Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013, Maromiza Forestry Reserve

Maromiza is the fourth and last of the Andasibe area parks we visited. Its elevation is the highest of all, which makes some species more common here than in other parks. It can be reached from the Andasibe main road, by going East, following the Antananarivo - Tamatave highway for four km. In the late afternoon this is quite a hot and tiring walk, but it is by far the cheapest way. Officially guides are mandatory and entree fee is apparently 35.000 Ariary but there is no entrance gate or office and me and Luc just bumped into a guy claiming to work for the reserve and demanding the pricey "entrance fee".

Luc and me had a fairly productive morning in the reserve with birds recorded including: Madagascar Flufftail, Rufous-headed Ground Roller (three different birds heard only), Velvet Asity, Forest Rock Thrush, Brown Emutail (terrific views!) and most notably two Pollen's Vangas in a mixed vanga flock. For this species Maromiza is a new site. This year a pair of Helmet Vangas was also discovered on the far end of the park (ten hour walk) and twitched by several birders. However I missed Cryptic Warbler, which strangely enough seemd completely absent from Maromiza and Mantadia, making it the only realistically possible malagasy rainforest I have missed on the entire trip apart from the heard only Brown Mesite and Scaly Ground Roller. Mammals recorded included Indri, Eastern Grey Bamboo Lemur and Diademed Sifaka. Other highlights included Brookesia superciliaris and the otherworldly Giraffe-necked Weevil (a genuine one, for there are many more common look-a-likes).

Male Madagascar Cuckooshrike (Coracina cinerea). This species often joins mixed Vanga flocks

I think, just as Mitsinjo Reserve, Maromiza forestry reserve deserves much more attention, especially considering the rare birds that have recently been found here. Luc even claimed to have seen a Madagascar Serpent Eagle here three years ago...

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013, Mitsinjo Reserve

Mitsinjo reserve is a forest reserve managed by the community the town of Andasibe and is located just opposite of Andasibe national park. It has no special interest for birders, unless you were really, really unlucky with Madagascar Long-eared Owl, but for mammal fanatics it sure has for it is the best place in the world to spot Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur. It is a monospecific genus and actually very interesting. Therefore we joined a night walk in the reserve, which provided us with first class sights of Hairy-eared Dwarf Lemur, foraging just a few meters away. We also observed an Eastern Avahi, several Goodman's Mouse Lemur (can be easily observed along the main road) and a presumed Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur. The reptilian highlight of the nightwalk was a Uroplatus sikorea amongst several common chameleon species. Mitsinjo reserve is a very nice evening destination which, in my opinion, deserves much more attention, even with birders.

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013, Mantadia National Park

With Luc (see previous post) we organised a day trip to Mantadia national park, which encompromises better forests than Andasibe national park, for it is primairy rainforest instead of decent quality secondary forest. This means that several species are present here, that are absent or very difficult in Andasibe national park. A day trip to the Mantadia national park can be organised at the Andasibe national park office or the Mitsinjo special reserve office (see next post) and costs 90.000 Ariary, but we found a driver for 80.000 Ariary through Luc. Another option would be walking the more than 15 km, but for birders this is barely an option for the first hours of daylight would be missed.

We enjoyed fairly good birding at different sites in the national parks with different altitudes (another advantage over walking) and species observed included: Madagascar Crested Ibis, Henst's Goshawk, Frances' Sparrowhawk, Red-fronted Coua, Madagascar Long-eared Owl (finally!), Collared Nightjar, Rufous-headed Ground Roller, Pitta-like Ground Roller, Velvet Asity, Crossley's Babbler, Forest Rock Thrush, Wedge-tailed Jery, Tylas and Nuthatch Vanga. Frustratingly we did not see the much sought after Scaly Ground Roller, but we had to be content with just two calls responding to the tape. More frustratingly even because this is very unusual ground roller behaviour and we searched for the damned bird for two days in Marojejy and for four days in Masoala... Mammals recorded in Mantadia included: Indri, Diademed Sifaka (wild ones, not like the translocated ones in Andasibe National Park), Red-bellied Lemur and White-tailed Tree Rat.

Madagascar Wood Rail (Canirallus kioloides)

Rufous-headed Ground Roller (Atelornis crossleyi)

Madagascar Long-eared Owl (Asio madagascariensis)

Overall Mantadia is an addition worth considering to Andasibe national park, for the forest is amazing, but if all key birds were seen in Masoala, it is not necessary to do so. Unfortunately we were not that lucky with every species...

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013, Andasibe National Park

After a four day taxi-brousse ride we finally arrived in Madagascar's most visited national park: Andasibe. We stayed in the Andasibe area for five days and visited four different parks and for each I will write a separate post. We started with Andasibe national park, which is due to its number of visitors, the most expensive national park of the country. The most well-known and maybe the best guide of Madagascar is Patrice. We did not made use of him, but of his brother Luc, which we found very, very skillful and very amiable. He normally costs 120.000 Ariary, but we paid 90.000 for three full days. We stayed during the five days in hotel Feon'y'Ala, which is situated on an amazing hillside with beautiful views over the forests. Luc is very easy to locate from this hotel, as he lives on the other side of the street. He also offers accomodation.

The one day we spend with Luc inside the Andasibe national park and our occasional strolls along the main road produced a decent number of interesting birds: Grey-crowned Tetraka, Rand's Warbler, Tylas, Nuthatch Vanga, Madagascar Crested Ibis, Madagascar Sparrowhawk, Collared Nightjar, Ward's Flycatcher, Wedge-tailed Jery and Forest Fody. Spectacular mammals were observed as well including the absolutely breathtaking Indri, Diademed Sifaka, Common Brown Lemur and a presumed Furry-eared Dwarf Lemur. A herp highlight were two Madagascar Ground Boas.

Madagascar Sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis) juvenile (picture made by Anna van der Kaaden)

The breathtaking Collared Nightjar (Gactornis enarratus)

Diademed Sifakas (Propithecus diadema)

Indri (Indri indri)

The park has that many visitors for a reason and this has positive and negative effects. The area offers (very) good accommodation, good trails, knowledgeable guides, but it can be a bit crowded. However the sound of the Indri and the sight of two cryptically colored Collared Nightjars makes you forget the 50 school children kicking a Madagscar Ground Boa, how horrible it may be...

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013 - Masoala National Park

Masoala is the place in The place in the world for several much sought after species in Madagascar, most note worthy : Bernier´s Vanga, Helmet Vanga, Scaly and Short-legged Ground Roller and Red-breasted Coua. The traditional way to reach this site and to stay here is very costly, but we took some measures to avoid spending to much: we took the plane from Sambava to Maroantsetra, which is the cheapest flight in the country (90 euro, instead of the 180 euro you pay for an one way flight from Tana), we travelled from Maroantsetra to Tamatave by taxi-brousse and we cooked our food ourselves on charcoal on the peninsula. The four nights we stayed here costed us still 300 euro without the plane ticket, so still rather costly.

As a guide we used Armand, which I can highly recommend, especially for finding Bernier´s Vanga. However we had to wait three days untill he was available. Other good and knowledgeable guides are Joseph and Nico, but both were not available during our stay. Our entire stay on the peninsula as well as the boat to get there was arranged by Olivier from Chez Arrol Ecolodge, whom I can also highly recommend for he is very flexible and highly familiar with the area. He can even arrange visits to the seldom visited and pristine Makira Forest! After a lot of organising (park entry permits, guide fees, boat, petrol, charcoal, food for four days, lodging in Chez Arrol etc.) we were finally able to start birding in Masoala.

During the four days a lot of good species including: Madagascar Wood Rail, White-throated Oxylabes, Short-legged Ground Roller, Velvet Asity, Helmet Vanga, Madagascar Pratincole, Bernier´s Vanga, White-browed Owl, Henst´s Goshawk, Madagascar Sparrowhawk, and Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher. Even though we saw so many good species, we were very unlucky with several other species. For instance four days of searching for Scaly Ground Roller, Brown Mesite and Crossley´s Babbler resulted in heard only records of the Mesite and the Babbler... However I am very still very content with the result.

Helmet Vanga (Euryceros prevostii), up to know my bird of the trip

Female Velvet Asity (Philepitta castanea)

Short-legged Ground Roller (Brachypteracias leptosomus)

Male Bernier´s Vanga (Oriolia bernieri)

Female Bernier´s Vanga (Oriolia bernieri)

White-browed Owl (Ninox superciliaris)

Madagascar Sparrowhawk (Accipiter madagascariensis)

Besides the awesome birds, we also enjoyed several good lemurs in the form of Red Ruffed Lemur, White-fronted Brown Lemur, Eastern Grey Bamboo Lemur, Scott´s Sportive Lemur (recently described species) and Moore´s Avahi (recently described species). Besides the lemurs we also observed Tanala Tuft-tailed Rat and Lowland Streaked Tenrec. Reptiles recorded included Furcifer pardelis, Phelsuma lineata and Amphiglossus melanurus.

Red Ruffed Lemur (Varecia rubra)

Scott´s Sportive Lemur (Lepilemur scottorum)

Moore´s Avahi (Avahi mooreorum)

Tanala Tuft-tailed Rat (Eliurus tanala)

After four days our time was up and unfortunately we had to leave this magical place. The boat ride back was however utterly horrible, for the sea was so rough that for four times  our boat almost capsized... So if the sea is rough, I would refuse to go... Once back in Maroantsetra we took the taxi-brousse to Tamatave. This is rather cheap, but one of the roughest roads I have ever travelled. You pay 80.000 Ariary for a seat in the bucket of an old beat-up Toyota Hilux and 100.000 Ariary for a seat in the cabin, but you have to reserve these a week in advance. The trip takes two days at best, but it took us nearly four days... Masoala is really an awesome destination, but to visit this place in certain luxury you pay a lot. There are some ways to get around this, but those are far from comfortable.

Madagascar November 2012 – January 2013, Farankaraina

Due to some delay in Maroantsetra because of unavailable bird guides for Masoala National Park we opted for a small detour to the forest of Farankaraina. This s not a prime birding spot, but it is known as a good site for Aye-aye. We organized the trip through a small local NGO. To get to the forest a three to four hour pirogue ride is necessary.  The boat trip proved good for at least 20 Madagascar Pratincoles, Chabert´s and White-headed Vangas as well as two Allen´s Gallinules.

The forest produced Henst´s Goshawk, Madagascar Green Pigeon, Red-breasted Coua and Madagascar Crested Ibis. Helmet Vanga is apparently also possible here. We also observed Eastern Grey Bamboo Lemurs and a Lowland Streaked Tenrec. The night walk resulted in large numbers of Brown Mouse Lemurs, a single Greater Dwarf Lemur and best of all an Aye-aye. However, we only heard the Aye-aye tapping on a dead log, for our overenthusiastic young guide sprinted into the forest as soon as he found out why we stopped and demanded silence… We heard the animal leaping away through the canopy shortly afterwards…

Lowland Streaked Tenrec (Hemicentetes semispinosus)

The ever present Phelsuma lineatus

Farankaraina was a nice place to relax, bird without a lot of pressure and of course to search for Aye-aye. The NGO is lovely, but a bit inexperienced and the guides might need to learn a thing or two, but don´t be put off by our infortune! We definitely had a lovely time here.

Madagascar November 2012 – January 2013, Marojejy National Park

Due to flight schedules we had to visit the far-flung Marojejy National Park. This park was of special interest to me for rumours about genuine Dusky Tetraka´s seen here.  Unfortunately these rumours turned out to be false and we saw none of these mythical creatures. However, I still think this is The place to search for this phantom, due to the variety of the forests and the extremely high quality of them in this national park. The main draw of this national park is however the charismatic mega fauna that can almost solely be observed here: Silky Sifaka.

We had unfortunately only one night inside the park due to our flight from Sambava to Maroantsetra and a delayed taxi-brousse from Diego Suarez to Sambava (very, very rough road). To get to Marojejy you have to take the taxi-brousse from Sambave to Antalaha and ask to be dropped at the national park office. To get back to Sambava you can flag down a passing taxi-brousse or simply hitch a ride, which we found to be much more comfortable.At the office, which is amazingly well organized, you can arrange everything for your visit into the park. Staying overnight inside the park is highly recommended, especially at camp two. The cabines are awesome and the view is breathtaking. Unfortunately we stayed at camp one, for we lacked time, but we got a good look at camp two. Camp one is also very nice, but the views are not as nice as at camp two. To get to the national park you have to walk four km from the office.

Once inside the park we started seeing good species almost immediately and species noted on our way to camp one included Purple Heron (ssp. madagascariensis), Red-breasted Coua and Chabert´s  Vanga. At camp one we heard Madagascar Long-eared Owl and many Rainforest Scops Owls. We also observed Brown Mouse Lemurs. Reptiles included Uroplatus sikorae, Calumna nasutum, C. boettgeri and Furcifer pardelis.

Red-breasted Coua (Coua serriana) eating Brookesia spec.

Furcifer Pardelis

Uroplatus sikorae (picture taken by Matt Baillie)

The next day we walked to camp two and back to the office. This walk produced Blue and Red-breasted Couas, Alpine Swift (ssp. willisi), Long-billed Bernieria, White-headed and Madagascar Blue Vanga and Rand´s Warbler. We also saw two Helmet Vanga nests, but they had already fledged two or three days before and we did not manage to find them. The lemurs however stole the show: we saw Eastern Grey Bamboo Lemur, White-fronted Brown Lemur and after a long search we finally also connected with the “Spirit of the forest”: Silky Sifaka.

Silky Sifaka (Propithecus candidus) peering down through the canopy

White-fronted Brown Lemur (Eulemur albifrons) (Male)

I can highly recommend this national park to anyone, its pristine rainforests and mountains are more than spectacular, the wildlife is first class (due to the immense variety in altitude, virtually every rainforest bird species can be observed here) and maybe the best of all: the management of this park is absolutely the best of entire Madagascar. Concluding: this is an off the beaten track experience not to be missed, for both birder and non-birder!

The camp two view (picture taken by Matt Baillie)

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013, Montagne d'Ambre National Park

After our visit to the Madagascar Pochard Lakes, we headed further north to see another seldom-seen species. From Antsohihy we took an overnight taxi-brousse to Diego Suarez. From Tana this town can also be reached by a very long and tiring taxi-brousse, but  most birders opt for the more expensive option: plane (about 180 euros for a one-way ticket). From Diego you can easily travel by taxi-brousse to Joffreville (one hour). This town is the gateway town to the national park. Every accomodation is inside this town and the national park office can be reached after a four km walk from the town.

Usually a day is enough to see the endangered and range-restricted Amber Mountain Rock Thrush. We however spend two for we had some spare time due to flight schedules. On the first day we enjoyed good views of two males and a female of the rock thrush. Other good birds observed included: Madagascar Crested Ibis, Sooty Falcon, Pitta-like Ground, Dark Newtonia and Rainforest Scops Owl. This national park is also very good for range-restricted lemurs like Crowned and Sanford´s Brown Lemur, of which we enjoyed good views. The real non-avian highlight however was the Brookesia minima found by our guide. Other good reptiles included an Elephant Chameleon and a Madagascar Ground Boa.

Amber Mountain Rock Thrush (Male) (Monticola erythronotus)

Male Crowned Lemur (Eulemur coronatus)

Brookesia minima (picture made by Anna van der Kaaden)

The next day we went into the park again and visited some other sites inside park. We did not find any rock thrushes again, but enjoyed other goodies including Pitta-like Ground Roller, Madagascar Blue Vanga and Madagascar Starling. We also saw both Eulemur species again. We also enjoyed stunning views of a Uroplatus fimbriatus. In the evening we a night walk along the trail leading from the village to the national park office. During this walk we observed two rarely seen species: Ankarana Sportive Lemur and Northern Rufous Lemur. Chameleons observed included Furcifer oustelatii and Furcifer pardelis. Five Rainforest Scops Owls were also heard.

Female Sanford´s Brown Lemur (Eulemur sanfordi) 

Uroplatus fimbriatus

Montagne d´Ambre national park is a nice, well maintained park, but very far away from the standard birding circuit, however the endemic rock thrush makes the detour well worth it.

Madagascar November 2012 - January 2013 - Bemanevika Lakes

After 75 days of travel we finally reached the Red Island and we were ready to start our two month stay here with a bang. You might have heard that the Madagascar Pochard has been rediscovered in 2006. The place where this ultra rare species has been rediscovered is located 42 km north of Bealanana and is now open for birders and not just for Birdquest. Before we started our journey we contacted Sam of the Peregrine Fund (sam_theseing@yahoo.fr) to arrange our visit to the lakes where the ducks are found. This place can be reached in three different ways: by 4WD (almost everybody uses this way), by motorbike and on foot. Of course we opted for the latter and it turned out that we were the first Vazaha's ever to walk the entire 42 km.

We stocked up in Antananarivo for this mini expedition and our food included: 1 kg of rice, 0.5 kg of pasta, 2 packs of noodles, 1 bottle of Ketchup, 6 cans of tomatoes, 0.5 kg of mushrooms, 0.5 kg of sweet corn, 0.5 of mixed vegtables, 7 packages of biscuits, 1 vanilla cake, 3 baguettes, 1 cheese and 1 kg of carrots.  We filtered our own water with the UV filter we carry, but the camp at the lakes has filtered water as well.

After 24 hours of tiring taxi-brousses we finally reached Bealanana and there we got picked up by Eugene (0325018013) who was going to accompany us during the hike. The entire 42 km took us about 10 hours,even with the 30 kg of luggage and we added another 3 kg of beer to our luggage in Bemanevika, the last village before the lakes. During the walk we could add some good endemics already to our list including: Malagasy Harrier, Madagascar Partridge, Harlequin Quail, (Madagascar) Cuckoo Roller, Madagascar Fody and Madagscar Mannikin. In the camp we drank one of the most well earned beers of hour life and fell into a deep sleep, ready for the next day and what a day it would be!

White-throated Rail Juvenile (Dryolimnas cuvieri)

The next day we enjoyed our breakfast in the camp which is situated in Sambirano (transitional) forest and saw already lots of birds like White-throated Rail, Madagscar Cuckooshrike and some pure (!) Forest Fodies. After a short walk through the plains we reached another patch of forest which surrounded the Madagascar Pochard Lake. Here we saw Madagscar Flufftails, Spectacled Tetraka (take care not to identify the subspecies that occurs here as Dusky Tetraka, for it looks a lot like the drawing in Sinclair and Langrand, but that one is completely wrong), Pitta-like Ground Roller, Stripe-throated Jery and Nelicouri Weaver. Once we reached the lake we feasted our eyes on at least 30 Madagascar Little Grebes, dozens of Meller's Ducks, Singing Madagascar Swamp Warblers, a Madagascar Rail charging at us and in the end some Madagascar Pochards. What a shame they are so far away, we thought, and minutes later we were in a small kayak paddling towards the ducks. We enjoyed awesome views and we even found two Malagasy Pond Herons as a bonus!

Pitta-like Ground Roller (Atelornis pittoides)

Madagascar Little Grebe (Tachybaptus pelzenii)

Meller's Duck (Anas melleri)

A pair of the critically endangered Madagscar Pochard (Aythya innotata)

The next goal was a bit more difficult. We needed the help of Loukman (0331856009) to find the Madagascar Red Owl, that has been radio tagged. There used to be 7 owls radio tagged in this area, but six of them have a low battery and probably the one on this individual will run out soon, so better be quick to visit this site! One hour later we were standing in front of a 2 kj male Red Owl and we enjoyed incredible views with a Forest Rock Thrush as a bonus. Later we also enjoyed good views of Nuthatch Vangas in the same forest.

Loukman carrying the gear to locate the Madagascar Red Owl (Tyto soumagnei)

2 kj male Madagascar Red Owl (Tyto soumagnei)

For the third target we headed to the third crater, which is not a lake but a swamp and it is definitely one of the best in entire Madagascar. Here we saw Malagasy Harrier, Madagascar Snipe and Grey Emutail, but unfortunately not our main target: Slender-billed Flufftail. Luckily we had another day. During the night we dried our equipment near the campfire while we listened to the Rainforest Scops Owls and Madagscar Long-eared Owls. The latter didn't want to show themselves unfortunately.

The next morning we return to the swamp en tried to find Slender-billed Flufftails at three different spots and in the end, after three hours searching I flushed a female and shortly after that we also heard a male calling! Ow yeah, another seldom seen species ticked and we even saw a Madagascar Crested Ibis and two Madagascar Rails as a bonus! If you are going to try for this species, please do this with extreme care, for many rare species breed in this swamp and the only other site for this species has a 6 meter wide path running through the marsh, caused by all the birding crews searching for the Flufftail... Also be careful with the snakes (which are here plentyful) and the razor sharp sedges here. After this triumph we returned happily to the camp and enjoyed another well earned beer.

Pair of Malagasy Harriers (Circus macrosceles)

In the afternoon I went out with Loukman and Eugene to search for Velvet Asity, Common Sunbird Asity, Blue Coua, Red-fronted Coua and Red-headed Ground Roller, but we saw none of these. We saw only one single bird, but what a bird it was: Madagascar Serpent Eagle! This species used to be equally easy as the Red Owl, but the radiotags on the two Serpent Eagles here also have a low battery, making this bird the second hardest bird in Madagscar (after the mythical Dusky Tetraka). How unbelievably lucky we were to find one sitting in a tree next to the track! We enjoyed brilliant views of this cracker for at least an hour, thanks to Eugenes amazing ability to find the bird again as soon as it changed its perch. After this succes I exchanged hugs with both of my guides, for they both have been searching for this bird for 84 days straight without success and today they succeeded. Probably I am they only birder in the world who has seen Slender-billed Flufftail and Madagascar Serpent Eagle in the same day. Another extremely satisfying day ended with a beer and only smiling faces. What a day!

Madagascar Serpent Eagle (Eutriorchis astur) (female) 

The next day we headed back, partly on foot, partly on motorbike. We were sad to leave this magical place behind us, but one day we will return, even though we have ticked off almost everything at this site. I can highly recommend this site to everyone, it is probably our number one birding site until now.

The Madagascar Pochard Lake (picture made by Anna van der Kaaden)

For a more elaborate Dutch version of this post, have a look at: http://dutchbirding.nl/news.php?id=781

Comoros November 2012 - Mozambique Channel

Most birders fly between the different islands of the Comoros, but the seas between the islands can be very interesting to explore from the boats going from island to island. However arranging one can be a real hassle. We thought we had arranged a boat from Moroni, Grande Comoro, to go to Fomboni, Moheli, but when we arrived the next day it wasn't departing... After some hours we found out there was a small boat going every day several times from Hoani, Grande Comoro, to Chindini, Moheli. When we arrived at Hoani by taxi-brousse we soon got tickets and an hour later we were in the front (bad idea, your ass will be sour for days) fo the boat. On these small boats it is important to waterproof all your luggage or to put at least a plastic bag around your backpack. The boat ride took approximately 1.5 hours, but this is dependent on the tides.

During the crossing we noted some interesting seabirds including Bridled Tern, Brown Noddy, Bulwer's Petrel (Don't be tempted to identify these petrels as Jouanin's, just because the Bulwer's is not mentioned in Sinclair and Langrand. The flight action of the the Bulweria's in the Comoro's is very fast and "batlike" suggesting Bulwer's and these birds are also rather small.) and Greater Frigatebird. We also noted several Flying Fishes, some of them extremely brightly colored, but surprisingly no Dolphins.

On Moheli we tried to get a boat to Anjouan, but the departure date got postponed again and again, which in the end made it impossible for us to visit this island. On our return trip to Grande Comoro we took the same small boat from Chindini to Hoani. During the trip we noted just one Bulwer's Petrel, some Brown Noddies and two Sooty Terns. This crossing proved to be something of an adventure, for the motor of our boat stopped working in the middle of the sea, luckily it started working again after half an hour of drifting. However due to this delay the tides were not ideal and we had to walk the last couple of hundred meters on dead coral.

Unfortunately it was not possible to take any pictures on the two crossings we took, but I think the bigger boats plying these routes should have less spray. The seas here are really interesting and should be explored more, just like every bit of the Comoros. I can highly recommend this country, for it is an amazing, but seldom visited area, even by birders standards. It provides High quality birding sites and a respectable list of endemics. We saw 57 birds species and 1 mammal species during our two week visit of which 21 species are endemic, but future DNA research is most likely to prove many endemic subspecies to be genuine endemic species. Besides most of them are endangered and rare and none of them are actually protected. This may change when more people show interest in the biodiversity of the Comoros. So all I can say is book your ticket now! (Air Madagascar or Precision Air)

Comoros November 2012 - Mohéli, Oeunefou

Due to problems with the local boats, we did not managed to get to Anjouan, so we missed the four (three if you don´t count the Thrush, which you should) local endemics. Therefore we had some spare time and ventured from Miringoni to Nioumachoua, which was rather difficult as there are no taxi-brousses on this stretch of road. There we found, to our surprise, very good accomodation in the form of the Laka Lodge and so we had our first shower in two weeks... From here you can organise all sorts of tours, including hikes and whale watching. We however, as we were short on money and it was not in the season for the whales, organised a boat form a local fisherman for 15.000 CMF to visit Oeunefou.

Oeunefou is one of the small uninhabited islands offshore, that are part of the only national park of the country. This site is not a part of the standard circuit (if such a thing exists in the Comoros), but we thought it might be encompromise a breeding colony of Persian Shearwaters and we were eager to make some better sound recordings than on Chalet St. Antoine.

We just camped on the beach, which almost ended in disaster, for the high tide is very high here during the night.  We had a very lovely time on this small island though, for the snorkeling is very good.  Besides we also saw some good birds including: Malagasy Harrier, Sooty Falcon and Lesser Frigatebird. At night we also heard some Persian Shearwaters calling, but these were only two very brief calls. The highlight however at night is the biofluorescence, which gives you the feeling of swimming with the stars.

Our tent on Oeunefou

Concluding, Oeunefou is not a place you go for the birds primairely, but it was a cool place to kill our spare time. However take enough food and water, when camping out, for our boatman was 3.5 hours late... I also want to make a small note here: Oeunefou seems like the perfect place to play Robinson Crusoe and many people do so. However it is the only single "protected" area in the entire country and that should be respected, even when the locals don´t, so fuck off with your home made fishing rod or spear and enjoy the Barracuda´s alive while snorkeling!

Sunset on Oeunefou

Comoros November 2012 - Mohéli, Chalet St. Antoine

Chalet St. Antoine is The place on Mohéli to see all the endemics of the island. However, access to this site is very difficult. I have no idea what the best strategy should be. We simply arrived in Miringoni, where the trail starts, by hitching a ride from Hoani and ended up sleeping in the drivers house (Although there are bungalows in the village, he insisted on inviting us to his house. Awsome experience!) In Miringoni we organised  a guide, called Abacar, who speaks very decent French, but no English. You really need a guide, for otherwise you just won´t find the trail. At the top, at Chalet St. Antoine (800 m.a.s.l.) is no accomodation, nor food, so you have to camp out. We found that buying food in Miringoni is very difficult and therefore I advice to stock up somewhere else. We walked the entire very, very steep trail in three hours, arriving at 8:00 at the top with a load of spare time.

Birds seen on the trail and around the chalet included the endemic Comoro Green Pigeon (just two and I think if IUCN acceps this form to be a full species it will be rated as endangered, at least), Mohéli Thrush (Very different from Grande Comoro Thrush. We saw a few, mostly around the camp), Moheli Bulbul, Long-billed Green Sunbird  (ssp. voeltzkowi), Madagascar White-eye (ssp. comoriensis), Malagasy Harrier (a pair preformed stunningly at the chalet), Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher (ssp. voeltzkowiana), Cuckoo Roller (apparently it is unknown which subspecies is represented on this island or even which species!) Benson´s Brush Warbler (just one noted), Comoro Blue Vanga (two males seen) and Comoro Cuckoo Shrike (just one female observed of the scarce moheliensis subspecies)

Long-billed Green Sunbird (Nectarinia notata voeltzkowi)

Mohéli Thrush (Turdus (bewsheri) moheliensis)

Malagsy Harrier (Circus macrosceles), male 

Male Cuckoo Roller, whatever (sub)species it may be, in display flight

Female Comoro Cuckooshrike (Coracina cucullata moheliensis)

After a very long wait (10 hours) it was finely getting dark and very soon four or five Mohéli Scops Owls started calling and after having the (rather weird tyto-like) call recorded, we could lure on into view and enjoyed rather brief, but good sights of the bird. Surprisingly we also heard some Persian Shearwaters calling and it turns out to be a known breeding site of the temptator subspecies.

We also recorded Common Tenrecs here and had to restrain Abacar from eating them! Retrospectively I think eating introduced species is not such a bad thing and it is a shame that House Crows apparently don´t taste as good as Tenrecs... We also tried to find the endemic Livingstone´s Fruit Bat, but unfortunately we did not manage to find this extremely impressive species. I can highly recommend this site as well, but prepare yourself well and I think leaving Miringoni in the afternoon will do just fine. Abacar is a decent guide, but a bit shy. Besides the birds, the view at the top is also very beautiful, for you can see the entire marine park, including the uninhabited islands (see next post).

Comoros November 2012 - Grande Comoro, Mount Karthala

The most important site of Grande Comoro is the spectacular vulcano that dominates the island: Mount Karthala. It is actually the worlds largest vulcanic crater and the views are nothing but breathtaking. I would even go so far to call them awesome, a word most people rape in daily life. I can therefore highly recommend this site, also for the less bird-inclined. For the birders: every endemic, except the Drongo, can be seen on the slopes of the mountain.

The crater of Mount Karthala (picture made by Anna van der Kaaden)

 The access of this site is not very easy and a guide is recommended. We used "Chauffeur" (Said, 002693365387) which we can highly recommend. He is a bit pricey (we paid 85.000 CMF), but entire Comoros is a bit pricy for Africa, also he knows the mountains, the forest and most of the birds, most importantly the Scops Owl, fairly well. The walk up the crater is long, for the trail starts at Mvouni (300 m.a.s.l.) and goes all the way up to the crater (2200 m.a.s.l.), but is not particularly steep or hard. It is possible to do the walk within one day. It is even possible to visit  the crater and return to Mvouni on the same day, but that would mean to rush a stunning hike and more importantly, the chances to see the Karthala  Scops Owl drop to zero.

We left Moroni around 5:00 and made it all the way up to the top and returned to 1600 m.a.s.l. to sleep in a hut. The next day we made our way down in just 2.5 or 3 hours. The birding is very good all endemics with all endemics seen, except the Drongo; Comoro Blue Pigeon (just a single one), Comoro (Olive) Pigeon (large numbers at higher altitude, above the forest), Comoro Bulbul (numerous at higher elevation where Madagascar Bulbul does not occur), Grande Comoro Thrush (four noted in good quality forest), Humblot´s Flycatcher (small numbers in good quality forest), Comoro Brush Warlber (fairly common in high altitude scrub), Kirk´s White-eye (very common up to 1600 m.a.sl.), Karthala White-eye (surprisingly scarce and very  unlike the drawing in the book, small numbers noted at high altitude. Also one or two in a Kirk´s flock around the camp), Comoro Green Sunbird (quite scarce at lower and medium altitude), Comoro Cuckooshrike (just two males noted in good quality forest), Comoro Fody (quite common at medium altitude with some juveniles hanging around the camp). Non-endemics included: Madagascar Harrier, Eleonora´s Falcon, Common Quail (ssp. africana), Madagascar Spine-tailed Swift (ssp. mariae), (Comoro) Cuckoo Roller (of the ssp. gracilis which has a different vocalisation than the (sub)species on Madagascar), Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher (ssp. comoriensis) and both Vasa Parrot species. For the Karthala Scops Owl, we went back down to 1300 m.a.s.l. and tried with tape at a spot Chauffeur pointed out. A bird aswered quickly, but seeing it the bird took some time. In the end we went straight into the forest and the bird came and set in a tree just above us and called back. Lovely!

Grande Comoro Scops Owl (Otus paulani)

Comoro Cuckooshrike (Coracina cucullata cucullata)

Comoro Bulbul (Hypsipetes parvirostris)

Grand Comoro Brush Warbler (Nesillas brevicaudata)

Humblot´s Flycatcher (Humblotia flavirostris)

Comoro Pigeons (Columba pollenii)

Comoro Pigeon (Columba pollenii)

A crappy record shot of Karthala White-eye (Zosterops mouroniensis)

African Stonechat (Saxicola torquatus voeltzkowi)

The hut were we slept in on the Vulcano

The nightwalk also produced some Common Tenrecs, which are introduced to the Comoros for food. During the day we also saw a Furcifer cephalopis Chameleon (endemic for the Comoros). I can only repeat myself: when visiting the Comoros, Mount Karthala is an experience not to be missed.

Furcifer cephalopis