Desert water is unfailingly attractive to bird and beast. Photo: James Lidster
As early spring touches Morocco, the country bursts into life, offering the visiting birdwatcher some truly memorable experiences. We begin in the magical town of Marrakech before heading into the dramatic mountains of the High Atlas, where we’ll seek out a variety of high-elevation species, most notably the elusive Crimson-winged Finch, probably seen more easily here than anywhere else.
Perhaps most exciting of all will be our trip through the desert areas near Boumalne and Merzouga, along the edge of the spectacular Sahara Desert. In this beautiful landscape we’ll search for such classic desert species as Cream-colored Courser, Thick-billed Lark, and Desert Sparrow. We then travel to the Atlantic coast and Agadir, where we hope to find Bald Ibis, one of the world’s rarest birds, and a variety of waterbirds on the esturies of the Sous and Massa.
Day 1: Our tour starts with a flight from London to Marrakech. If time allows, we’ll have our first taste of North African birding near our hotel, where Little and Pallid Swifts chase each other relentlessly over the soft pink-toned buildings of this exotic city and Common Bulbuls and House Buntings sing from the garden. Night in Marrakech.
Day 2: We’ll make an early start on our journey into the High Atlas. As we pass through the farmland, we should see our first White Storks, European Serins, and Woodchat Shrikes; depending on the taxonomic authority you follow, the “gray” shrikes elegans of this area are a race of either Great Gray or Southern Gray—or a separate species entirely, Desert Gray Shrike. As we gain elevation, the scenery becomes more dramatic, and we’ll stop to search for one of the day’s main targets, Levaillant’s Woodpecker, which shares its wooded home with other locla specialties including North African Blue Tit and African Chaffinch; rocky areas may produce our first Moussier’s Redstart, always a favorite. Once at the ski resort, we have the chance to compare Alpine and Red-billed Choughs, and when the crowds of tourists have left, the parking lots host feeding Rock Sparrows and “Atlas” Horned Larks, while Black Redstarts and the local race of Mistle Thrush sing from the buildings. One of the special birds we’ll seek here is “African” Crimson-winged Finch; that species is never guaranteed, but we’ll check some likely spots, which may also turn up the recently split Seebohm’s Wheatear.
Alpine Accentor is also present in some years, and careful scanning of the skies may reveal “Atlas” Long-legged Buzzards or one of the local Golden Eagles. In recent years, Lammergeiers have returned to breed in the High Atlas, so we’ll also keep our eyes open for one of these massive birds. Night at Oukaimeden.
Day 3: We have a great distance to cover today, and after checking for Crimson-winged Finch again, we’ll wind our way out of the mountains, stopping along the way for White-throated Dipper, then turn back uphill for the Tizi-n-Tichka pass. We’ll check a couple of breeding sites for Tristram’s Warbler, one of the most difficult “Maghreb” endemics to catch up with; that species shares its habitat with “Atlas” Common Crossbill, and we should also see Booted Eagles, some of them perhaps in spectacularly flight display. We’ll eventually make our way through the ever-changing scenery to Ouarzazate, where a large reservoir can be productive for migrant shorebirds and waterfowl. Night in Boumalne.
Day 4: We’ll spend this day exploring the famous Tagdilt track. Wheatears are well represented here, with Red-rumped, White-crowned, Desert, Seebohm’s, and Northern all possible. Every lark on the Moroccan list has been recorded here. Temminck’s Lark is the real star , but while searching we should also see Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, and we hope the nomadic Thick-billed Lark. Another highly sought-after bird in this area is Cream-colored Courser; there’s also a chance at Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Lanner Falcon, Long-legged Buzzard, or Trumpeter Finch. A nearby small orchard often holds a few migrants, and may produce our first Western Olivaceous Warbler, Common Redstart, or Nightingale. Night at Boumalne.
Day 5: Our desert birding continues as we move from higher-altitude stony desert to a lower, sandier habitat; though some species remain the same, there will be new ones to look for. White-crowned Black Wheatear becomes increasingly more common, and we could find our first Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters as we follow palm-lined roads towards the Sahara. There will be plenty of opportunities to stop along the way, including at a low scrub-lined Wadi for Desert Lark and Saharan Scrub and Spectacled Warblers. Once we’ve arrived at our hotel, we can check the area for newly arrived migrants; in most years we find a Eurasian Wryneck of perhaps a Hoopoe just yards from the hotel. As dusk falls, we’ll search for Egyptian Nightjar. Night near Merzouga.
Day 6: Before breakfast we’ll check our oasis-style hotel grounds for newly arrived migrants. Most likely are Subalpine, Sardinian, and Western Bonelli’s Warblers, which mingle with the resident “Saharan” Eastern Olivaceous Warblers. Woodchat Shrike, Nightingale, and maybe a Bluethroat are also possibilities. The rest of the day will be spent in four-wheel-drive vehicles, exploring the fringe of the Sahara Desert in search of Cream-colored Courser, Desert Sparrow, Fulvous Babbler, African Desert Warbler, Long-billed Crested Lark, Brown-necked Raven, and more migrants. In some years a temporary lake forms near Merzouga, offering the peculiar sight of Greater Flamingos, White Storks, and maybe even Marbled Ducks in front of the breath-taking backdrop of the Erg Chebbi dunes. This area used to be famous for Houbara Bustard, but there have been so many individuals released for hunting that a genuinely wild bird would be almost impossible to recognize. Night near Merzouga.
Day 7: Today is mainly a travel day as we retrace our steps towards Ouarzazate. We’ll stop at a site that is good for Pharaoh Eagle Owl, and also look for Moroccan Wagtail, Desert Lark, Trumpeter Finch, and Brown-necked Raven. After lunch, and maybe a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice or local mint tea, we’ll continue west.
Near the town of Ouarzazate, we’ll stop again near the reservoir, sometimes a good site for Fulvous Babbler and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater; new migrants here might include an Osprey or Western Marsh Harrier, or more warblers, Common Redstarts, Nightingales, and swallows making their way north. Night in Ouarzazate.
Day 8: We’ll skirt the High Atlas, using a different mountain pass this time. The rocky habitat can seem birdless at first glance, careful checking should reveal Thekla Lark, Black Wheatear, Spectacled Warbler, and maybe even a group of Black-bellied Sandgrouse or a Bonelli’s Eagle. Once we reach the famous Argan forests in teh Souss valley, we’ll stop for lunch against a soundtrack of purring Eurasian Turtle Doves, Common Cuckoos, and jangling Corn Buntings, punctuated by the rich songs of Western Orphean and Sardinian Warblers. Closer to Agadir, we may encounter our first Magrheb Magpies, an attractive race with a blue eye patch; some authorities have already recognized this bird as a separate species. Night in Agadir.
Day 9: Based in Agadir, where sandy beaches stretch for miles, we’ll be ideally placed for an exploration of Souss-Massa National Park. We’ll devote as much of our first morning as it takes to the search for one of the world’s rarest breeding birds, the Northern Bald Ibis, which clings to a perilous existence at a few sites along the Moroccan coast. Other areas we may visit today include the Imouzzer Valley, which offers another chance at Tristram’s Warbler if we haven’t already seen it. The nearby Souss estuary is always worth a visit, with its ever-changing selection of shorebirds, terns, and gulls; the great array of waterbirds should include Audouin’s and Mediterranean Gulls, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Greater Flamingo, and Eurasian Spoonbill. Night in Agadir.
Day 10: Today’s journey out of Agadir will take us to the Massa estuary, an area that always produces some fantastic birding. The river should hold all manner of wetland species, from Glossy Ibis, Squacco Heron, and Kingfisher to Marbled Duck, Red-crested Pochard, and migrant shorebirds. The trees and bushes are also worthy of attention, and we could see more Black-crowned Tchagras, Laughing Dove, “Desert” Gray Shrikes (including the race algeriensis), Cetti’s Warbler, and Zitting Cisticola. This site often turns up a few rare or scarce birds, and we’ll make sure we check all the ducks, gulls, and terns for anything unusual. The nearby stony desert holds breeding Cream-colored Courser, Eurasian Stone Curlew, and Little Owl. Night in Agadir.
Day 11: Depending on our flight time, we may have a chance for some birding close to our hotel before we depart for London, where the tour concludes.
Updated: 26 April 2010
Prices
- 2012 Tour Price : $3,050*
- Single Occupancy Supplement : $350
Notes
This tour is limited to 10 participants with one leader.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.