Hi all,
A while ago I posted about an upcoming trip to Madagascar with the goal of tracking down all of the endemics (except Dusky Tetraka). Well, the trip was extremely successful and we did quite well recording all of the endemics except Bernier's Vanga (we didn't do Masoala, and dipped on them in Iaroka despite heroic efforts). Although the trip was very successful, it was a lot more work than I originally anticipated. Mostly due to the numerous long hikes we did in search for the Bernier's as well as the issues we had with our drivers/vehicles along the way.
After we (Melissa, Josh, and I) arrived in country, we quickly picked up our fourth person (Geoff) and started off directly towards Tsiroanomandidy which is the gateway town to the area for Tsigny Wood Rail. Our trip for the rail was more than we bargained for including a way longer drive than expected (due to the clearance of our vehicle and road conditions), Geoff's foot getting run over by our idiot driver, cracking the oil pan, and stalling the vehicle in the middle of a river crossing! Luckily, actually twitching the rail is straight forward and it only took a few minutes to find it once we reached the spot. Check out the blog for more info/pics from the Tsingy Wood Rail extension.
https://budgetbirders.com/2018/04/15/madagascar-the-tsingy-extension-aka-the-worst-car-ride-of-our-lives/
Best,
Ross
A while ago I posted about an upcoming trip to Madagascar with the goal of tracking down all of the endemics (except Dusky Tetraka). Well, the trip was extremely successful and we did quite well recording all of the endemics except Bernier's Vanga (we didn't do Masoala, and dipped on them in Iaroka despite heroic efforts). Although the trip was very successful, it was a lot more work than I originally anticipated. Mostly due to the numerous long hikes we did in search for the Bernier's as well as the issues we had with our drivers/vehicles along the way.
After we (Melissa, Josh, and I) arrived in country, we quickly picked up our fourth person (Geoff) and started off directly towards Tsiroanomandidy which is the gateway town to the area for Tsigny Wood Rail. Our trip for the rail was more than we bargained for including a way longer drive than expected (due to the clearance of our vehicle and road conditions), Geoff's foot getting run over by our idiot driver, cracking the oil pan, and stalling the vehicle in the middle of a river crossing! Luckily, actually twitching the rail is straight forward and it only took a few minutes to find it once we reached the spot. Check out the blog for more info/pics from the Tsingy Wood Rail extension.
https://budgetbirders.com/2018/04/15/madagascar-the-tsingy-extension-aka-the-worst-car-ride-of-our-lives/
Best,
Ross