Birding in Madagascar

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Getting there
Unless you can afford the time to take a leisurely cruise to the island, access is limited to flying in. There are flights twice a week from Johannesburg; from Europe access is via Nairobi.

Getting around
A do-it-yourself trip using available transport, hire vehicles, or even hitch-hiking is possible, although not advisable if you are on a tight schedule. Infrastructure is modest, and the road system in particular is limited and many roads are in a state of disrepair. As a result, even short journeys of less than 100 kilometres can take several hours. My advice, especially for first-time birders to the island, is to take an organized tour through vacationtechnician.com

Madagascar is generally safe and the Malagasy people charming and helpful. Unless you speak some French, communication can be tricky without a Malagasy-speaking guide. Be sure to watch your wallet and other valuables, however, when in Tana and the other major cities, as pick-pocketing is rife, especially in the crowded markets.

Telephones and faxes are few and far between outside of the major hotels.

If you are set on going it alone, then make sure you get a copy of Hilary Bradt's Guide to Madagascar well in advance and study it well. Even if you are travelling as part of a group, this excellent guide is well worth having.

Value for money

One thousand FMG is worth about R1.00, or US$0.25. Food, curios (especially if you have someone to bargain for you), and hotels are reasonably priced, as are the local beer (not too bad) and wines (well, decide for yourself), but luxury, imported goods are very pricey.

Health advice
Malaria is problematic in Madagascar so consult with your physician about appropriate prophylactic medicine. Drink only bottled mineral Eau Vive which is widely available. Otherwise use purification tablets. Be wary about food in general, but hotel fare is safe if somewhat unexciting.

BIRDING Equipment
Apart from a good, light and durable pair of binoculars, don't forget lightweight raingear as it is frequently overcast and often raining. A sturdy pair of hiking boots is also important. Madagascar is a country of rough, hard terrain and taking the latest in designer safari gear is not a good idea. Make sure that you always have plenty of insect repellent to hand.

For those into photography, make sure that your bag is rain-proof and keep your equipment to a minimum as it is not much fun lugging a heavy camera bag along steep, slippery forest paths. If you do need a lot of lenses, bodies and a tripod, I suggest that you negotiate with a guide to carry your equipment for you. Be warned - photography, particularly in the rainforests, is not easy. Often your subject is high in the canopy against a highly contrasting background of dark foliage and bright sky, while the low light levels at the forest floor can defeat all but the best and fastest lenses.

About the birds and when to go
Our best advice to birders planning on visiting Madagascar is to get a copy of Olivier Langrand's Field Guide to the Birds of Madagascar. Not only is this invaluable as a field guide but it also contains reviews on the birding 'hotspots' around the island. The behavioural notes under the species accounts are particularly useful.

Learning about Malagasy birds isn't really difficult as there are only some 110 endemics and 25 regional endemics. Many of the remaining species are either migrants or shared with Africa. While browsing through the text, you'll garner a lot of useful general birding information; for example, about the large, multi-species foraging flocks of passerines that are so often encountered in the winter months (May to August). You'll also learn that in spring and early summer (September to January) birding is at its best because it is the breeding season and some of the more elusive species, such as the rainforest-dependent ground-rollers, are calling, while families such as the asitys are resplendent in their breeding finery.

Finding the birds
The bulk of Madagascar's birds are forest dependent, and so it stands to reason that the island's heavily wooded areas are amongst the most rewarding bird-watching areas. There are three principal forest types, each with its own complement of endemics.

Whichever forest type you're set to explore, it's best to be on the forest paths by dawn as it is during these early hours that the diurnal birds are most active. If it is raining, and it often is in the eastern forests, don't let this dissuade you. Just don your raingear and get on with it - I've done some extremely productive birding in Madagascar during rainy weather.

It's worth bearing in mind that the local forest guides know their area well and are mostly very helpful in terms of tracking down rarer species. This is particularly the case at Ranomafana, the ideal place in which to see the rarer rainforest-dependent species.

Birding in the tropical dry deciduous forests of the west is easier than in the eastern rainforests as the woods are lighter and the canopy much lower. Covering the terrain requires a lot less effort, the slopes being quite gentle.

The 'spiny bush' in the sub-arid south is best visited in the very early morning to about 10h00. Most people find the dry heat later on in the day tiring. You're unlikely to need your raingear here, but you will be miserable without protective footwear because of the spiky litter of the many thorny plants.

Birding at night
Madagascar has its share of nocturnal birds and a good suggestion from top field ornithologist, Ian Sinclair, is to venture out about two hours before dawn, so you can search for owls and nightjars, but be in the same forest to witness the hive of activity at daybreak.

Best places
There are a few selected localities one needs to visit in order to tick most of the Malagasy specials and endemics, and any trip that takes in Ranomafana, Périnet (Analamazaotra), the Isalo mountains, the western deciduous forest of Ampijoroa, and the 'spiny desert' around Tulear should bring rich rewards.
Logistics dictate that two weeks is the ideal time period required to get to and explore these sites. Many localized or rare species can almost be 'guaranteed' during a day or two in such places; for example, in Ampijoroa, you should see the White-breasted Mesite and Madagascar Fish Eagle.

Serious twitchers should go with a seasoned birding tour leader who is familiar with the territory and knows the exact places in which to seek particularly furtive species such as the Slender-billed Flufftail, Dusky Greenbul and Yellow-bellied Sunbird-asity.

Some species are reliably found in the most unexpected places, such as White-throated Rail in the hotel grounds at Isalo National Park, and the increasingly rare Madagascar Plover, usually seen near Tulear airport. Then again, some plentiful and fairly widely distributed birds can be a source of continued frustration - for example, the Velvet Asity, which I only saw for the first time on my 11th trip to the island!

But that's birding for you - hard work brings its rewards, but you need that little bit of luck as well.

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