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.