My Second time round in Madagascar

This year was my second time joining Opwal in Madagascar; last year my trip was split between 3 weeks at the terrestrial camps in Mariarano and Matsedroy, then 2 weeks at the marine site in Nosy Be. I loved it so much, that I haven’t shut up about it and decided to return for 6 weeks this summer! As well as giving my friends and family some respite form hearing me natter on about spiders, lemurs and coral, it was a great opportunity to develop the field skills I picked up last time and network, strengthening relationships with new and returning staff; And I can tell you now, there is no better way to network or make friends, than living with people in the middle of a forest for a few weeks!

Sarah Isley

The main camp in Mariarano village is fabulous for Annie and mamma Grazella’s samosa’s (always with a side dish of Saky and an ice cold  World Cola *chefs kiss*), football outings at the local pitch and market days; However, the more remote camp, Matsedroy, has been a firm favourite for me. As the Malagasy may say, its ‘mora, mora’ (meaning ‘slowly, slowly’), with it being quieter and has 3 stunning lakes to look over from the long house and conduct surveys- a fabulous place to see sunsets, sunrises and watch the birds and zebu go about their days.

Matsedroy is also home to the Ghost Spider, Ocyale ghost, which is, if I remember correctly, only found in a small section of sand around one of the lakes- which I think is insane; And there are many other species that aren’t just endemic to the island itself, but to very specific areas, and found nowhere else. I think that’s magical and part of the reason the island fascinates me so much!

Sarah Isley

Spiders and entomology in general, have since become a keen interest of mine and something I am considering focusing on for my future career. If you had told me 3 years ago that I’d be going round enthusing about Wolf Spiders, Spiny Orb Weavers and Jumping Spiders, I would have thought you were mad! Like most people who come to Madagascar, I was initially focused on the charismatic lemurs I knew I would encounter, but to my surprise, I was more drawn to the invertebrates, birds, botany and coral; So I think it goes to show how important it is to keep an open mind, get stuck into everything on offer and ask a million questions, because you never know where it might lead!

From this, I have been able to work with the scientists on both sites, who between surveys, have shown me bits and pieces on how to use excel, input data and explain what happens with it all afterwards. As well as this summer, becoming more integrated with the spider team, I’ve learned more about taxonomy, spider anatomy and species identification and helped sort through collected specimens ( And hopefully will have opportunities to continue this in the future, which is exciting!).

Sarah Isley

Once you get settled in camp life, (which can take a week or two, so don’t think you’re going crazy if you feel a bit off or anxious initially- it’s a big change and a lot to adjust to!)  I think there’s something so lovely and special about these experiences and how you can connect with people and nature in so many ways. It’s an environment where everyone is happy to help, everyone is curious and I have never felt to mentally enriched or at home.

Now I’m back in the UK, I miss hearing the cacophony of birds, accompanied by the lemurs shuffling around in the mango trees, above my hammock. I find myself regularly reminiscing about the animals I encountered, or the countless stories form camp- including a turkey falling down the long drop toilets at 4am, camp Olympics or seeing my first shooting star and Nightjar at the end of one of the routes.

I look forward to the next time I get to experience something like this again.

Written and title photo by Sarah Isley