In search of the Madagascar pochard: the world's rarest duck - Part 2

Day 5 - 24th July

Today is the big day that we have been most waiting for as we were making the drive up to the Pochard lakes. En route we would meet with the local authorities in the village of Bealanana, who were very supportive and keen to assist this project. Then after this meeting we set off along the main road from Bealanana onto a smaller track just after noon, expecting to be up at the Pochard Lakes in a few short hours, and watching ducks in the evening sunset.

This is not quite how things turn out. As our lead vehicle, a Hilux, enters the first major mudhole, it immediately becomes stuck up to its axle. Glyn and I are watching, and we both notice that only two wheels are spinning. Why aren’t they using 4WD? We need to go around in front of them with our Land Rover and pull them out with a winch. At this point we find out that the 4WD is broken, but Iandry says he has the spare parts to fix it up at the field camp. OK, we will all still go up together. A trip that normally takes about three hours, ends up taking us over ten hours as we basically have to pull the Hilux all the way up the hill, from 20 to 1600m in elevation, through mudholes and overflowing riverbeds, and up slippery slopes. By then it is dark and we are all a little giddy from fatigue, although the Malagasy team are as strong and enthusiastic as ever.

The two drivers Bruno and Iandry take each obstacle as a challenge to overcome. For me, once darkness hits things become surreal and I am feeling quite useless.There is one moment where Glyn, Nigel, Peter and I are in the rainforest, listening to the calls of Scops Owls and Nigel brings one in with a remarkable imitation. At the same time we can see the headlights of the Hilux down below us and hear the rest of the team singing, interspersed with the screams of the metal cable, as they winch the truck forward inch by inch through the forest.

We finally arrive at the hilltop above the lakes, and although we can’t see our hands in front of our faces, we know the lake and Pochard are down below us somewhere in the darkness. We gather up our tents and sleeping bags and stumble, slip and slide in the misty rain. We all end up separated, moving along as fast as we can to try and catch up with the headlamps ahead of us, worried about getting lost on the trail. I can’t see five feet from the trail and feel as if I am on the edge of a precipice for the entire walk. I am constantly tripping over tree roots in my haste to keep up. I am using a new headlamp which I bought for economy as it has a dim but long lasting bulb, which is a bit how I also feel at the moment. We finally arrive at the TPF campsite, and are greeted by smiling helpful faces and a warm and welcoming campfire. After a quick meal of rice and noodles, we climb into our tents at 1:00 in the morning, exhausted but content.