Black Wheatear
Bowed but not broken, yet!
Moroccan Bird Trip Report
Spanish Nature – 9th March – 23rd March 2008
Morocco – High Atlas Mountains and Sahara Regions
Trip Report Author – Peter Jones
www.spanishnature.com
I intend to add some photos for one and all's interest at a later stage. The day by day account I am adding seperately as I will also the species listing. The species list also has dates (all March) which can be cross referenced with the locations on the day by day accounts. I apologise to one or two who leave shortly or have recently left to go to Morocco, but this is the earliest I could produce the trip report, honest!! Interestingly there were 4 birdforumers on the tour and I reckon we all had a great time.
Tour Overview
Well, another tour to Morocco and yet another resounding success! It was also the second consecutive March tour were we managed more than 200 species. It really doesn’t matter how many times I visit this remarkable country, I have now led groups here seven times, it has never failed to impress and produce the unexpected. I think the diversity and stark contrasts in landscape add flavour to the tours and of course the diversity in landscape is reflected by an equal diversity in the country’s avifauna. From the north and western tranquil shores of the Atlantic to the hustle and bustle of the city streets of Marrakech, to the stunning ascent and descent of the High Atlas Mountains to the wadi’s of the Sahara, the changes are breathtaking.
As in the previous year during March, we started with a pre-tour visit to the northern coastal areas of Larache and Merga Zerga. Surrounded as these coastal marshes are by cultivation, labour intensive and harkening back to long passed practices in northern Europe, these areas harbour great variety and good numbers of both migrant and rare breeding birds. On the lake at Larache for example we counted in excess of 1000 Red-knobbed Coot and were continually entertained by sightings and the sound of Moustached Warbler! Here we also had singletons of Spotted Crake, Collared Pratincole and Whiskered Tern. Merga Zerga produced Marsh Owl and an almost, not quite, total albino Oystercatcher. Caspian Tern, Great White Egret plus a startling array of waders and wildfowl made for a great pre-tour amble.
Before arriving in Marrakech we visited a small lake north of the city and witnessed a performance of courtship and mating ritual by a pair of Lanner Falcon, all whilst watching Plain Martin, Little Swift, Lesser Kestrel and Crag Martins hawk the surface area of the Lake! The road leading to the lake gave great views of several Lark species, including large numbers of Calandra Lark. Of course House Bunting and Common Bulbul greeted our arrival at our usual hotel on the outskirts of the city.
From Marrakech we journeyed, gently at first and then steeply into the High Atlas Mountains. The scenery here is so dramatic in places and this is complemented by the softer lower reaches of river valleys either side. Horned Lark, Nightingale, Rock Sparrow and Tree Pipit were seen in the high pass, but the real bonus bird for this leg of the tour was Thick-billed Lark seen near to the approach for Ouarzazate. What a strange, but striking bird this species is. We had great views and managed some excellent photos, Trumpeter Finch and Desert Wheatears also made an appearance against a backdrop of flat topped and heavily striated mountains. Evidence of early spring rainfall showed in the form of good plant cover near to the by-now dried riverbed.
Our usual route was enthusiastically followed once more, leading us over high passes until we eventually arrived into the high reaches of the Draa Valley. The Palmeries of this area, plus the dramatic high mountains on either side, made our journey to Zagora a real pleasure. Frequent stops allowed several views of typical species such as Laughing Dove, Blue Rock Thrush, Blue-cheeked Bee Eater, Yellow Wagtail, Booted Eagle and of course the ubiquitous House Bunting. We also managed Barbary Partridge and Fulvous Babbler near to our excellent accommodation on the outskirts of Zagora.
We were able to vary our route to M’Hamid this year and for the largest part we followed a desert track. Under the guidance of our lead (a local from M’hamid) driver, we became lost around halfway and were all made busy finding the correct track! I can remember a similar, although a much worse, incident back in 2006 when a local guide (name withheld) got us completely lost in the desert and we were eventually rescued by a French couple with a decent GPS. After a short while we found our track and soon all was put to rights with fine views of Bonelli’s Eagle. Our journey to our desert camp managed to also give us our first views of Cream-coloured Courser and Brown-necked Raven.
A great favourite among all our tours is the one night camp where we spend time in a remote part of the Sahara west of M’Hamid. We first met these Bedouins three years ago and discovered then a couple of pairs of Desert Sparrows. I managed to convince the manager of the site to feed and encourage these elusive birds and the results have been amazing. On this tour we reckon the camp count of the Desert Sparrow flock numbered somewhere between 30 and 40!!! From the camp we drove into the surrounding desert and among many interesting species we saw Scrub Warbler, Tristram’s Warbler, Crowned Sandgrouse, Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, large numbers of Brown-necked Raven and Cream-coloured Courser.
And so onwards and upwards, back through the Draa Valley with another night stopover near Zagora and then to our three night stay in Merzouga. The route was studded with gems such as Blue-cheeked Bee Eater, Fulvous Babbler, Montagu’s Harrier, Booted and Short-toed Eagle, Moussier’s Redstart etc., etc. The list kept getting larger! As with the previous year’s tour, the water was up and present once more at Merzouga and this provided some great finds in addition to the local desert specialities. We had the experience here of watching one of two pairs of Houbara Bustard during a fairly hefty sandstorm, undaunted we marveled at the sight and wondered how the brooding female could keep her eyes open with so much sand blowing around! Quite apart from the presence of 1000+ Greater Flamingo at the lake, we also managed 5 Ferruginous Duck and Gull-billed Terns amongst many species of wader and wildfowl. Probably the species which got everyone excited near to the lake edge was Isabelline Wheatear, which added to singletons seen on each one of our previous trips to Morocco in March. Egyptian Nightjar, Desert Warbler, Fulvous Babbler, Wryneck, and a host of other fine species provided the icing on our cake during our stay in the area.
The later part of our tour took us to Boumalne de Dades via Todra Gorge and here there was a noticeable dip in temperatures. In fact it was ruddy cold! We tried our best to locate Mourning Wheatear at a couple of known sites, but were to be thwarted on each occasion. However, at one of our regular sites (now an official secret) we were able to locate a pair of breeding Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus the male being particularly obliging on a cliff ledge, the female seen on her nest. Wow, what a find, what great views! We awoke the next day to snow storms, yep snow storms!! Despite this setback we visited the infamous Tagdilt Track and navigated through snow storms and wild dogs. Red-rumped, Northern and Desert Wheatears were seen at very close quarters as were Temminck’s and Short-toed Lark along with Cream-coloured Courser. As the morning progressed so the snow relented and temperatures became a little better. We visited a couple of other sites nearby and managed great views of both Crowned and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. At a local wadi we were entertained by a particularly large female Sparrowhawk and also saw Spanish Sparrow, Stone Curlew, Long-legged Buzzard and a grounded Lanner Falcon.
We spent our last official night of the tour in Ouarzazate and appreciated the improvement in temperatures and general weather conditions. We also managed a few more species which included Red-throated Pipit. Our final day involved driving across the High Atlas once more and descending to Marrakech. During our ascent we saw large numbers of Alpine Chough and Chough, with one flock holding over 60 Alpines. At the top we also had great views of Horned Lark and Northern Seebohmi Wheatear which, with so many defining features and different song, must surely soon be considered a separate species. Also at the high pass we had very good views of Barbary Falcon. Our descent also produced a good number of species including fantastic views of Levaillant's Woodpecker. So our trip ended and I can’t wait for March 2009!
Spanish Nature – 9th March – 23rd March 2008
Morocco – High Atlas Mountains and Sahara Regions
Trip Report Author – Peter Jones
www.spanishnature.com
I intend to add some photos for one and all's interest at a later stage. The day by day account I am adding seperately as I will also the species listing. The species list also has dates (all March) which can be cross referenced with the locations on the day by day accounts. I apologise to one or two who leave shortly or have recently left to go to Morocco, but this is the earliest I could produce the trip report, honest!! Interestingly there were 4 birdforumers on the tour and I reckon we all had a great time.
Tour Overview
Well, another tour to Morocco and yet another resounding success! It was also the second consecutive March tour were we managed more than 200 species. It really doesn’t matter how many times I visit this remarkable country, I have now led groups here seven times, it has never failed to impress and produce the unexpected. I think the diversity and stark contrasts in landscape add flavour to the tours and of course the diversity in landscape is reflected by an equal diversity in the country’s avifauna. From the north and western tranquil shores of the Atlantic to the hustle and bustle of the city streets of Marrakech, to the stunning ascent and descent of the High Atlas Mountains to the wadi’s of the Sahara, the changes are breathtaking.
As in the previous year during March, we started with a pre-tour visit to the northern coastal areas of Larache and Merga Zerga. Surrounded as these coastal marshes are by cultivation, labour intensive and harkening back to long passed practices in northern Europe, these areas harbour great variety and good numbers of both migrant and rare breeding birds. On the lake at Larache for example we counted in excess of 1000 Red-knobbed Coot and were continually entertained by sightings and the sound of Moustached Warbler! Here we also had singletons of Spotted Crake, Collared Pratincole and Whiskered Tern. Merga Zerga produced Marsh Owl and an almost, not quite, total albino Oystercatcher. Caspian Tern, Great White Egret plus a startling array of waders and wildfowl made for a great pre-tour amble.
Before arriving in Marrakech we visited a small lake north of the city and witnessed a performance of courtship and mating ritual by a pair of Lanner Falcon, all whilst watching Plain Martin, Little Swift, Lesser Kestrel and Crag Martins hawk the surface area of the Lake! The road leading to the lake gave great views of several Lark species, including large numbers of Calandra Lark. Of course House Bunting and Common Bulbul greeted our arrival at our usual hotel on the outskirts of the city.
From Marrakech we journeyed, gently at first and then steeply into the High Atlas Mountains. The scenery here is so dramatic in places and this is complemented by the softer lower reaches of river valleys either side. Horned Lark, Nightingale, Rock Sparrow and Tree Pipit were seen in the high pass, but the real bonus bird for this leg of the tour was Thick-billed Lark seen near to the approach for Ouarzazate. What a strange, but striking bird this species is. We had great views and managed some excellent photos, Trumpeter Finch and Desert Wheatears also made an appearance against a backdrop of flat topped and heavily striated mountains. Evidence of early spring rainfall showed in the form of good plant cover near to the by-now dried riverbed.
Our usual route was enthusiastically followed once more, leading us over high passes until we eventually arrived into the high reaches of the Draa Valley. The Palmeries of this area, plus the dramatic high mountains on either side, made our journey to Zagora a real pleasure. Frequent stops allowed several views of typical species such as Laughing Dove, Blue Rock Thrush, Blue-cheeked Bee Eater, Yellow Wagtail, Booted Eagle and of course the ubiquitous House Bunting. We also managed Barbary Partridge and Fulvous Babbler near to our excellent accommodation on the outskirts of Zagora.
We were able to vary our route to M’Hamid this year and for the largest part we followed a desert track. Under the guidance of our lead (a local from M’hamid) driver, we became lost around halfway and were all made busy finding the correct track! I can remember a similar, although a much worse, incident back in 2006 when a local guide (name withheld) got us completely lost in the desert and we were eventually rescued by a French couple with a decent GPS. After a short while we found our track and soon all was put to rights with fine views of Bonelli’s Eagle. Our journey to our desert camp managed to also give us our first views of Cream-coloured Courser and Brown-necked Raven.
A great favourite among all our tours is the one night camp where we spend time in a remote part of the Sahara west of M’Hamid. We first met these Bedouins three years ago and discovered then a couple of pairs of Desert Sparrows. I managed to convince the manager of the site to feed and encourage these elusive birds and the results have been amazing. On this tour we reckon the camp count of the Desert Sparrow flock numbered somewhere between 30 and 40!!! From the camp we drove into the surrounding desert and among many interesting species we saw Scrub Warbler, Tristram’s Warbler, Crowned Sandgrouse, Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, large numbers of Brown-necked Raven and Cream-coloured Courser.
And so onwards and upwards, back through the Draa Valley with another night stopover near Zagora and then to our three night stay in Merzouga. The route was studded with gems such as Blue-cheeked Bee Eater, Fulvous Babbler, Montagu’s Harrier, Booted and Short-toed Eagle, Moussier’s Redstart etc., etc. The list kept getting larger! As with the previous year’s tour, the water was up and present once more at Merzouga and this provided some great finds in addition to the local desert specialities. We had the experience here of watching one of two pairs of Houbara Bustard during a fairly hefty sandstorm, undaunted we marveled at the sight and wondered how the brooding female could keep her eyes open with so much sand blowing around! Quite apart from the presence of 1000+ Greater Flamingo at the lake, we also managed 5 Ferruginous Duck and Gull-billed Terns amongst many species of wader and wildfowl. Probably the species which got everyone excited near to the lake edge was Isabelline Wheatear, which added to singletons seen on each one of our previous trips to Morocco in March. Egyptian Nightjar, Desert Warbler, Fulvous Babbler, Wryneck, and a host of other fine species provided the icing on our cake during our stay in the area.
The later part of our tour took us to Boumalne de Dades via Todra Gorge and here there was a noticeable dip in temperatures. In fact it was ruddy cold! We tried our best to locate Mourning Wheatear at a couple of known sites, but were to be thwarted on each occasion. However, at one of our regular sites (now an official secret) we were able to locate a pair of breeding Pharaoh Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus the male being particularly obliging on a cliff ledge, the female seen on her nest. Wow, what a find, what great views! We awoke the next day to snow storms, yep snow storms!! Despite this setback we visited the infamous Tagdilt Track and navigated through snow storms and wild dogs. Red-rumped, Northern and Desert Wheatears were seen at very close quarters as were Temminck’s and Short-toed Lark along with Cream-coloured Courser. As the morning progressed so the snow relented and temperatures became a little better. We visited a couple of other sites nearby and managed great views of both Crowned and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. At a local wadi we were entertained by a particularly large female Sparrowhawk and also saw Spanish Sparrow, Stone Curlew, Long-legged Buzzard and a grounded Lanner Falcon.
We spent our last official night of the tour in Ouarzazate and appreciated the improvement in temperatures and general weather conditions. We also managed a few more species which included Red-throated Pipit. Our final day involved driving across the High Atlas once more and descending to Marrakech. During our ascent we saw large numbers of Alpine Chough and Chough, with one flock holding over 60 Alpines. At the top we also had great views of Horned Lark and Northern Seebohmi Wheatear which, with so many defining features and different song, must surely soon be considered a separate species. Also at the high pass we had very good views of Barbary Falcon. Our descent also produced a good number of species including fantastic views of Levaillant's Woodpecker. So our trip ended and I can’t wait for March 2009!