In Ankarafantsika national park I got a phone number of a trustworthy boatman in Mahajanga. This made it possible for me to visit the Betsiboka Delta. This delta is The site for Bernier´s Teal and Madagscar Sacred Ibis. The boatman I used turned out to be really trustworthy (Iango, 0332551418 or 0325169149). The total prize of visiting the right area for the specialities in the delta is not cheap. I paid close to 200.000 Ariary and that included fuel and motor oil. However, for this prize you get an entire day of searching with an experienced boatman who knows the area and the birds, but he speaks little english. We were quite unlucky with the ducks, for it took us very long (8 hours) to find them and we got stuck in a sandbank that surprised Iango.
In the end we saw four Bernier´s Teals, two Madagascar Sacred Ibisses, one Humblot´s Heron and many waders including 250 Crab Plovers. We also observed pleasing numbers of Saunder´s Terns who showed very well and I managed to actually identify some by their plumage and not just by range.
 |
| Part of a large group of Crab Plovers (Dromas ardeola) |
 |
| Saunder´s Tern (Sternula saundersi) (look at those primairies!) |
 |
| Madagascar Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis bernieri) |
 |
| Bernier´s Teal (Anas bernieri) |
For birders this place is a must, but a logistical pain in the ass due to tides, boats, boatmen etc. and the area itself is not that special, so for any non birder I would recommend not to spend the large sum of money to visit Madagascars biggest delta.
No comments:
Post a Comment