Madagascar Comprehensive II 2019 6th October to 26th October 2019 (21 Days) Trip Report Long-tailed Ground Roller by Greg de Klerk Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Greg de Klerk Trip Report – RBL Madagascar – Comprehensive II 2019 2 Tour Summary The tour began with a birding session at Tsimbazaza Zoo followed by a wonderful visit to Lake Alorobia in the sprawling capital of Madagascar, Antananarivo. With a lack of suitable habitat within the city, the zoo and Lake Alorobia provided a haven for an array of species, and we managed to add some wonderful species to our lists including White-faced Whistling Duck, Knob-billed Duck, Hottentot Teal, Meller's Duck, Red- billed Teal, Black-crowned Night Heron, Squacco Heron, Malagasy Pond Heron, Western Cattle Egret, Great Egret, Black Heron, Dimorphic Egret, Yellow-billed Kite, Common Moorhen, Malagasy Coucal, Malagasy Kingfisher, Olive Bee-eater, Madagascan Hoopoe, Malagasy Kestrel, Malagasy Bulbul, Mascarene Martin, Malagasy Brush Warbler, Malagasy White- eye, Madagascan Stonechat, Souimanga Malagasy Kingfisher by Greg de Klerk Sunbird, Red Fody, Madagascan Mannikin, and Madagascan Wagtail before settling for a good welcome dinner at our well-appointed guest house where we had the opportunity to meet and greet our fellow participants before retiring for the night. An early departure from Tana the following morning saw us make slow progress on the road out of the capital through swathes of rice paddies which played host to a few wetland species such as Hamerkop, Dimorphic Egret and Great Egret. A long drive followed as we navigated the winding National road linking the capital to the nearest seaport, making headway on our journey to Andasibe while also adding Malagasy Palm Swift, Brown-throated Martin and Chabert Vanga. We finally arrived a short while after midday to rainy and cool conditions. While enjoying our lunch, we were entertained by a wonderful birding party that produced Blue Coua, Red-tailed Vanga, Blue Vanga, Common Newtonia, Madagascan Cuckooshrike, Crested Drongo, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, Common Jery, Malagasy Green Sunbird, Madagascan Blue Pigeon and Nelicourvi Weaver while we ate. Having satiated our appetites, we decided to head out for a spot of birding in the local guides park where the rainfall increased Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher by Greg de Klerk rapidly but still allowed us to connect with Rainforest Scops Owl, Madagascan Owl and Rand's Warbler while Brown Lemur and Indri were also seen before returning to our lodge in the late afternoon, soaking wet and a little cold, while shortly afterward, we enjoyed dinner and settled for a relaxing night’s rest. Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Madagascar Trip Report – RBL Madagascar – Comprehensive II 2019 3 An early start to the next morning saw us heading into Mantadia National Park in search of the elusive Ground Rollers. The weather, however, had different ideas, as more rain had set in overnight and continued throughout the day. This made conditions within the rain forest exceptionally challenging; both birding and walking were affected, leaving us frustrated by a lack of activity while getting soaking wet. Yet to our credit, we marched on and managed to locate Madagascan Grebe, Madagascan Harrier- Hawk, Frances's Sparrowhawk, Madagascan Buzzard, Madagascan Flufftail, Madagascan Rail, Madagascan Cuckoo, Western Barn Owl, Cuckoo Roller, Greater Vasa Parrot, White-headed Vanga, Tylas Vanga, Crossley's Vanga, Madagascan Swamp Warbler, White-throated Oxylabes, Spectacled Tetraka, Stripe-throated Jery, Madagascan Starling and many glimpses of Rainforest Scops Owl by Greg de Klerk other less obliging species while also viewing Red-bellied Lemur before we embarked on a night walk producing Geoffroy's Dwarf Lemur, Goodman's Mouse Lemur, Eastern Woolly Lemur, Short-horned Chameleon and Nose-horned Chameleon before returning to camp and the warmth of our accommodations. Our second full day in Perinet started with cloudy conditions which soon turned to fantastic sunny conditions as we departed camp to visit Mantadia once again in search of the species we had missed. We began exploring various trails, some of which scarcely resembled more than an imaginary line, of the reserve with its scattered Pandanous species and deeply vegetated canopy, managing to add Red-fronted Coua, Red-breasted Coua, Madagascan Pygmy Kingfisher, Dark Newtonia and the star of the show; a Pitta-like Ground Roller, which after some gentle coaxing settled nearby providing excellent views, while also gaining magnificent views of Black- and-white Ruffed Lemur bounding through the trees. Happy with a successful day, we returned to camp for dinner and a fantastic evening rest. Our final morning provided much-improved conditions as we set about exploring Perinet Special Reserve where we managed to locate Madagascan Wood Rail, Collared Nightjar, Madagascan Spinetail, Nuthatch Vanga and Madagascan Magpie-Robin while also managing much improved views of Indri and Brown Lemur while adding Diademed Sifaka and the king of camouflage; Henkel's Leaf-tailed Gecko before we departed Perinet and returned to Antananarivo. As before, the road was busy, and we made slow progress on our return trip, yet we still managed to locate Grey Heron in the rice paddies while also Brown Lemur by Greg de Klerk locating Malagasy Black Swift and Little Swift nearer the capital. As we arrived in the capital, the traffic volumes swelled but thanks to some swift planning and the use of a few back roads we arrived at our hotel in the late afternoon. The rest of the day was spent preparing for our flight to Fort Dauphin early the next morning but not before another delicious dinner. Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Madagascar Trip Report – RBL Madagascar – Comprehensive II 2019 4 The following morning, we departed our guesthouse to connect with our flight to Fort Dauphin and our base in Berenty where we would spend the next two days. On arrival in Fort Dauphin we tackled a tricky road en route to Berenty Lodge. The road (or nonexistence of one) resembled the craterous surface of the celestial body orbiting the earth and meant that we made very slow progress to the camp while managing to see a Red- capped Coua, Namaqua Dove, Black Kite and Pied Crow before we arrived at camp a short while after midday. A walk through the local Gallery Forest later that afternoon revealed Madagascan Buttonquail, Giant Coua and Crested Coua while also observing distant Madagascan Flying Fox. We returned after dark and managed fantastic views of Torotoroka Scops Owl and mammalian Collared Nightjar by Greg de Klerk highlights included Grey-brown Mouse Lemur, White-footed Sportive Lemur and Western Tuft-tailed Rat while Carpet Chameleon and Oustalet's Chameleon provided our reptilian targets before a delicious dinner lifted the spirits of all before a much-needed sleep ahead of an action-packed day. Our first morning in Berenty started with a short drive into an area of sisal fields where we began our search for a few new birds and managed to connect with Madagascan Sandgrouse, Helmeted Guineafowl, Madagascan Lark, Madagascan Cisticola and Sakalava Weaver. A short while later, we were surrounded by a troop of Ring-tailed Lemur before returning to camp where we watched Verreaux’s Sifaka dancing across the parking area. The second part of the morning was dedicated to the exploration of the local gallery forest. As we moved through this fantastic habitat, we were able to enjoy awesome views of White-browed Owl, Malagasy Turtle Dove, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Grey-headed Lovebird, Hook-billed Vanga before returning to camp for lunch, in the company of the comical Ring-tailed Lemurs, followed by a short siesta. We then decided our luck later that afternoon with a short walk through the local Spiny Forest which produced Running Coua and day roosting Torotoroka Scops Owl while also locating Southern Spider Tortoise before returning to camp for dinner and an early night of sleep. The next morning, we were able to enjoy a walk through the gallery forest where we finally connected with Grey-headed Lovebird and Purple Heron before enjoying a leisurely breakfast as we prepared for our departure along the infamous road to Fort Dauphin. The journey was much quicker this time as traffic Diademed Sifaka by Greg de Klerk was clear and the roads were drier. We arrived Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Madagascar Trip Report – RBL Madagascar – Comprehensive II 2019 5 in Fort Dauphin for lunch where Striated Heron was located before arriving for our flight to Tulear with much time to spare. We arrived a short while later in Antananarivo where we settled into our hotel before dinner and a wonderful rest. The following morning, we departed Tana with a short flight to Tulear. On our arrival we were transferred to the geological feature, locally known as la tabla, where we began our search for a few more species; Subdesert Brush Warbler and Red- shouldered Vanga showed wonderfully well while we also had brief but good views of Verreaux's Coua a short while later. With the success of the morning behind us, we settled for lunch in Tulear, before we made our way to Mangily where a visit to the nearby Saltpans provided excellent views of Lesser Flamingo, Madagascan Plover, Kittlitz's Plover, Three-banded Plover, White-fronted Plover, Whimbrel, Curlew Sandpiper and Common Greenshank, we arrived at our camp, characteristic of a beach paradise, for an afternoon siesta followed by a short night walk in the nearby Spiny Forest which Red-capped Coua by Greg de Klerk allowed us to enjoy wonderful views of Madagascan Cuckoo-Hawk and other animal highlights including Lesser Hedgehog Tenrec and Kung-Fu Cricket before we returned to camp for dinner and retired for the evening.