Installment 1

Red-shouldered Vanga, a scarce Spiny Forest endemic from the southwest.

I am hunkered down at home in Madagascar for the foreseeable future. There are no international flights in or out, and even domestic flights have been cancelled. It occurs to me that some folks might be interested to hear about the way the virus is affecting life here, at the far ends of the Earth, and in a backwater in terms of the virus's progression so far. I live in a provincial town of around 60,000 people, 800km from the capital. For the moment, there are only two dozen cases in the country, all from folks who had recently returned from France. Despite that, it has already had a profound effect. More on that in future posts. Oh, and all my updates from Madagascar will be accompanied by a Malagasy wildlife photo, as a tribute to the riches of this island, and in anticipation of the happy day when visitors can return to enjoy them.