Africa - Toto (Part II)

Another extremely soggy and windy day yesterday, and looks like more to come, so hope another vist to Africa will bring some cheer to your Sunday!

We can only feature a 'drop' from the mighty ocean that was our 3 weeks tour of Madagascar back in 2010. When Toto croon "hurry boy (girl) it's waiting there for you" if there were but a single recomendation across The Dark Continent then this is it - only Antarctica surpasses it!

It's a no-brainer as to which species should kick off this event as miraculously the only Bird found on the Island that ever set foot in Great Britain, but more correctly Portland, Dorset.

It goes something like this, so please correct me if wrong, but Martin Cade the Warden of the Portland Bird Observatory recieved a telephone call from a lady walker along the West Cliff path on 10 February 2002, reporting that she had picked up an injured Moorhen during her dalliance. As is the nature of the beast, he was there within minutes but no-one could imaging his reaction when he opened the temporary shelter of the cardboard box to find a moribund

ALLAN'S GALLINULE
It was kept alive for as long as possible, even being administered a blast of oxygen, but it was only the Fated Few who got to see it alive. We'll say no more except to point out that it was the most severe case of self flagulation to telephone Bird Line that evening from the Oil Rig to be informed of this find! It was seen in the freezer some days later and yes we are CERTAIN we saw it twitch!

The vast majority of the following are Endemics but not the above.

BAOBAB TREEs
almost the insignia of the Island

CHABERT'S VANGA

VERREAUX'S SIFAKA

BROAD-BILLED ROLLER

We have no idea of the identification of Flora there so just a series of pretty pictures.

MADAGASCAR BEE-EATER

RED-FRONTED LEMUR

TERRAIN

NILE CROCODILE

APPET'S GREENBUL
a real sculker and rarity.

HUBBARD'S SPORTIVE LEMUR

CACTUS

TOMB BAT

no shortage of them.

FOSSA
is a Cat-like, carnivorous mammal endemic to Madagascar and a member of the Eupleridae family closely related to the Mongoose. We were privileged to see c3 of them in all.

WHITE-FOOTED SPORTIVE LEMUR

GOLDEN BAMBOO LEMUR

PALM TYPE

RING-TAILED LEMUR

LITTORAL ROCK THRUSH

COQUEREL'S SIFAKA

BROWN MOUSE LEMUR

MADAGASCAR FLYING-FOX

EASTERN BAMBOO LEMUR

CACTUS TYPE

RED-FRONTED BROWN LEMUR
and a little trinket brought back from all corners of the continent

ELEPHANT-HAIR BRACELETS
(but not from this corner as there are no pachyderms)
always a crowd pleaser as a product of the enterprising Mahouts who
fashion them from the tail hairs of the Bulls. However, always presented this end with a little story of being sat on the verandah at sunset with a pint and high powered rifle waiting for the hapless creature to arrive at the watering hole - 'a bite every time'!