madagascar sept-oct 13 (1 Viewer)

I am looking at 10 weeks on mad and adjacent islands from sep/oct 13. I will be using public transport and internal flights, camping on occasion.

Intending to do ne, sw and e Mad and possible the nth, the pochard (nw)would be good too if there was a few of us. I have some interest from other parties but noone committed yet.



Open to ideas,

Paul

Paul, if you can get a group of 4 together, I would seriously consider hiring a 4WD + driver. Public transport on Madagascar is pretty grim, and getting to some sites would be time-consuming / difficult without your own vehicle.

I would think the opposite. Even on public transport, 10 weeks is overkill. You can do all in approx. 6-7, max. 8 weeks, as long as you have some logistics sorted out.
Pretty sure you can get a motorcycle to take you to the pochard site (or the tractor, going there twice a week on monday and thursday if I remember right).

thanks for the words.

I try to give myself enough time to stay an extra day here and there should i choose. I am going there to enjoy it, not rush about trying to see everything possible. I particularly enjoy finding my own birds & wildlife, although it seems guides are compulsory at several sites in Mad.

4x4 sounds great but expensive. So far there is just me so not really an option yet.

I have travelled extensivly alone on 6 continents. There is always a way from a to b. Hopefully.

My point is, even without rushing you can comfortably see all birds in 6-7 or max. 8 weeks, but you need to visit the right sites (i.e. Bemenavika, Ankarafantsika, Betsiboka delta + lake kinkony, Masoala, Andohahela, Ranomafana, Berenty, Ifaty, Tulear, Zombitse, Isalo, Anjozorobe)

No need to visit Anjozorobe if you can find Slender-billed Flufftail in Bemenavika, and no need to visit Mantadia-Perinet and surroundings if you have visited the sites mentioned above. Each sites takes approx. 2 days of birding and less than 10 target species.

A 4x4 + internal flights would take you around in 4 weeks covering all the sites, travelling overland with public transport and you spend 6-7 weeks, or 8 if you go really slow.

The very best sites I have experienced were Bemenavika and Masoala. I haven't birded in the south but friends have and they got most good birds in Ranomafana, and in total all endemics bar Dusky Greenbul (still no hard evidence seen this bird exists, e.g. DNA etc?) and a vague claim of the Serpent-eagle (maybe there is now a tagged one in Bemenavika, definitely the best place in Madagascar to try, and has been seen this year by Dutch birder Johannes Fischer: http://www.dutchbirding.nl/content/news/images/Fischer_serpenteagle.JPG

thanks temmie, any advice is always welcome.

i also intend to include mauritius and reunion for a week each and the comoros looks great too. Some time underwater is always welcome. I could happily spend 20 weeks there i think, if i had the £ and the time.

The islands ecology looks mindbendingly good. Just heard i can camp at masoala for 4 euro a night, I just need to get there!

Hi Paul,

A full report will be completed somewhere near the summer. If you want to know more details, send me a PM. In the meantime, the report about the Mascarenes can be found here: http://users.ugent.be/~hmatheve/hm/MASCARENES12.html (and actually, there is a working link to the Madagascar report, too ;-)

I will be on madagascar for 12 days during the same period and plan to do lots of birding. Could meet for a day trip one of the days if we happen to be close by?

Rufio said:

I will be on madagascar for 12 days during the same period and plan to do lots of birding. Could meet for a day trip one of the days if we happen to be close by?

Click to expand...

keep me posted in sep/oct, i will know more then.
Paul