Morocco Day Twelve to Fourteen

A few highlights from the last couple of weeks:

 

Erg Chebbi 

Thick-billed Lark 

Desert Sparrow 

Spotted Sandgrouse 

Birding with nomads 

Jaffa photographing Thick-billed Lark

Breakfast on the terrace celebrating 218 species, 7 additional sub-species (225 if your Dutch)

Spent the last couple of days encountering the enigmatic Andalusian Button-Quail before heading back to Marrakech. A great trip and cleaned up on everything with 23 personal WP ticks and a trip list of 218-225.
Thanks to Chris Townend (Jaffa from Wise Birding Holidays http://www.wisebirding.co.uk/ ) for organising everything while Lee, Darryl and I sat back and enjoyed the show.

Moroccan and Maghreb Endemics ?

African Blue Tit C.t. ultramarinus 

Morrocan Wagtail Motacilla alba subpersonata 

African Chaffinch F.c.africana 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter niscus punicus 

Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus zedlidzi 

European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis parva

White-breasted Cormorant P.c.maroccanus 

Common Linnet C..c.mediterranea

 

Taxonomy is Morocco is pretty confusing. According to the Birds of Morroco (Thevenot et al 2003) of 259 subspecies resident in Morocco, 84 are endemic to Morocco and the Maghreb. Recent taxonomic studies have suggested various elevations of several subspecies to species level e.g. Seebohm's Wheatear, Atlas Flycatcher, Moroccan Wagtail etc. Basically things are in a state of flux (i.e. a free for all) and the timely article by Collar in BB this month was particularly pertinent to the Moroccan taxonomic tower of Babel.

Morocco Day Eleven

Double-spurred Francolin (double spur visible in this shot)

Crested Coot 

Ferrugionous Duck

 

Two more WP ticks today- Double-spurred Francolin and Marsh Owl. Trip species list broke the 200 barrier also.

Only a couple of days left and the most difficult species yet to come. 

Morocco Day Ten

 

Top to bottom: Neil, Jaff and Sue, Lee, Jaff and Andrew, Darryl

 

Today we concluded our southern Morocco leg of the trip and various group members went seperate ways. We are on our way to the north for some more WP ticks.

Morocco Day Nine

Mousier's Redstart 

Bald Ibis 

Black-crowned Tchagra 

Brown-throated Martin 

Bald Ibis 

 

Spent today out of Agadir clearing up on the last few Moroccan specialities.

Morocco Day Eight

Western Bonelli's Warbler 

Western Subalpine Warbler 

Woodchat Shrike 

Nightingale 

Mansour Reservoir

 

Completed our journey to Agadir today stopping off at a few migrant hotspots on the way. Migration is gearing up out here and picking up day by day. Plenty of Bee-eaters on the move today and the first trickle of raptors. Loads of Woodchats, Bonelli's Warblers, Subalpine Warblers, a few Northern Wheatears, Black-eared Wheatears, loads of Pallid Swifts and a sprinkling of Redstart, Whitethroat, Yellow Wagtails and other bits and bobs.

Morocco Day Seven

Seebohm's Wheatear

Egyptian Nightjar

Travel day today with a stop off north of Goulmia where we had Scrub Warbler and also a surprise migrant Seebohm's Wheatear that we dipped in the high Atlas.

Morocco Day Six

Crowned Sandgrouse 

Spotted Sandgrouse 

Spotted Sandgrouse 

Fulvous Babbler 

Desert Sparrow 

Desert Warbler

 

Another day in the desert with a good suite of desert birds. New WP ticks were Crowned Sandgrouse and Fulvous Babbler. Spent the early part of the night driving round the desert looking for night mammals- just a couple of Hares and Egyptian Nightjars.



Morocco Day Five

Egyptian Nightjar 

Desert Sparrow 

White-crowned Black Wheatear 

Erg Chebbi area 

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 

Brown-necked Ravens

A good day in the desert with five new WP ticks- Egyptian Nightjar, Desert Sparrow, Spotted Sandgrouse, African Desert Warbler and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater.
Plenty of migrants around Yasmina.

Morocco Day Four

Male Maghreb Wheatear 

Female Maghreb Wheatear 

Male Maghreb Wheatear 

Isabelline Wheatear 

Pharaoh Eagle Owl

 

Today we transfered from the Hamada deserts around Boumalne Dades to the sandy deserts around Merzouga visiting the Troda Gorge en route. We arrived at Merzouga in a dust storm so hoping the wind will abate for tomorrow.

New WP birds included Tristram's Warbler, Maghreb Wheatear and 'Moroccan Wagtail'.

Stopped off en route at a few migrant spots too including the temporary lake near Merzouga. The waterbirds were hunkering down in the dust storm.