3. Wetlands, waterbirds and Madagascar D.M. Harebottle ADU - UCT From 11-22 September 1999 I had the opportunity to visit the fourth-largest island in the world - Madagascar. This was by invitation from Wetlands International (WI) to attend the second annual meeting of the steering committee of the African Waterfowl Census (AfWC). This project, launched in 1991, is a continent-wide, long-term waterbird monitoring programme aimed at determining the population sizes, distribution and conservation status of Africa's waterbirds. To date, 30 African countries participate in AfWC, South Africa having done so since 1992 through its own national Coordinated Waterbird Counts (CWAC). The trip consisted of the AfWC meeting, followed by a field trip. The meeting took place at the Hotel Buffet de la Gare, close to Andasibe, approximately 140ÿkm east of the capital Antananarivo ('Tana' for short), and was attended by 11 delegates: Tim Dodman (Chairperson and Africa Programme Coordinator for WI), Hilaire Beibro (Regional Organizer (RO) for West Africa and Technical Assistant, West Africa Programme, WI), Julius Arinaitwe (National Coordinator (NC) for Uganda and RO for East Africa), J‚r“me Mokoko (NC for Democratic Republic of Congo and RO for Central Africa), Rivo Rabarisoa (NC for Madagascar and RO for the Indian Ocean Islands), Rob Simmons (NC for Namibia and RO for southern Africa), Barry Taylor (Coordinator - Rallid Specialist Group), Frank Hawkins (BirdLife International), Frans Schepers (WIWO - Foundation Working Group International Wader and Waterfowl Research), Pierre Rahagalala (ANGAP - Association Nationale pour le Gestion des Aires Protegees), and myself, the NC for South Africa. The meeting provides an opportunity for ROs to report back on the status and development of waterbird-monitoring programmes in their respective regions and to discuss ongoing and new strategies and priorities for AfWC. Important aspects arising from this meeting included inter alia: a) a presentation, by myself, on the results and conservation recommendations contained in the TOTAL CWAC Report. The report was received with praise from all delegates, with congratulations from WI to South Africa for being the first African country to produce a report on its waterbird counts; b) a proposal and discussion on the production of an AfWC Training Manual. The manual, being developed by Dr Barry Taylor of Pietermaritzburg, will aim to provide monitors with a practical, user-friendly guide to wetland classification and description, waterbird-counting techniques and species identification, and incorporation of other wetland taxa in AfWC. It will assist AfWC by defining wetland habitats more effectively, improving coverage and accuracy at counts, and helping to assign any social, ecological and/or economic value or importance to wetlands; c) a discussion around the publication of a ten-year (1991-2000) review of AfWC data. The review, due to be published in 2003/4, will be an important milestone for AfWC as it will summarize the first ten years of waterbird counts in Africa and will provide preliminary results on population estimates, trends and movements of African waterbirds. The review also aims to highlight important wetlands and their significance to the ecology and conservation of waterbirds in Africa. Another outcome of the meeting was that the ADU would take over the role of Regional Organizer for southern Africa when Dr Rob Simmons steps down. Situated along the eastern escarpment, Andasibe is well known for its montane rain-forests, with the local Perineit Special Reserve being home to the famous black-and-white Indri (Indri indri), Madagascar's largest lemur. This is the 'wet' region of Madagascar and, barring the first day, cool, rainy conditions prevailed during this first week. We did manage a field trip to the Tooratoorafootsi Marsh, about 14ÿkm north of Andasibe where, thanks to a local guide, we were able to find Madagascar Rail, Madagascar Swamp Warbler, Grey Emutail, and get a glimpse of the Madagascar Flufftail. We desperately tried to call up Slender-billed Flufftail but only managed to hear it, no doubt responding to the taped call. Walks in and adjacent to the rain-forest also yielded many eastern endemics, including Madagascar Blue Vanga, Madagascar Cuckoo-Roller, Crested Drongo, Madagascar Kestrel (resident at the Hotel), Henst's Goshawk, Lesser Vasa Parrot, Madagascar Crested Ibis, Velvet Asity, Madagascar Wagtail, Madagascar Bulbul, Madagascar Cuckooshrike, Madagascar Malachite Kingfisher, Madagascar Pygmy Kingfisher, Madagascar White-eye, Madagascar Green Sunbird, Souimanga Sunbird and Madagascar Paradise Flycatcher and, to Barry Taylor's delight, the Madagascar Wood Rail. After the meeting, we travelled back to Tana where we spent a night before flying west to the coastal town of Morandava. This was the starting point for a four-day, 200-km trip along the west coast where we planned to visit several wetlands (including one of Madagascar's Ramsar sites), and search for many of the island's western specials. This region, in contrast to the east, is drier, hotter and more humid, with deciduous woodland and savanna dominating. It is also here that the famous baobabs occur, Madagascar being home to seven of the world's nine baobab species. Our trip began after lunching at a local 'hotely' (equivalent to our shebeens) with a 70-km drive north to Belo-sur-Tsiribihinia (known as Belo). The trip was slow-going, the road riddled with enormous potholes and dongas resulting in the journey taking four hours to complete. After crossing the Tsiribihinia River by ferry at dusk, we spent the night in a local hotel before setting out after breakfast the next day for Bekopaka, about 60ÿkm further north. A second ferry crossing marked our arrival at Bekopaka where we spent the afternoon and the morning of the next day visiting the Tsingy-Bemmorha National Park and its surrounds, including a canoe trip up the Manambolo River. The Park is famous for its limestone deposits which have left an interesting array of formations and 'sculptures' jutting out of the landscape. A guided tour takes visitors on a journey through the deposits and is highly recommended. We found Madagascar Jacana, Madagascar Pratincole, Mascarene Martin (breeding), Sakalava Weaver (breeding) and Madagascar Nightjar to add to our ever-growing bird list. A small group of Verreaux's Sifakas, diurnal lemurs, with young, were also seen in the Park. The next day we headed for the Three Lakes region where we planned to meet up with researchers from the Peregrine Fund (PF), their camp being situated on the shore of Lake Soamalipo. The lake is one of four comprising the 7500-ha Complexe des lacs de Manambolomaty, one of Madagascar's two Ramsar sites. Arriving just before dusk, we set off to find the Madagascar Fish Eagle, a 'critically endangered' species (less than 100 pairs) which the PF has been studying for almost 10 years. After a 15-minute boat ride, we found three birds at a nest site, one bird, a female, calling repeatedly (the call is a somewhat subdued and slower version of the African Fish Eagle's). Two Sooty Falcons flew by and circled, giving us excellent views. En route back to camp we detoured to another section of the lake to see ñ 8000 fruit bats (Pteropus rufus), the largest in Madagascar, flying out from their roosts to forage - a magnificent sight. The next morning we located their roost in some large defoliated trees on one of the islands; the bats looked rather out of place in the open and mid-morning heat. The lakes are frequented by local fishermen who follow strict traditional fish harvesting limits which are enforced by the local tompondrano or 'the keeper of the lakes'. This wise-use ethic has helped them control over-exploitation of fish resources while at the same time sharing the resource and co-existing with the fish eagles and other fish-eating birds. The PF campsite provided a host of birds including specials like Banded Kestrel (rare in Madagascar), Sicklebilled Vanga (similar to our White Helmetshrikes), Giant Coua (a large, ground-feeding lourie-like bird) and a resident Madagascar Scops Owl. The next day we drove north-east to Lake Bemamba to meet Barry who had gone on ahead to search for the elusive Sakalava Rail. On the way we stopped at Lake Antsamaka (one of the Ramsar lakes) to look for the rare and endemic Madagascar Teal; after much searching we managed to find one pair (megatick!). Other waterbirds included plenty of Humboldt's Herons, Openbill Storks, Lesser Flamingos and Dimorphic Egrets. We even managed a quick waterbird count! Further on, at Lake Andranolava, we found numerous pairs of Pygmy Goose, Black Egret and Whitebacked Duck. Arriving at Lake Bemamba, one is immediately struck by the immensity of this wetland. The lake, a huge (>1000ÿha) marshland covered with dense Phragmites reedbeds, is surrounded on the margins by rice fields, cultivated by local subsistence farmers, who use the seasonality of the wetland to grow their crops all year round. The receding margins of the wetland, especially during the dry season, April-October, also provides suitable habitat for waders: we found Curlew Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Whitefronted Plover, Threebanded Plover and Little Stint utilizing these mudflats. Other birds recorded here were Madagascar Bee-eater, Greyheaded Lovebird, Madagascar Coucal and Madagascar Sandgrouse. On leaving we were entertained, in true sundowner style, by a massive flock (2000+ birds) of ducks, ibises, herons and darters, all taking to the sky, circling and then resettling in the marsh. Barry did eventually manage to find the Sakalava Rail, albeit a five-second observation, but this was enough to convince him to return after the rainy season next year for a further and more detailed survey of the lake. On the last day we drove to Antsilova, about 60ÿkm north of the Ramsar lakes, from where we flew back to Tana. This signalled the end of our trip, having experienced many of Madagascar's sights and sounds, and having met new people and shared our knowledge and love for wetlands and waterbirds, not to mention recording 100 or so lifers! Based on the success of this trip, I now look forward to the next AfWC steering committee meeting scheduled for September 2000 in Kampala, Uganda, which will be held in conjunction with the Tenth Pan-African Ornithological Congress. The ADU would like to thank Wetlands International (Africa Office) for providing sponsorship and all logistical arrangements for Doug's trip to Madagascar. Their support is gratefully acknowledged. View looking west over part of Antananarivo with the university in the background. Rice paddies can be seen dominating the valley floor, a common sight in and around the city. A river channel entering the Tooratoorafootsi Marsh, a seasonally flooded wetland north of Andasibe which provides good habitat for Madagascar Rail and Madagascar Flufftail.

Office Avian Demography Unit
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Document posted: 26 January 2000