StuartReeves
Local rarity
Good stuff Andrew. I was actually in Morocco for part of the time you were there, albeit on a trekking trip rather than a birding one. Still saw a few good birds though.
Good stuff Andrew. I was actually in Morocco for part of the time you were there, albeit on a trekking trip rather than a birding one. Still saw a few good birds though.
Oued Tissint is a reliable site to see Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse. For adventurers, the area of Iriqui in the Middle Draa (south-east of Foum Zguid) is good for the species but of course is not as predictable as a drinking site.I hope somebody discovers a similarly reliable site for Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse - driving along miles of rocky hills we guessed there must be 100s of pairs in southern Morocco waiting to be discovered.
Brown-throated Martins can be seen at many more sites than the classic ones where most visiting birders see them (Oued Massa, Oued Ksob and Lower Loukkos since the discovery of a breeding colony there in 2007). I have seen them at Oued Tensift at two or three places including the bridge where you have seen them.Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola
I had good views of some by the bridge at Oued Tensift. I'm not sure if this is a known site, so it's maybe worth elaborating. This is at an obvious bridge on the N1 at 31.86577, -9.27261. They were also seen at the more well known site of Wadi Ksob.
Now the species start to appear at the breeding areas around this date. The difference is that it's much more difficult to see than later in the season. I say 'now' not because the species advanced its arrival dates or something like that (it could be, but we don't have solid long-term data to demonstrate this), but simply because now there is more data generated by hundreds of birders (eBird, observation.org,...).Atlas Pied Flycatcher Ficedula speculigera
Azrou, Morocco 21/04/17 1
I wasn't sure how likely this was, given that it supposedly arrives quite late in the spring. It took a while to find one in the utterly beautiful oakwoods near Azrou (Gosney site 3) but I eventually had some quite decent views of a male fairly near the road. I didn't see it in the same area the following day.
A nice comment! That's what I tell people when they ask me where to see this species.Moussier's Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri
Another target you don't need to target, at least if you visit the Atlas or the areas down to the coast to the west. Common and often conspicuous. Knockout birds.
If you follow the IOC World Bird List then you have here definitely a tick (or a lifer?): African Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus ambiguus).Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Most records were of migrants but the birds at Oued Massa were singing, so were presumably the mysterious 'Moroccan Reed Warbler'. I'm not as clued up as I should be on these (but then who is?). They did seem a bit short winged, I guess. See photos below.
Guided birding: I booked a morning of guided birding at Hotel Yasmina. This cost 1000 dirhams (around £80-90). This was a bit pricy but I did get to see all of the birds I was hoping to see, despite fairly bad weather. The guide was good for finding specialities, though I don't think his knowledge of things like passage birds was that great. That wasn't a problem for me though.
I left this at the end to give some perspective as to why the guided birding at Merzouga appeared pricy. I met the guide and he explained to me his approach for finding specialties of the region. To easily show the birds to birders (both independent and organized tours) in a short time he has to map reliable sites for these birds. Breeding sites (exact area, bush or cliff for some) change between seasons, and he start early in the breeding season to secure these sites. Despite his early ‘homework’, he has to rely on some collaborators for other species like the Egyptian Nightjar as you have witnessed yourself.Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius
Auberge Yasmina, Morocco 20/04/17 1
This was another one the guide at Yasmina got me. I'd tried quite hard at the 'Auberge Tresor' site mentioned in Gosney and various trip reports but with no joy. I'd looked in one or two other spots with recent reports too with no success. Anyway, the guide at Yasmina had a plan. We drove quite a long way out across the desert, through some unpleasant dust storms, and then met up with a Bedouin chap. We drove around the back of some sand dunes, got out the car and the Bedouin chap walked a hundred yards or so and then pointed to the side of a small tamarisk. There it was. Excellent bird - didn't do a lot though!