Morocco, April 2008

Friday 4th April

An eager and expectant band gathered at Heathrow mid-afternoon, and departed with Royal Air Maroc soon after 1800, on a warm, sunny evening. Three of our party had taken an earlier flight to Marrakech, so 11 plus the two leaders made up the team at this stage.

We arrived in Morocco at Casablanca, and despite having to disembark for all of 30 seconds onto the tarmac, we were soon on our way again, and arrived in Marrakech just a few minutes late, at 2205. We swiftly met up with the ever-excellent Mustapha, and transferred to the Riad Aladdin, where we were delighted but surprised to be fed a superb three course meal at 2300! Sleep was not easy after that...

Saturday 5th April

But sleep we did, and met up as a complete group of 14 plus the leaders on the rooftop at 0630, for the traditional session ticking off Little Swift, House Bunting, White Stork and the like. Breakfast was wolfed, and then it was off to the south and the Atlas Mountains. We made several stops on the ascent, picking up some smart birds such as Cetti's, Western Bonelli's and Western Olivaceous Warblers, Booted Eagle, Hawfinch, Barbary Partridge and Nightingale, and paused for coffee on a magnificent rooftop terrace café - where we saw Atlas Coal Tit, Atlas Crossbill and African Chaffinch - but alas no Levaillant's Woodpecker. We missed out a second time on the latter in a wooded ravine dotted with woodpecker drilled holes - just too much disturbance from civilian tourists on a Saturday morning? A Goshawk overhead provided some compensation.

Lunch was had at Taddert - there was no doubt that the meat (for the non-veggies) was fresh - very, very fresh indeed, it appeared: some of it was still bleating when we arrived! Black Wheatear, Moussier's Redstart, Rock Bunting, Blue Rock Thrush and Spanish Sparrow all fell here, and we also had brief views of Crag Martin and Raven.

Onwards and upwards to the Tizi-n-Tichka pass, where we were delighted to find not one but two species of Chough - over a score of Red-billed and well over 100 Alpine! A remarkable gathering. Sharp eyes also picked up seven Horned Larks in the short grass, but sadly wet weather prevented us from venturing further up onto the grassy slopes.

Descending once again, we started to see a steady migration of hirundines and Bee-eaters heading north, along with scattered Black, Black-eared and Northern Wheatears. Three Montagu's and two Marsh Harriers drew much admiration, but the light was beginning to fail as we reached Ouarzazate, where the first of several White-crowned Wheatears showed up.

Mechanical failure struck as we approached Skoura, some 50km short of El Kelaa, our stop for the night - Abdul's van started overheating badly, and it needed an hour of Mustapha's attention and many litres of water to get it vaguely functional. In the end, Mustapha flagged down a friend of his some 20km short of El Kelaa - a friend with a minibus! So we finally reached base camp at 2030 - everyone was pretty exhausted, and we ate more with a sense of duty than real enthusiasm - not helped by the local belly-dancers and über-amplified music - or Manuel the waiter.

Shattered, everyone managed to reach bed by not long after 2230 - what a fantastic but very tiring day!

Sunday 6th April

A pre-breakfast session on the verandah turned up Little Ringed Plover, African Blue Tit and Moroccan Wagtail, but the main business was, of course, out on the Tagdilt plain. A Little Owl in the outskirts of El Kelaa made for a good start to the short journey, and by 0830 we were in good habitat. The first desert birds nailed down were a small party of Cream-coloured Coursers (the first of about a dozen seen), but the stakes were soon raised significantly by a party of nine Crowned Sandgrouse on a grassy area by what might once have been a watering pool! We later saw the same birds in flight.

And then Tagdilt slowly but surely gave up its special birds - Temminck's (20), Greater Short-toed (50+) and Mediterranean Short-Toed (1) Larks led the charge, ably supported by several Trumpeter Finches, plus Desert, a few Northern and a family of Red-rumped Wheatears. The star bird for many was Thick-billed Lark - we found two very tame pairs of this chunky behemoth of a bird, both of which were extremely confiding. Raptors were well-represented, with two Long-legged Buzzards (one of them was busy feasting on a Fat Sand Rat it had caught - we saw a few of them alive as well!), plenty of Black Kites, a Marsh Harrier and several Montagu's Harriers, one of which provided perhaps the star turn of the day - it was a magnificent jet-black melanistic morph bird. What a stunner! Prize for the weirdest sighting of the morning definitely went to a very lost-looking Nightingale, miles from any significant cover....

Back at Boulmanes des Dades, lunch was purchased, and coffee drunk in a magnificently located café overlooking the valley, up which a migrant Osprey conveniently flew. We drove on up the Dades Gorge, taking lunch beside the river in a grove of fig trees. Unfortunately, the weather took a turn for the worse, with a nasty squall blowing up from nowhere - we got a little damp, and a good many crisps blew away, but Mustapha's typically superb spread kept everyone happy until the sun came out again. Birds over lunch included Long-legged Buzzard, Western Bonelli's Warbler, Pied Flycatcher, Cuckoo, Tree Pipit and Blackcap, and we thoroughly enjoyed a Scarce Swallowtail butterfly, too.

Photo stops by the stunning rock formations of the gorge also turned up smart birds, notably a male Western Subalpine Warbler and Red-rumped Swallows, plus Crag Martin, Redstart, Blue Rock Thrush and lots of migrating Bee-eaters and hirundines.

We finally reached the spectacular hairpins at the top of the gorge about mid-afternoon, and started exploring the rocky slopes above the last café. To much acclaim and general delight, a male Tristram's Warbler was located on the rocks, and he proceeded to show very well, on and off, even obliging us with a few snatches of song. This is a very tough bird, especially so late in the season, and we were truly privileged to connect with this North African endemic.

For one or two of the party who pushed higher up the road, a pair of large raptors soaring over the cliffs tantalised - they were more than likely the local pair of Bonelli's Eagles, which had been seen as recently as lunchtime today. Scope views of a single bird for some of the others were simply inconclusive - and it became academic when the heavens opened, and we were caught in another storm - this time with thunder and lightning!

We retreated to a bar for drinks and a rest, and then tried once again at the top of the road - a large soaring bird resolved itself into a Black Stork, a rare migrant in Morocco, but sadly no eagles. Black Wheatear and another sighting of the Tristram's Warbler provided some compensation, but then yet another squall forced us back into the vans, and indeed back to the hotel!

A strange day weather-wise, but one which produced masses of great birds, and a wonderful drive in one of the region's most stunning landscapes.

Monday 7th April

The weather overnight had continued unsettled, with strong winds and a good deal of rain. So it was blustery and cold at first light - meaning conditions were rather grotty, but that the garden was holding far more migrants than yesterday - at least one Western Western Orphean Warbler, several Western Olivaceous and Western Subalpine Warblers, Redstart, Whitethroat and Woodchat Shrike, for instance.

After breakfast, we again saddled up and headed out onto the Tagdilt steppe, but in much windier and more difficult conditions than yesterday. We saw much the same birds, in smaller numbers, but added Thekla's Lark, and had even better views than yesterday of Temminck's Lark and Red-rumped Wheatear.

A supplementary search on the north side of the road turned up some large flocks of Greater Short-toed Larks, but the wind as making it near impossible to see birds properly. We worked along the only vegetated wadi for miles around - and sure enough, it held migrants - the highlights being another lost Nightingale, Western Subalpine Warbler and a single Quail.

Once more we headed east, through ever more perilous clouds of dust, and sadly failed to find Mourning Wheatears in their regular area - it was simply impossible to view properly in a cloud of sand. Tinghrir provided welcome respite, coffee and a rest, and then it was on up the Todra Gorge. We had another of Mustapha's superb riverside picnics, enjoying Alpine Swift, Spotted Flycatcher, good views of Cetti's Warbler, our first Laughing Dove and not one but two Bonelli's Eagles over the towering cliffs - mobbed by a pair of Peregrines. Further up the gorge, the eagles showed even better as they displayed low over the rocks for us to enjoy - and we were surrounded by Crag Martins and the haunting song of Blue Rock Thrushes - despite feeling like we were in a wind tunnel!

The afternoon was getting on, and we sped east towards Erfoud, stopping just a few times, for White-crowned Wheatear, Great Grey Shrike and a stunning party of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. The wind continued to howl, and we arrived in Erfoud in a genuine dust storm - visibility was down to less than 100m, and the air was thick with grit and grime.

Obviously, as I write this in our comfortable hotel room, after a superb evening meal, we are all a bit apprehensive about what the morning will bring - we will find out at 0345!

Tuesday 8th April

0345 - calm, clear skies, perfect! After stuffing our faces at breakfast, we loaded up into four identical Land Rovers, and roared off into the desert. After about an hour, we arrived at Café Yasmina, right by the foot of the giant Erg Chebbi sand dunes. As the sun rose and the dunes turned first pink, and then deep orange, the stars faded out one by one, and the birding action began.

There was a fair amount of water in the lake to the east of the café, and we were soon seeing Ruddy Shelducks, Black-winged Stilts, many Little Stints, Wood, Green and Common Sandpipers, Gull-billed Tern and even two Spotted Crakes. Landbird migrants were well represented - the commonest were Western Subalpine and Western Bonelli's Warblers, but the supporting cast had some real quality: Bluethroat, Nightingale, Redstarts, Sedge and Sardinian Warblers, Turtle Dove, and perhaps best of all, a couple of Saharan Olivaceous Warblers tail-dipping their way through the tamarisks. This distinctive 'sub'species (reiseri) is currently classified as a form of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, but may better be treated as a separate species in its own right....

Leaving aside the taxonomic esoterics, we enjoyed a refreshing drink at the café, while watching absurdly tame White-crowned Wheatears, several Brown-necked Ravens and all the waders. Panic broke out briefly when sandgrouse calls were heard - sure enough, seven Spotted Sandgrouse dropped in to drink, before circling a couple of times and flying off into the desert - which was our next plan, too.

A short drive took us to some abandoned buildings nearby, and we quickly found the resident pair of Desert Sparrows. These ultra-pale and very smart birds are very, very hard to see anywhere apart from Merzouga - probably 99.9% of all birders to have seen them have done so right here! We doubled our tally shortly afterwards with another pair in a nearby acacia tree.

It was finally 'proper desert' time, and we blasted off into the stony hamada desert and sand dunes. Quite soon, we were adding more desert specials, notably Bar-tailed Desert Lark and spectacular Greater Hoopoe-Larks, the latter displaying to perfection over their preferred sandy habitat. Unfortunately, the wind was getting up quite badly again, and while Mustapha negotiated with the Houbara 'warden', we were beginning to feel the sting of sand and dust in the air.

We had some positive news about the bustards, and proceeded to roar off in pursuit, via a few more larks and both Woodchat and Great Grey Shrikes. It was tough staying together in the ever more dusty conditions, but after an hour and half, we struck gold, when one of the Land Rovers sighted an African Houbara right in front of them! There was much panic as the news spread, especially as a African Desert Warbler turned up beside another van at precisely the moment the news was radioed in!

In the end, most people managed views of the bustard on the deck, and there was widespread admiration as it took off and flew strongly off into the gathering dust storm. Sadly, a return to the African Desert Warbler spot produced nothing bar genuinely awful wind and dust. The nightmare conditions of extreme aeolian deflation we had dreaded had finally appeared - the two hour return trip to Merzouga was very exciting, through howling rivers of dust, but not at all birdy.....

Exhausted, we reached the oasis of Merzouga, and enjoyed our picnic indoors for a change, in the Depot Nomade emporium - thanks to Hamid for giving us shelter from the storm. A couple of carpet purchases later, and it was time to drive a couple of kilometres to Merzouga Lake - sadly largely obscured by yet more dense clouds of dust. We did add Marbled Duck, Kentish Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Sanderling and Greater Flamingo, but it was genuinely grim, and we retreated to the hotel for a well-deserved late afternoon rest (and cold swim for some of us!). Dinner hit the spot as ever, and we all retired early for a good, long sleep, after a fantastic and memorable day in the desert.

Wednesday 9th April

Early morning at the hotel produced Blue-cheeked Bee-eater and a superb breakfast, but alas 'Berber's Revenge' was beginning to afflict some of the group....

Just south of Erfoud, a date palm stop turned up a party of Fulvous Babblers - good to get them in the bank before any possible dust storm problems later in the day.

About half an hour into the journey, we stopped by a low line of cliffs near Rissani, and began our search for Pharaoh Eagle-Owl, which had been seen here recently. The nest hole appeared empty, but we soon picked up not one but two well-grown juveniles under boulders on the scree slope - fantastic! But it got better - a pair of Lanners appeared from nowhere, and proceeded to drop in to the cliff - where they started feeding three downy youngsters. What an incredible, unexpected bonus.

Very, very happy, we headed rapidly west, stopping for coffee and fossils from Rais Lahcen's shop at Ainif. By now the wind was up yet again, and we headed west once more in the most ferocious sandstorm - our worst yet. At times, visibility was down to two metres! Unsurprisingly, our picnic spot was a complete non-starter, so we changed our plan and found a small local café in Tazzarine for Moroccan salad, tagine and chips (but the latter only for the three vegetarians!).

Dropping down to the Draa valley, we began seeing a few birds as the worst of the dust subsided, notably a few Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Western Olivaceous Warbler and a big highlight in the form of a single Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin.

Dates were purchased under a special Mustapha-negotiated bulk price in Agdz, and then it was up and over the spectacular arid mountains south of Ouarzazate, where (at last!) we managed to find several Desert Larks, which everyone saw well. Dropping down from the stunning gorges and cliffs, most of us went for a short visit to the Mansour reservoir (10 minutes before dusk!) - new species included Purple and Night Herons, Spoonbill and Great Crested Grebe, and we saw numerous White Storks coming in to roost.

Dinner was an event in itself given our Basil Fawlty style maitre D. - worth coming to Ouarzazate for his performance alone! Today was a hugely long and rather exhausting one - when will the wind abate and give us a rest?

Thursday 10th April

Early morning in the hotel garden turned up Western Orphean Warbler and a male Pied Flycatcher, along with the now-expected Western Bonelli's, Western Subalpine and other migrant warblers.

After breakfast, it was back to the barrage for more waterbirds, including Marbled Duck, Avocet and Gull-billed Tern, plus Montagu's and Marsh Harriers, a splendid pair of Moroccan Wagtails (with a White Wag for comparison) and a resplendent male Ashy-headed Wagtail (cinereocapilla) in amongst his commoner Blue-headed (flava) cousins.

Off and away after that, and a much-anticipated stop at the Iriri river bridge did the business in a very big way. It was like being on Fair Isle - on an incredibly good day! Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin, Wryneck, Western Orphean, Western Subalpine, Western Bonelli's, Western Olivaceous and Melodious Warblers, Ortolan and Corn Buntings, Tree Pipit, Trumpeter Finch, Whinchat, Redstart, Spotted Flycatcher - wow!

We dragged ourselves away, moved on for coffee at Tazenahkt, and then began to move swiftly westwards. We stopped for a picnic lunch and saffron purchasing in a small village en route - the birding 'out back' while Mustapha got weaving with lunch was rather good, as was the botany!

Pushing on in the afternoon, we made what was planned as a brief stop amongst the famous Argan trees of the upper Sous valley - not a lot of birds, but some good scenery! The stop got somewhat extended when part of the group went a-wandering just a little - but the search party did find a Thekla's Lark and a distant pair of Bonelli's Eagles, before relocating the lost sheep!

With the sun setting, we moved on to the bridge over the Sous (via some tree-climbing goats), where we quickly scored with a Spotted Crake by the river. The final few kilometres were marked by a Long-legged Buzzard plucking prey on a wall and two Black-shouldered Kites. We finally reached our excellent hotel in Taroudant at 1930, and enjoyed a great evening meal.

Friday 11th April

Sadly, not quite enough time to really enjoy this very characterful hotel - we set off for Agadir straight after our 0700 breakfast. We broke for an excellent ice-cream stop on the city bypass (double choc Magnums - yum!), and then headed north to Tamri.

We scanned the roadsides diligently from the lighthouse onwards, but those plastic bags were just....plastic bags! Dropping down to the estuary - bingo! A single Bald Ibis drifted overhead, back the way we had come. With the bird on the list but with better views wanted, we headed back south, but failed to relocate the bird....so it was back to plan A, and the estuary again. And we scored magnificently! A good-sized flock of this critically endangered bird lifted off on the far side, and careful counting revealed a minimum of 63 Bald Ibises - approximately 20% of the entire world population - what a fabulous privilege. Although our views were not the closest, we were able to get a great sense of the birds feeding, socialising, preening and bathing in perfect peace - it was good to know we were not disturbing them in any way.

Other birds around the estuary included over 20 Audouin's Gulls, a (Moroccan/White-breasted) Cormorant or two, Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, a pair of Peregrines, Raven, Gannet and Sandwich Tern, plus Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.

Mustapha arranged a fabulous takeaway tagine for us as as a beach picnic, and after returning the crockery and doing some shopping in Tamri (great almonds opposite the tagine café), we said a last goodbye to the ibises, and motored south to Agadir, where we checked in at the Hotel Argana at 1530.

After a little wash and brush up time, we headed for the Sous estuary, just a couple of kilometres to the south. Alas, the seemingly ever-present wind had got up once again, and it was a real struggle to find many passerines - although Sardinian Warbler, Zitting Cisticola and Maghreb Magpie put on a decent show. Luckily, there were lots of waterbirds - numerous Greater Flamingoes, some Spoonbills, and Black Terns, a Little Tern, Whimbrel, Curlew, Grey Plover and a Bonelli's Eagle.

We waited for dusk to fall, more in hope than expectation given the raging wind, but struck it lucky - a Red-necked Nightjar flew right past us, and perched in the open on a sand pile, allowing brief but tickable 'scope views for most people.

Tired but very happy, we returned for a late dinner and bed.

Saturday 12th April

A spot of morning seawatching from balconies turned up some passing Cory's Shearwaters, but our main business today was down at the Oued Massa, about an hour south of Agadir. Things started well with Moussier's Redstart (we saw several today), Western Black-eared Wheatear, a pair of Cream-coloured Coursers, Little Owl and a Wood Warbler (the first of three today).

Dropping down to the river, we added Little Bittern (for a very few), Reed Warbler and Glossy Ibis to the trip list - other conspicuous species included more Flamingoes, Squacco Heron, Marbled Duck, yet another Bonelli's Eagle, Black Tern and a smattering of waders.

A big target for us here was Black-crowned Tchagra, and very fortunately, we soon heard one singing - normally they stop singing by mid-March. The wild, optimistic fluting led us to cracking views of a single bird in a stand of tamarisks.

After (guess what) an excellent lunch under the shade of some trees, we headed back up the river, and down to the area around the Sous bridge. We were hoping for Brown-throated Martins here, and scored quickly with three or four of these unprepossessing and rather subtle birds. Also new for the list were Stonechats, and we saw a good many Spanish (=iberiae) Wagtails.

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped first for ice-cream, and then at a traditional pharmacy/argan oil cooperative. Having enjoyed the proprietor's patter ('this is Moroccan viagra - for recharge the batteries'), many of us purchased various edibles and cosmetics, apparently capable of curing almost any ill! Luckily, most (but not quite all) of us were over our earlier gastric issues!

We took it easy this evening, relaxing over our final log in the billiard tent (honestly), and enjoying yet another slap-up meal together.

Sunday 13th April

For the leaders, plus three participants, it was a horribly early start: 0445 breakfast and wagons roll at 0500....ugh! We drove rapidly over the western end of the Atlas Mountains - seeing virtually no birds, even when the sun got up - and reached Marrakech in good time for the early fliers to catch their planes home.

Meanwhile, the remainder of the group left at the more civilized time of 0900, and did add two species as they followed the same route - Cirl Bunting and a distant pair of Golden Eagles. We all managed to rendezvous in Marrakech at about 1500, and said our final goodbyes - two participants were straight off to the airport, and the leaders were staying the night in a different Riad, before heading for the High Atlas tomorrow.

So, despite some tricky weather at times, this had been an exciting and bird-filled expedition - 186 species recorded, with everyone seeing almost all their target birds. And with new friendships made and old ones renewed, this was a truly happy, fun-filled and action-packed wildlife holiday.

Our thanks and best wishes to all the clients for their good humour in windy conditions, excellent staying power and resilience when laid low by illness. It was a really excellent trip!

Post-tour extension

On our own! What an odd feeling..... We wandered about the souks for a couple of hours, and enjoyed some drinks on terraces and so on, before having an hour or two rest back at the Riad. For dinner, we took in Italian food and superb ice-cream on a roof terrace right by the Koutoubia mosque - what a location.

An early night - we are shattered!

Monday 14th April

Today was overwhelmingly a non-birding day! After an early breakfast, we headed first for the Saadian Tombs, just round the corner from our Riad - a beautifully quiet spot. Next was the opulent but bare Bahia Palace - stripped of everything when the vizier died in 1900. Next on our urban tourist trail, we visited Maison Tiskiwin, an absolutely superb little anthropological museum of North African artefacts, collected by a Dutch explorer over many years. It was full of fascinating objects from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso and so on - amazing, and completely ignored by the tourist hordes - great!

We had a drinks and petits fours break in the Djemma el Fna, before heading back to the south for a quick tour of the El Badi Palace ruins - stork-filled and magnificent in their delapidation. Next it was back to the Riad to empty our room. On reflection we decided to lunch back in the Djemma again - we're getting used to the busy cut-through street with the tyre recycling shops! Simon had the local speciality dish, pastilla, albeit the seafood rather than the pigeon version.

Having checked out, we took a cab to the airport, and eventually got hold of our slightly shabby Peugeot hire car, from the well-known 'First Car' company.....ahem. But it goes OK - we drove the 75km south and up to Oukaimden, a shabby (as it turned out) ski resort in the High Atlas. The hotel we were planning on staying in turned out to be charging something over £120 a night - so we binned that, and instead found an overpriced but still cheaper option nearby - the Hotel Juju. Décor - c.1950; temperature - low; happiness level of punters - also quite low....never mind.

Luckily, the ambience was somewhat improved by the Red-fronted Serins feeding in the car park, along with Rock Sparrows and Linnets. We had a quick explore of the 0600-type session area before the light failed, and were delighted to find Atlas Shore Lark and African Crimson-winged Finch with very little effort. A quick tagine, and then into those cold, cold beds...

Tuesday 15th April

The night, while cold, was spent peacefully, and (after finding there was no hot water) we headed out for an hour or two pre-breakfast. What a rush! We saw absolutely tons of great birds - Atlas Wheatear, Moussier's Redstart in song, Alpine Accentor, Rock Sparrow, many Black Redstarts, hundreds of Alpine and scores of Red-billed Choughs, Raven, Horned Lark, and even two Atlas form Mistle Thrushes. Great start!

Breakfast was OK, to be fair, but we still paid up only rather begrudgingly. Still, great birds again took our minds off it - Atlas Dipper and a late Ring Ouzel (with no chest crescent) just below the resort, and then Blue Rock Thrush, Atlas Coal Tit and Firecrest slightly lower down, along with a surprisingly high-altitude Woodlark.

But the 'big boy' was still lower down, about 9km below the ski station at the village of Ait-lekak. Various locals responded with recognition when Simon did a yaffle-type call, and pointed us in the direction of some large walnut trees. Two or three stops and scans later - and bingo! Levaillant's Woodpecker, with an Atlas Great Spotted Woodpecker to boot, showing superbly on a main trunk. It posed for a while, then called, and disappeared over our heads - lifer in the bank and no mistake.

Elated, but having seen all the likely montane birds in about three hours flat, we dropped down to Ourika for a coffee, and considered our plans. A quick phone call to Chadia set us up for two nights in a nice easy tourist hotel back in Marrakech (though very pleasant, riads can be a bit of a hassle!), and we then headed off (via Marrakech - missed the turning) to Asni and the Imlil valley, some 60km from the big city. Sadly, the weather closed in a little, and it was cloudy and a bit windy when we arrived. So few birds were seen - we just had to have a quick look for Atlas Flycatcher, even though we're a couple of weeks too early.

We arrived back in Marrakech late afternoon, dumped the car at the airport, and took a cab to our delightfully anonymous "package tour" hotel - ideal. Good old Chadia!

Wednesday 16th & Thursday 17th April

Well, nothing very much to report here - we had a great time back in the souks and around the old town, eating probably a bit too much, but really enjoying our last few hours in Morocco. Julia succeeded with some jewellery, and rather improbably Simon came home with an antique astrolabe!

We made it to our flight on the Thursday morning with plenty of time to spare, and finally got home at about 2100 at night. A great little trip!