Southern Morocco - 2nd-8th January 2007

by Ben Macdonald

Introduction

This much anticipated week in one of the Western Palaearctic's most bird-rich countries was only ever going to provide a brief glance at its range of avifauna, but in a week we saw a good range of southern Moroccan species including some of the region's best specialities. Though primarily a cultural holiday, we were allowed birding time thanks to our fantastic guide Said, who has in the past acted as guide for many tour companies, and who arguably knows more about where to find birds in this country than anyone alive. Culturally, Taroudant, and Morocco as a whole, is an assault on the Western senses and a must for those who want see the vibrancy of the third world.

Logistics

We were based at Taroudant, an hour inland from Agadir, and did daily excursions by car into the surrounding area. A driver is nearly essential to reach many key sites as signposts are virtually non-existent and the Moroccan way of driving demands a whole different psychology. Taxis can easily be hired from towns. Due to the nomadic nature of many species here, especially raptors, birding is done by driving and pulling over once something is sighted. We were too early for many specialities and were told that March is the premier birding month in Morocco. The weather in January is fantastic, permitting great photography and digiscoping. All photos here were taken using the Swarovski AT80 HD and Coolpix 990 combination.

Key Sites

Any area of semi-desert in the Taroudant - Agadir area will offer good chances of Lanner, Barbary Falcon and the beautiful Black-winged Kite as well as common species such as White Stork, Cattle Egret, Southern Grey Shrike, Crested Lark and Moussier's Redstart, whilst towns will provide many Common Bulbul and House Bunting.

1. Souss Massa National Park

One of the few sites we visited thoroughly, the massa has an amazing amount of species. Our first stop in the Southern Massa south of the park boundary produced many Plain Martins and the elusive Black-crowned Tchagra.

The track between the Agadir - Tarfaya road and the reserve was very productive, notably for Barbary Partridge, Slender-billed Gull and the Glossy Ibis colony of fifty birds, which can be viewed through dense foliage on the left of the track that runs to the reserve. Spanish Terrapins can also be observed basking here. The National Park proper is great. Greater Flamingo and five to seven Marbled Duck can be observed from the picnic site at the car park. Glossy Ibis feed out on the inland estuary with a good range of waders including Black-winged Stilts. Double figures of Audouin's Gull can be seen with the loafing flocks. Cranes regularly pass through.

2. Oued Sous

Another excellent wetland site near Agadir which can provide excellent birding from a few roadside stops. Large waterbirds include Greater Flamingo and Spoonbill and there is a range of waders. Birds in the sueda are varied and in addition to Black-crowned Tchagra included, on our visit, Bluethroat and Spectacled Warbler. Egyptian Mongoose can be seen crossing the tracks, with luck and Greenish Black-Tip butterflies occur.

3. Tamri

Bald Ibis is the reason birders come here: the birds commute from their cliff colony to the north to feed on the beach here in varying numbers. The colony now numbers over two hundred birds. Osprey and Audouin's Gull are likely here.

4. The Atlas Mountains

Home to a vast range of birds. In our tiny glance at them we found the area between the Sous Valley and the Tizi-n-Test pass good for Black Wheatear, Barbary Partridge, Barbary Falcon and Rock Bunting.

Daily Summaries

January 2nd - Taroudant

Waking up after flying in the night before, a brief glance from the window provided our first vocal Common Bulbuls and several colourful House Buntings in addition to ticks of White Stork and Cattle Egret. Outside the Palais Salem where we spent just one night we saw our only Lesser Kestrel of the week high overhead. The Palais gardens provided hundreds of Common Bulbuls as well as Blackcap.

We arrived at our guesthouse at 2pm and a scan from the roof soon picked up a very distant falcon that could have been Lanner or Barbary. It was fantastic when the bird flew in close with a Spotless Starling in its talons before flying ten feet overhead - a Lanner Falcon. Later in the evening, a flock of fifteen Little Swifts started catching flies overhead. Flocks of Cattle Egrets and White Storks passed overhead.

January 3rd - Taroudant and the Anti-Atlas

One of the best birds of the holiday came just outside of the town when Said pulled over for a stunning adult Black-winged Kite (see pic below) settled in a tree next to the road. One of our most wanted birds, it looked even better in reality with its amazing red eyes. It shared its tree with a Crested Lark and, close-by, a Southern Grey Shrike.

We drove high into the Anti-Atlas where we were shown the harshness of life for the parched communities out there. We noted our first Moussier's Redstart on the descent, another striking species. The Palm Oasis at which we spent lunchtime was hot and quiet, with calling Serin and a single Spanish Sparrow seen in flight. A Southern Grey Shrike caught flies next to the bus, and both Moussier's and Black Redstart were noted at a nearby Kasbah. Back at Taroudant in the evening, a mind-blowingly distant raptor was eventually identified as a Long-legged Buzzard.

January 5th - The Sous Valley to the Tizi-n-Test Pass, Atlas Mountains

Heading out of Taroudant, we had soon passed another two Black-winged Kites on telegraph wires. Our first stop was for a Peregrine Falcon which surprised us all in this habitat. Next, Said called another kite but on stopping we found it to be a pinkish-tinted falcon like a small peregrine - a Barbary Falcon, which gave good views overhead. Soon we began to climb into the Atlas and in addition to the complimentary Southern Grey Shrikes placed on every other wire, we soon picked up a covey of Barbary Partridges on the rocky slopes. We noted Moussier's Redstart on the climb, followed by a cracking male Rock Bunting. The best bird came during a higher stop in the form of a striking male Black Wheatear.

After taking lunch at the Tizi-n-Test pass restaurant, we started a walk down into the valley with a guide from a local village. We soon picked up another Barbary Falcon and more Black Wheatears. After taking mint tea in the guide's home, yet another example of the amazing Moroccan hospitality and warmth, we climbed out of the valley where we noted the Moroccan race of Crossbill and Bath White butterfly.

January 6th - Taroudant to the Souss Massa National Park

A rooftop scan before we left the guesthouse provided a very close Barbary Falcon and a more distant Lanner Falcon. En-route I frustratingly missed a Laughing Dove that Said called. We saw repeats of many species and glimpsed a Long-legged Buzzard just south of Agadir.

Arriving at a wetland area to the south of the park, we immediately heard Cetti's Warbler and saw Fan-tailed Warbler. Plain Martins flew overhead and were surprisingly joined by a few Crag Martins as well as some Swallows. Soon Dad had found a stunning male Black-crowned Tchagra perched atop a wall; it showed extremely well, flicking its tail for some minutes before diving into cover. In fields nearby a amazingly confiding Squacco Heron  (see pic below) was catching worms and we noted another Moussier's Redstart  (see pic below). Some tame Cattle Egrets also entertained.

We now headed towards the actual national park across a semi-desert terrain adjacent to the delta. A stop for Moussier's Redstart also provided five Slender-billed Gulls as they flew past on tern-like wings. A second stop was for the Glossy Ibis colony (see pic below). Initially hard to see, all fifty birds were soon flushed by a passing Marsh Harrier and looked resplendent as the purple and green sheen on their wings caught the sun. Three Spanish Terrapins basked in the sun and another Black-crowned Tchagra popped up. At a third stop a little further on, a showy male Blue Rock Thrush showed well.

At the picnic site at the park's entrance, a flock of twelve Greater Flamingos entertained whilst seven Marbled Ducks, one of the reserve's most important and rare species, looked small and brown in the heat haze. Walking along the estuary we encountered several Sardinian Warblers. Feeding with the Glossy Ibis which had moved out from the colony were a large flock of Black-winged Stilts along with a few "British" waders such as Spotted Redshank, Bar-tailed Godwit and Common Sandpiper. Looking back at the Greater Flamingo flock, it took two looks to realise that they had been joined by thirteen Common Cranes, and the combination of the two was a memorable sight. Out to sea, Gannet and Sandwich Terns were seen. 

January 8th - Taroudant to Oued Sous, Tamri

In the morning I took the chance to photograph our local friendly House Bunting (see pic below) before we set off towards Oued Sous. En-route we noted more of the usual species plus a Black-winged Kite which flew right over the car. 

Arriving the Oued Souss the most striking sight was that of over a hundred Greater Flamingos on the pans, along with four Black-winged Stilts and a Grey Plover. A second stop a little downstream added at least five Spoonbill, whilst an elusive Black-crowned Tchagra moved through the vegetation. Suddenly everything happened at once, with Moussier's Redstarts popping up, followed by another bird which jumped into the scope: a pristine Bluethroat. It proceeded to sing right in front of us for a minute before moving off. As I scanned to relocate it, a small, pinkish and rufous warbler resembling a small Whitethroat popped up and I briefly registered it as my first Spectacled Warbler whilst an otter-like Egyptian Mongoose ran past us. As we left, ten Slender-billed Gulls flew past and, after an hour and a half's drive through some eerily quiet, uninhabited coastal desert, we eventually reached Tamri. A ten minute scan of the estuary immediately yielded a fishing Osprey and twelve Audouin's Gulls whilst a pair of Southern Grey Shrikes caught flies close-by (see pic below).

Our target bird was obviously feeding elsewhere so we sat down for lunch, eyes fixed on the distant spot where they come down to feed. Then suddenly, about ten feet to our left, three Bald Ibis came sailing in to land on the cliffs right beside us (see pic below). In the scope we were, for five minutes, able to enjoy this amazingly strange-looking, charismatic species, of which less than five hundred remain in the world today. It even allowed a photograph before moving off along the coast and out of sight. Another great end to a holiday, though we will certainly be returning here in the future.