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Indian Ocean Islands Comoros Extension 28Th September to 7Th October 2018 (10 Days) Trip Report

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Indian Ocean Islands Comoros Extension 28Th September to 7Th October 2018 (10 Days) Trip Report Indian Ocean Islands Comoros Extension 28th September to 7th October 2018 (10 days) Trip Report Mayotte Scops Owl by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Tour Leader: Daniel Keith Danckwerts Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands - Comoros Extension 2018 2 Tour Summary The Comoros form an archipelago of volcanic islands off the central-east African coast. They are divided between the Union of the Comoros, a sovereign nation formed by the three islands of Grande Comoro, Anjoua & Mohéli, and the French overseas department of Mayotte. The vast evergreen forests that once dominated these islands have largely been removed, leaving only a few remaining pockets of pristine habitat boasting roughly 24 endemic species (and likely to reach a staggering 40 with further research). The addition of incredible scenery, a series of easily approachable active volcanoes, and particularly friendly locals made travelling across these rich islands an enticing and rewarding experience. ___________________________________________________________________________________ Some of the highlights of the tour included: 1. Humblot’s Flycatcher 2. Karthala Scops Owl 3. Mohéli Scops Owl 4. Mayotte Scops Owl; surely the easiest of all owls! 5. Mayotte and Grand Comoro Drongos 6. Comoros Blue Pigeon 7. Cuckoo Roller, including the rare intermedius race on Anjouan 8. The jewel-like Mayotte, Humblot’s and Anjouan Sunbirds 9. Comoros Thrush 10. Comoros Green Pigeon ___________________________________________________________________________________ The Tour in Detail Following an incredible two-week tour through the Seychelles, Mauritius, Rodrigues and Réunion, a group of us flew to the Comoros to begin the post-tour extension. Our journey took us from Saint Denis, the administrative capital of Réunion Island, to Antananarivo in Madagascar. From there, we caught a short flight to Moroni in the Comoros, though our departure was slightly delayed by the late arrival of the Air Madagascar flight. We took this in our best stride, commenting that we were quite possibly the only people to ever have an international layover in Antananarivo. A short stopover at Dzadzoui, on Mayotte, was also unexpected, but some window-watching from the aeroplane delivered the first birds for the trip: Western Cattle and Great Egrets, as well as a wonderful female Madagascar Harrier. The latter is a particularly good bird, numbering only around 250 individuals throughout its entire distribution, and we took this as a good omen for the rest of the trip. After what seemed like an age, we finally arrived in Moroni and were transferred to our comfortable hotel on the edge of the city. It was an early night for all, to prepare for the Comoros Blue Pigeon by Daniel Keith Danckwerts long day ahead of us. We were up early the following morning, as we loaded up and headed towards the outer edge of the city of Moroni. From there, we began the long hike up the edge of Mt Karthala – one of only two active Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands - Comoros Extension 2018 3 volcanos in the entire Indian Ocean, and boasting the widest crater of any active volcano in the world. The trail first took us through agricultural lands, with isolated patches of secondary growth and degraded forest. Here, we quickly found Cuckoo Roller (race gracilis), Comoros Blue Pigeon, Frances's Sparrowhawk (race griveaudi), Madagascar Green (race moebii) and Humblot's (race humbloti) Sunbirds, and Kirk's White-eye. Slightly higher up, we managed both Greater (race comorensis) and Lesser (race sibilans) Vasa Parrots, Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher (race comorensis), and Madagascar Bulbul (race madagascariensis). Finally, at the 1,000m contour, we crossed into some moss-clad indigenous forest. Here we started seeing Grand Comoro Bulbul, Comoros Fody (race consobrina), Comoros Cuckooshrike (race cucullate), and Grand Comoro Brush Warbler. The five-hour hike seemed to go by all too fast, considering all the bird activity, and we arrived at our tented camp in time for lunch. Following a quick rest, we then explored the higher altitude forests. Our key target here, the incredible and unique Humblot's Flycatcher, took a while but, eventually, we had a pair flitting through the canopy above our heads. Several bird parties were also encountered that included Comoros Cuckooshrike, Comoros Fody, Grand Comoro Brush Warbler, and our first Comoros Thrushes (race comorensis) Karthala Scops Owl by Daniel Keith Danckwerts of the trip. At this point, the weather began to turn and we made the decision to abandon attempts for the Karthala White-eye – a high altitude specialist typically found in shrublands on the upper slopes of Mt Karthala above the tree line. Halfway back to the camp, the rain started and much of the late afternoon was written off due to poor weather. However, careful watching from our tents yielded a fantastic group of Madagascar Spinetails (race mariae). We waited until nightfall, hoping the rain would cease. To help pass the time, our ground agent cooked up a most delicious dinner of charred chicken cutlets – surely the best meal of the entire trip! At around 7pm, after an anxious wait, the clouds lifted and we grew willing to venture out in search of the critically endangered Karthala Scops Owl. Not 100m from the camp, a bird responded from a dense thicket. It took some persistence, but it eventually emerged, offering walk away views. We even had time to run back to camp to collect additional photographic gear! Content with our success, we returned to our wonderful tented camp, where we spent the remainder of the ‘Grand Comoro’ Green Sunbird by Daniel Keith Danckwerts evening. We took a leisurely walk back down from Mt Karthala the following morning, seeing most of the species we had already seen previously. This included Grand Comoro Brush Warbler, Comoros Thrushes, Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands - Comoros Extension 2018 4 Comoros Cuckooshrike, Madagascar Green and Humblot's Sunbirds, Comoros Blue Pigeon, Comoros Fody and Grand Comoro Bulbul. However, a wonderful pair of the rare Grand Comoro Drongos were a welcomed surprise on the upper slopes of the mountain. Upon arriving back in Moroni, we were immediately transferred to the Salimani area. This old palm oil estate, now covered by clove plantations and secondary growth, is crisscrossed by overgrown transportation roads. It only took a few minutes before we located another pair of Grand Comoro Drongos, alongside several more Malagasy Green and Humblot’s Sunbirds. We then returned to our comfortable hotel in the city for some downtime, before moving on to the island of Mohéli the following morning. The flight to Mohéli only took twenty-five minutes, and we immediately settled into our wonderful beachside hotel – a firm favourite place to stay among all the guests. Our afternoon excursion took us to the Djandu Forest, where we easily found Comoros Thrush (race moheliensis), Comoros Fody (race eminentissima), Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher (race voeltzkowiana), Malagasy Green Sunbird (race voelzkowi), Malagasy Turtle Dove (race comorensis), Malagasy White-eye (race comorensis), and the wonderful but drab Mohéli ‘Benson’s’ Brush Warbler. A Madagascan Harrier also treated us to wonderful close-up views as it flew right past us. The endemic race of the indescribable Blue Vanga (race comorensis) took considerably more effort, but a pair were eventually seen high up in the forest canopy – the Mohéli Scops Owl by Daniel Keith distinctive lilac-blue and buffy underparts were obvious, even Danckwerts at this distance and in poor light conditions. The highlight of the day was then seeing a rufous-morph Mohéli Scops Owl in broad daylight – the species’ soft growling call being one of the most unique calls in the world. We returned to our hotel, where we enjoyed a wonderful crayfish dinner before settling in for an early night. The following morning, we drove to the western edge of the island, where we walked the trail to Châlet Saint Antoine. As we arrived, we glimpsed our first Comoros Green Pigeon in flight above our vehicle. The trail then delivered Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher, the first Olive Bee-eaters of the tour, Greater Vasa Parrot, Malagasy Green Sunbird, and Comoros Fody (race eminentissima). Near the top of the ridge, we started encountering our first Mohéli Bulbuls – subtly different from the abundant Malagasy Bulbul, with a yellow flushed belly and a slightly longer bill. Some fruiting Ficus trees at the very Anjouan Sunbird by Daniel Keith Danckwerts top yielded both Comoros Green and Comoros Olive Pigeons. We waited here for nearly an hour before a pair of Comoros Green Pigeon arrived, this time offering much more satisfactory views. We then returned to the vehicles, where we enjoyed our Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours Trip Report – RBL Indian Ocean Islands - Comoros Extension 2018 5 packed lunches in the company of some interesting endemic Comoros Skinks, before returning to the hotel for the remainder of the day. We had a leisurely start the next day, before catching our flight to the island of Anjouan. Unfortunately, our plans had been shifted around by the sudden cancellation of our flight, and we were thus directed via Moroni on the island of Grand Comoro. We arrived and were immediately transferred to our hotel in Mutsamudu, where we waited out the rest of the afternoon. The gardens here delivered our first two endemics for the island: the dark, iridescent Anjouan Sunbird and Anjouan Brush Warbler. Early the next morning, we travelled out to an area known as Baramtsanga. Here, we found Anjouan Scops Owl by Daniel Keith Danckwerts Crested Drongo (race potior), Malagasy Paradise Flycatcher (race vulpina), and Malagasy White-eye (race anjuanensis). The real highlight was seeing a female Cuckoo Roller (race intermedius) – a rare find on Anjouan, and a potential future taxonomic split.
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