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 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 exciting classic desert species of North Africa 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.
No tour to Morocco would be complete without a visit to the magical town of Marrakech, where we’ll get a real taste of exotic Morocco as we wander the bustling street markets or sip mint tea in a cool tiled courtyard.
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 sing from the garden. Night in Marrakech.
Day 2: We’ll make an early start on our journey into the High Atlas, our destination the ski resort of Oukaimeden. There will be many birds to distract us along the way, from massive White Storks to roadside Serins and Southern Gray Shrikes. As we gain elevation, we’ll see the habitat change, and we’ll seek out our first Maghreb endemic, Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker. Once at the ski resort we’ll concentrate on searching for Crimson-winged Finch, Horned Larks, Alpine and Red-billed Choughs, Rock Sparrow, and possibly Alpine Accentor. It’s always worth keeping an eye out overhead, as Golden Eagles are resident here, and this is one of the few areas where Lammergeier can still be seen. In some years migrants may be held up by bad weather, and we might find Woodchat Shrike or flocks of Yellow Wagtails feeding around the snow melt; the rocky hillsides are also home to two endemics, Moussier’s Redstart and Seebohm’s Northern Wheatear. Night at Oukaimeden.
Day 3: Before breakfast we’ll search for any birds that have eluded us so far, maybe catching up with a breeding Dipper, Black Redstart, or Water Pipit. We’ll also be paying full attention to the local Blue Tits and Chaffinches: depending on whose taxonomy you follow, both are already “good” species. Then we’ll begin our drive out of the mountains, heading down to the plains of Marrakech and then back up another pass. It’s a long drive, but we’ll stop along the way, maybe for a Rock Bunting, Tristram’s Warbler (another Maghreb specialty), or a flock of Black Kites working their way north. Before reaching our hotel we’ll look for Western Mourning Wheatear, never easy to find, and Black Wheatears and maybe migrant European Bee-eaters will also keep our attention. Night in Boumalne.
Day 4: We’ll spend the day exploring the famous Tagdilt track. Though not as good as it used to be, this is still an important area for several species. Wheatears are represented by Red-rumped, Desert, and Northern, while every lark on the Moroccan list has been recorded here. Temmink’s Horned Lark is a real star of the area, but while searching we could see Hoopoe Lark, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, and maybe even 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. If time allows, we’ll visit the Todra Gorge, home to breeding Crag Martin, Gray Wagtail, Blue Rock Thrush, House Bunting, and Desert Lark, as well as the occasional pair of Bonelli’s Eagles. Night at Boumalne.
Day 5: Our desert birding continues as we move from higher-altitude stony desert to a lower sandy habitat; though some species remain the same, there will be new ones to look for. White-crowned Black Wheatear becomes more common than Black, the Bee-eaters could include Blue-cheeked, and migrants could occur anywhere as we follow palm-lined roads towards the Sahara. There are chances of larks and wheatears at many points along the way, and once at our hotel we can look for newly arrived migrants. Before dinner we’ll search for Egyptian Nightjar; they are not present every year, but our hotel is one of the best sites for this special bird. Night near Merzouga.
Day 6: Before breakfast we’ll check our oasis-style hotel grounds for migrants. Most likely are warblers such as Subalpine, Sardinian, Western Bonelli’s, and Western Olivaceous, along with Hoopoe, Woodchat Shrike, Nightingale, and maybe a Bluethroat. The rest of the day will be spent exploring the desert in four-wheel-drive vehicles in search of Cream-colored Courser, Desert Sparrow, African Desert Warbler, Hoopoe 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 was formerly good for Houbara Bustard, but there have been so many individuals released for hunting since the late 1990s that a genuinely wild bird would be difficult to recognize. However, we hope to catch sight of at least one in its natural habitat. If time allows, we’ll again search for Egyptian Nightjar close to our hotel as dusk falls. Night near Merzouga.
Day 7: Today is mainly a travel day as we retrace our steps towards Ouarzazate. We’ll check out a good site near town for Fulvous Babbler, and a nearby lake may add to our lists of shorebirds and waterfowl, with Ruddy Shelduck possible. The waterside bushes here are migrant traps, and we could see more warblers, Common Redstarts, Nightingales, and swallows making their way north. Night in Ouarzazate.
Day 8: Another travel day, this time traversing the High Atlas by a different route, giving us more opportunities for Tristram’s Warbler and maybe even the local race of Crossbill, the most southwesterly Crossbills in the Western Palearctic. We’ll be keeping an eye open for raptors again, with Booted Eagle likely and Golden Eagle possible. Night in Taroudant.
Day 9: Our destination today is the coastal city of Agadir, where sandy beaches stretch for miles and flocks of Audouin’s Gulls will still be present before heading north to their Mediterranean breeding grounds. If time allows, we’ll search for one of the world’s rarest breeding birds, the Northern Bald Ibis. Known from just a handful of sites in the wild, this species stands on the edge of extinction. While searching for the ibis we’re sure to see other great birds, from Barbary Falcons, Eurasian Spoonbills, and Greater Flamingos to Black-crowned Tchagras, Moroccan White Wagtails, and maybe even the endangered riggenbachi race of European Shag. Back at our hotel we’ll check a site for Red-necked Nightjar. Night in Agadir.
Day 10: Our efforts today will be concentrated on the Massa estuary, almost certain to produce some fantastic birding. The estuary usually holds 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 around the estuary are always worthy of attention, and we should see more Black-crowned Tchagras, Laughing Dove, Southern Gray Shrikes, Cetti’s Warbler, and Zitting Cisticola (the only representative of its family, Cisticolidae, in the Western Palearctic). This site often pulls in 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, and farther inland the river course is a good area for Black-shouldered Kite, Short-toed Eagle, and Plain Martin. Before dusk we’ll wait at a drainage canal where Black-bellied Sandgrouse sometimes come to drink, a great way to end a great day’s birding. Night in Agadir.
Day 11: This morning we’ll have more time to search for Bald Ibis if they have proved elusive, or to pay a visit to the Souss estuary, another site at times alive with shorebirds, waterfowl, and herons. Rare or scarce birds are often found here, and careful checking of the gulls should produce a few Slender-billed and Mediterranean Gulls, as well as Gull-billed and Caspian Terns. The estuary mouth is often used by migrant Ospreys for fishing, and smaller migrants can be found all along the nearby scrub. This area is also good for the Maghreb Magpie, another taxon already given full species status by some authorities. We’ll spend the rest of the day traveling back to Marrakech, and if time allows we’ll visit the atmospheric square or Djema el Fna to witness the hustle and bustle of this ancient town. Night in Marrakech.
Day 12: There may be a chance for some sightseeing in the city or shopping in the souk before our flight back to London, where the tour concludes.
Updated: 17 September 2008
Prices
- 2009 price about $3,600
- Single Occupancy Supplement $380
Notes
* The 2009 tour dates and itinerary were adjusted in July 2008.
This tour is limited to 10 participants with one leader.
This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird.