MADAGASCAR
A ring-tailed lemur in the Anja Community reserve
Right : Hanging screwpine fruits
I ask Angeluc about the noise and his smirk becomes a grin . “ What do you think it is ?” he replies evasively . I ’ m tempted to suggest lemurs but it just seems too absurd . “ Parrots …?” I venture , after some hesitation . Having seen huge flocks of macaws on TV shows about South America , I know they can be pretty noisy . He explodes into giggles , and that ’ s when I realize I ’ m wide of the mark .
We pause to admire a screwpine , which is essentially a giant version of the leafy part of a pineapple . Continuing along the trail , I breathe in lungfuls of the fresh forest air . Here and there , a sunbeam breaks through the canopy , spotlighting a colorful butterfly at rest on a leaf . We ’ re getting really close to the source of the sound when — in a sudden flurry of red , white and blue — a spectacular bird alights on a branch right in front of us .
“ Madagascar paradise flycatcher !” Angeluc proudly announces . This creature is unequivocally befitting of its sobriquet , with superbly long , elegant tail feathers and a shining blue eye-ring . Exhibiting no shyness , it ’ s almost as if it ’ s dancing for me — swooping back and forth while swishing its tail in the air . I snap some photos before wondering : how could this little bird be creating such a commotion ? Angeluc reads the question on my face before I open my mouth to say it , and shakes his head with another guffaw .
The flycatcher vanishes as abruptly as it had appeared , leaving me looking about in a daze and wondering if it had been an apparition . That ’ s when I notice Angeluc is already several paces ahead of me and excitedly indicating something on a tree trunk . I hurry closer and peer in the direction he ’ s pointing , but nothing is there . He insists it ’ s a gecko but all I can see is gray bark patched with moss and lichen . He finds a stick with which to point out its head , eyes , legs and tail .
We go through a few repetitions of this charade and eventually I say that I think , yes , maybe I can see it now — but the truth is far from it , and I still can ’ t see a thing . In fact , I ’ m starting to wonder if he ’ s pranking me , when the lizard makes a
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