature used the opportunity to report. present itself to the public. Especially for the many We wish all friends and supporters a successful and kids, our information booth seemed very attracting. happy 2020, and we would like to thank you for your Still, we could also interest adults in our work who commitment to nature conservation! knew the environmental situation in our project countries from their own experience. Your Chances for Nature team Tourist attraction: environmental exhibition six villages. To raise awareness for the unique natural environment of Menabe, children participated in draws visitors from near and far different educational activities. -
CNC Madagascar II 10Th to 29Th October 2015 (19 Days)
Trip Report CNC Madagascar II 10th to 29th October 2015 (19 days) Long-tailed Ground Roller by Glen Valentine Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: Glen Valentine Tour Summary Trip Report – CNC Madagascar II 2015 2 In the middle of October 2015 we kicked off the first of two Cincinatti Nature Center natural history tours of Madagascar. As always, the ecologically-rich island of Madagascar did not dissapoint and we were treated to a spectacular array of wonderful sightings during our three week adventure. These included some of the world’s most fascinating birds, mammals and “herps” in all of the world. Some of the many highlights included all five endemic bird families: The incomparable Cuckoo Roller, Mesites (all three species), Ground Rollers (four out of five species), Vangas and Malagasy Warblers, as well as many other rare and noteworthy species such as the critically endangered Madagascan Fish Eagle, the extremely scarce Madagascan Sparrowhawk, the superb Red-tailed Tropicbird, a family group of Madagascan Flufftail, the striking and incredibly range-restricted Madagascan Plover, all nine species of Coua, five species of owl, including the scarce Madagascan Owl, the gorgeous and little-known Collared Nightjar, the miniscule, forest-dwelling Madagascan Pygmy Souimanga Sunbird Kingfisher, and three species of exquisite Asities! An amazing host of fabulous mammals (34 species of which 26 were lemurs) that included the iconic Indri, Milne-Edward’s, Diademed, Coquerel’s and Verreaux’s (the dancing) Sifakas, striking Black-and-white Ruffed -
Madagascar: the Best of Madagascar, Birds and Wildlife Set Departure Trip Report
MADAGASCAR: THE BEST OF MADAGASCAR, BIRDS AND WILDLIFE SET DEPARTURE TRIP REPORT 17-31 October 2019 By Jason Boyce The Madagascan Pygmy Kingfisher was a special bird on this tour; it was our local guide’s favorite bird of all times! www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T The Best of Madagascar October 2019 Itinerary at a glance Overnight Day 1, 17 Oct – Arrival day and local birding Antananarivo Day 2, 18 Oct – Travel to and birding at Andasibe Andasibe Day 3, 19 Oct – Andasibe-Mantadia National Park Andasibe Day 4, 20 Oct – Analamazoatra Special Reserve Andasibe Day 5, 21 Oct – Travel to Antsirabe Antsirabe Day 6, 22 Oct – Antsirabe to Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 7, 23 Oct – Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 8, 24 Oct – Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 9, 25 Oct – Isalo National Park Isalo Day 10, 26 Oct – Isalo to Zombitse-Vohibasia to Ifaty Ifaty Day 11, 27 Oct – Spiny Forest Ifaty Day 12, 28 Oct – Nose Ve boat trip, then transfer to Toliara Toliara Day 13, 29 Oct – Birding around Toliara, flight to Antananarivo Antananarivo Day 14, 30 Oct – Antananarivo Antananarivo Day 15, 31 Oct – International flights home Overview The wonderful world that is Madagascar, the Eighth Continent! It’s easy to see why the world’s fourth-largest island has been given this name. There is a strong African influence in both Madagascar’s fauna and flora, but certainly there also is enough unique wildlife to justify a nickname such as this. We started the tour at two premier rainforest sites, first Andasibe-Mantadia National Park and then Ranomafana National Park. -
Madagascar Comprehensive IV 9Th to 29Th November 2017 (21 Days) Trip Report
Madagascar Comprehensive IV 9th to 29th November 2017 (21 days) Trip Report Madagascar Leaf-nosed Snake by Rand Rudland Trip report compiled by Tour Leader, Adam Walleyn Rockjumper Birding Tours | Madagascar www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Madagascar - Comprehensive IV 2017 2 Tour Summary We started off the comprehensive tour with lunch at our pleasant hotel on the outskirts of Antananarivo and then boarded a bus to weave our way through the busy traffic into the downtown area. Here, a private reserve at Lac Alarobia is a haven for waterbirds, and offered an excellent start to our Madagascar birding. We were greeted by throngs of Red-billed Teal and White-faced Whistling Ducks and were soon enjoying several Meller’s Duck – an endangered species that is now seemingly thriving at this location. We also saw a few Hottentot Teal and a pair of bulky Knob-billed Ducks. Herons were in abundance, including large nesting colonies of Dimorphic Egret, Cattle Egret, Black Heron, Squacco Heron and Black-crowned Night Heron. Smaller numbers of Great Egret and Striated Heron were also present; but it took some searching to find the most wanted heron here, the endangered Malagasy Pond Heron. We eventually enjoyed good looks at three birds in full breeding regalia. A nice bonus was a pair of Madagascan Grebe – yet another endangered waterbird. Along the borders of the lake lurked Common Moorhen and a White-throated Rail by Rand Rudland single Red-knobbed Coot; while a White-throated Rail paraded around in the open, giving simply incredible looks. We also had our first sightings of a couple more common endemics, such as Malagasy Kestrel, Red Fody, Malagasy Brush Warbler and superb little Malagasy Kingfishers to conclude a wonderful start to our birding. -
Madagascar Highlights II 12Th to 26Th October 2019 (15 Days) Trip Report
Madagascar Highlights II 12th to 26th October 2019 (15 days) Trip Report Helmet Vanga by David Hoddinott Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader: David Hoddinott Trip Report – RBL Madagascar - Highlights II 2019 2 Top 10 birds as voted for by our guests: 1. Helmet Vanga 6. Long-tailed Ground Roller 2. Rufous-headed Ground Roller 7. Subdesert Mesite 3. Sickle-billed Vanga 8. Crab-plover 4. Collared Nightjar 9. Scaly Ground Roller 5. White-browed Owl 10. Madagascan Pygmy Kingfisher __________________________________________________________________________________ Tour Summary We started off our adventure at Lac Alarobia in the capital, Antananarivo. Here, we found huge numbers of waterfowl including several of the sought-after endemic, Meller’s Duck, plus Knob-billed Duck, hundreds of Red-billed Teal and White-faced Whistling Duck. We also observed several breeding plumaged Malagasy Pond Heron, confiding White-throated Rail, Malagasy Coucal and Malagasy Kingfisher. Over a delicious dinner, we discussed the plans for the days ahead, before getting a good night’s sleep. The following morning excitement mounted over breakfast as we chatted about the wonderful forest birds we were going to see. We departed early to avoid the rush hour traffic and were soon on our way east, to the great rainforests of the Perinet area. En route, we observed Mascarene Martin, Malagasy Black Swift, Little Swift, and the quaint Hamerkop was seen feeding in the Scaly Ground Roller by David Hoddinott rice paddies. We enjoyed a fabulous five-night stay at Perinet. Our time here was spent exploring the roads through the various forests as well as a good number of forest trails and on a few occasions, we ventured off the beaten track in search of rare and elusive forest species. -
Madagascar: the Best of Madagascar, Birds and Wildlife 2017 Trip Report
MADAGASCAR: THE BEST OF MADAGASCAR, BIRDS AND WILDLIFE 2017 TRIP REPORT 17 - 31 October 2017 By Jason Boyce Subdesert Mesite – a prized species within an endemic Madagascan order! www.birdingecotours.com [email protected] 2 | T R I P R E P O R T The Best of Madagascar 2017 TOUR ITINERARY Overnight Day 1, 17 Oct – Arrival day and local birding Antananarivo Day 2, 18 Oct – Travel to Andasibe, birding Analamazaotra Andasibe Day 3, 19 Oct – Andasibe-Mantadia National Park Andasibe Day 4, 20 Oct – Analamazaotra Special Reserve Andasibe Day 5, 21 Oct – Travel to Antsirabe Antsirabe Day 6, 22 Oct – Antsirabe to Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 7, 23 Oct – Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 8, 24 Oct – Ranomafana National Park Ranomafana Day 9, 25 Oct – Travel to Isalo National Park Isalo Day 10, 26 Oct – Isalo to Ifaty via Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park Ifaty Day 11, 27 Oct – Nosy Ve boat trip and Spiny Forest Ifaty Day 12, 28 Oct – Spiny Forest Ifaty, transfer to Toliara Toliara Day 13, 29 Oct – Birding around Toliara Toliara Day 14, 30 Oct – Flight to Antananarivo Antananarivo Day 15, 31 Oct – Some of the group transfer to Berenty Reserve OVERVIEW A birding wonder of the world! The gigantic island off the east coast of Africa that is Madagascar truly is a must-see birding and wildlife destination. Our classic itinerary that starts in the capital Antananarivo traverses the eastern rainforests of Andasibe (including Andasibe- Mantadia National Park) and Ranomafana National Park. We then head south to the beautiful landscapes of Isalo, the dry forest patches of Zombitse-Vohibasia National Park, and the Ifaty Spiny Forest and then take a boat to the island of Nosy Ve. -
Madagascar Highlights I 16Th to 30Th July 2017 (15 Days) Trip Report
Madagascar Highlights I 16th to 30th July 2017 (15 days) Trip Report Short-legged Ground Roller by Heinz Ortmann Trip report compiled by Tour Leader, Heinz Ortmann Rockjumper Birding Tours | Madagascar www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Madagascar - Highlights I 2017 2 Tour Summary This Madagascar Highlights tour was filled with sightings of some of the world’s most sought-after and must-see birds, mammals and reptiles. A total of 125 bird species, 20 mammals, 14 reptile species and 3 species of frogs were enjoyed by the participants on this enjoyable two-week journey to the ‘8th continent.’ Bird highlights included superb views of three Ground Roller species, Mesite, Couas and Vangas, plus a variety of other fantastic species. Lemurs were an almost constant presence, from the large and charismatic Indri to the diminutive and nocturnal Mouse Lemurs and a scientific surprise with a recently found and soon to be described species of Sportive Lemur! This tour even served up a healthy dose of cetaceans, including a Humpback Whale on the boat trip to Nosy Ve! Lastly, who could forget the many bizarre and often brilliantly coloured reptiles and amphibians found on this trip. From large tree frogs to the amazing geckos of many kinds, this tour certainly produced the goods on all fronts! Our tour began in the garden of the hotel we use in the capital city Antananarivo, or ‘Tana’ as it is affectionately known. For those that had arrived early, there would be sightings of the charismatic Madagascan Wagtail and a pair of roosting Madagascan Nightjars.