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Top
birds
1. Madagascar Flufftail
(as we sat on the steep forest floor at Mantadia, it encircled us
repeatedly and almost walked over someone's foot!)
2. Common Sunbird-Asity
(at Ranomafana, eye-level views of a male feeding)
3. Scaly Ground Roller (at
Mantadia, a pair posed for us in the open on a sandbank along the
river)
4. Pitta-like Ground Roller
(seen several times on the trail!)
5. Collared nightjar
roosting (well worth the climb at Andasibe!)
6. Velvet Asity
(a male posed obligingly for our cameras)
7. Rufous-headed Ground Roller
8. Madagascar Buttonquail
(we must have watched and photographed them for over 20 minutes
as they fed in circles along a trail at Ranomafana)
9. Cuckoo-Roller
(what an acrobatic flight and haunting call!)
10. Schlegel's Asity
Madagascar Bee-eater
Sickle-billed Vanga
Blue Coua
Pygmy Kingfisher
Verreaux's Coua
Allen's Gallinule
Subdesert Mesite
Madagascar Crested Ibis
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Top experiences
1. Our very first morning in the
rainforest, we walked up a steep and densely forested ridge, used
machetes to clear a trail, breathed heavily and there appeared Madagascar
Flufftail: almost walking over someone's foot!
2. Faint rustling sounds in the
undergrowth: Madagascar Buttonquail! Oblivious from our presence,
it fed at leisure on the forest floor, turning its body and changing
directions, making the typical feeding circles. We watched it for
at least 20 minutes at about 3 meter from us.
3. Leaftailed Gecko. Ask Dale
and Helen about the sharp stick!
4. Swimming in the cristal clear
waters at Nosy Ve with all the birds in hand - just before another
(hot) birding group trailed by...
5. Ringtailed lemurs - so well-habituated
we could watch their natural antics at length. 6. Everyone was just
so kind and patient - thank you!
7. Milne-Edwards Sifakas display
at Ranomafana while we were watching the Yellow-bellied Sunbird-Asity.
8. The chameleon Furcifer balteatus,
with its huge two rostral appendages and zebra-like colouration,
caused much excitement at Ranomafana when awaiting our pool-side
lunch. Probably the most impressive chameleon of the trip!
9. Coquerel's Sifaka bouncing
around our breakfast table at Ankarafantsika.
10. Cuckoo Roller displaying -
acrobatic flight and haunting call
Everyone's patience and kindness
- thank you!
The nightwalk at Ranomafana: watching
mouse lemurs up close plus 5 species of chameleon.
Waking up with Indri calling from
our lodge.
Diademed Sifakas.
The long walks on the ridges in
the rainforest.
Watching all possible species
of Sifaka perform so well for us
The relaxed atmosphere at our
Tulear beach-side hotel
Sunrise over the spiny desert
The breadth of knowledge and
tenacity of our leader Callan Cohen
Getting so close to a pair of
Scaly Ground-Roller that posed extensively for us in the open.
Rehydrating after successfully
birding the spiny desert
Our lovely hostess at Andasibe
A refreshing swim in the sea at
the spiny desert, and a spontaneous friendly interaction with the
local kids
Unexpected views of Rainforest
Scops-Owl, Torotoroka Scops-Owl, White-browed Owl and Marsh-owl.
The general rainforest experience.
The shear abundance of wildlife
in Ankarafantsika.
Watching three female participants
jumping on the trampoline!
When the Golden-brown Mouse lemur
fell on top of my head!
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