AC

Celebrating 8 mo of homeless life with a quinine drink, guava from Tana and proud macadamia in a hacked business lounge in Nairobi airport.

>38 ant genera collected, rice paddies over, a bunch of amazing people and new friends met, missing field already, broadcasting mode off.

Our second camp was hided away from mobile networks. Surely you missed timely updates on aphaenogaster colonies! Back in Tana now.

Another day on slippery forest slopes. Ant-hunting is fun, but hard. No stress in the bush though at all. How to automate and scale anting?

It's a "dry season" now in northern Mada. Rains only about 40% of all time. Ground leaches are everywhere, including all one's exposed arms.

And then there's a high-altitude forest. Apparently, forest types composition scales with total peak height, which is contra-intuitive.

Above the deforested area with vanilla plantations there is indeed a primary forest here after about 600 m ASL to the top at ~900 m.

Went up to the local maximum at 900 m, collecting in 2 forest zones. Walking in a steep mountain jungle is fun, but no way without machete.

But still the bio is soo diverse - lying now in my tent counting night jungle sounds. Couple of dozens voices. Fireflies decend along ridge.

Set into routine - breakfast 5:30, collecting ants till noon, lunch, collecting till 5 pm, documenting till sunset, dinner at 6:30, bathing.

This forest at ~400 m ASL is supposed to be the reachest on the island in terms of biodiversity. However, there is almost no forest left.

Flew, drove, took a banana boat, hiked through jungle and now set base camp NW of Sambava. Lab and kitchen are set up above a stream. Yay!

#MBC expedition will be visiting lowland forest in a remote unexplored forest patch in #Madagascar. Objective is to document ant diversity.

After 3-days taxi-brousse ride #MBC field crew arrived to expedition start point in northern #Madagascar. On Wed we'll fly in to join them.

Thx to AirMada we have an unexpected pleasure of http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evrard_Wendenbaum … and solar ladies' company - with Makay massif and Ranobe village ideas.

An apparently large part of Air Madagascar fleet (2 aircraft) is now prohibited from entering EU airspace. Flights cancelled, people stuck.

[Expedition broadcast mode on] Onboard in foggy Nairobi for Antananarivo to join Dr. Brian Fisher and his team in #Madagascar.

I just ousted alp o. as the mayor of Bozburun on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/90l4CL

I just ousted Ali E. as the mayor of Datca Harbour on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/d6LJUb

I just ousted @fasooolq8 as the mayor of Chelsea Bridge on @foursquare! http://4sq.com/cVJfYK