MOROCCO in winter

“Once more our annual winter week in Morocco packed a fortnight’s experiences into seven very different lively days. Our amazing quality-and-quantity trip list was launched the moment we arrived at Agadir airport by a splendid Lesser Kestrel performing above us as we loaded our minibus and, after lunch by our hotel pool (the only time we saw it in daylight), the action continued at the Sous estuary with over a hundred Greater Flamingos and as many Black-winged Stilts, twenty thermalling White Storks, and educational comparisons of Ringed and Kentish Plovers, Temminck’s and Little Stints, Black-tailed and Bar-tailed Godwits, and Curlew Sandpiper and Dunlin. Tamri estuary then provided Spoonbill and Ruddy Shelduck (and a green flash as the sun set over the sea) and the beaches in between hundreds of Audouin’s Gulls. A satisfying cross section of species for our first afternoon.

A raptor also launched us on our second day-a Barbary Falcon perched on our hotel-but the highlights on our first mountain circuit (to Imouzzer) were the delightful boudoir-blue and rusty-red Tristram’s Warbler, Atlas Crossbill, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Moussier’s and Common Redstarts, Barbary Partridge, and all three stripe-headed buntings together (Rock, Cirl, and House). Again, sunset at Tamri-and a perched Kingfisher-brought the day to a close.

Our planned pelagic was aborted through engine trouble before we even left the harbour but our visit to the port did provide the only two Western Olivaceous Warblers of the trip and still left the whole day to explore the wonderful Massa estuary with its Glossy Ibis, Marbled and Ferruginous Ducks, Lanner, and Little Owl. We relaxed over a fine lunch overlooking the sweeping beach of Sidi-Rabat, and where for us the hoped-for Bald Ibis flew by on cue. Our day concluded with a desert spectacular of Cream-coloured Courser plus Hoopoe Lark and a Dotterel (a rare sighting in this part of the country).

Our next day began with another spectacular-Trumpeter Finch, Desert Wheatear, Thick-billed and Temminck’s Horned Larks followed by White-crowned Black Wheatear and Desert Lark-as we climbed to Tafroute on the great Anti-Atlas circuit with Red-billed Choughs, increasingly close views of nine Bonelli’s Eagles, Golden Eagles, another Barbary Falcon, and most excitingly a Griffon Vulture (another write-in, even for Bryan after over thirty years of visiting the country). But the star of the show was the gasp-inducing scenery, the dramatic hilltop kasbahs, the Berber villages seemingly sculpted out of the red rock, and an absolutely splendid Moroccan lunch in a traditional Berber ceremonial tent (voted best of trip).

Then came our overnight stay in the deep south beyond Goulimime ‘gateway to the Sahara’-more desert birds (Long-legged Buzzard, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Red-rumped Wheatear, Bar-tailed Desert Lark, and more Cream-coloured Coursers, Desert and White-crowned Black Wheatears, Thick-billed, Desert, and Hoopoe Larks, and even another Golden Eagle) which kept coming right up to sunset and even beyond as two Red-necked Nightjars flew around us in our oasis hotel courtyard as we arrived back for a shower (well, a dribble-but welcome nevertheless), a tasty camel tagine, and the final surprise of the day as we were stargazing on the roof: the Holmes comet looking like a ghostly jellyfish amongst the pin-sharp planets and shooting stars.

Our desert opener the following morning was equally exciting-two Streaked Scrub Warblers (of the taxon theresae, endemic to south western Morocco) and yet more Cream-coloured Coursers, Lanners, Long-legged Buzzards, Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Trumpeter Finches, Bar-tailed Desert, Thick-billed, and Temminck’s Horned Larks plus both Short-toed and Lesser Short-toed Larks, This desert clean-sweep left us time to return to the Massa to explore the agricultural area and add Black-shouldered Kite, Laughing Dove, Yellow Wagtail, Brown-throated Sand Martin, 200 Glossy Ibis, another Bonelli’s Eagle, and a couple of Stone Curlews as darkness fell. Grand finales were certainly a daily feature of this trip as much as the exciting openers.

A complete change of pace the next day was provided by our nine-hour pelagic-the ultimate relaxing experience on a calm (at times almost glassy) sea with hundreds of well-spaced seabirds to hold our interest in the bright sunshine (Cory’s, Sooty, Manx, and Balearic Shearwaters; Arctic, Great, and Pomarine Skuas; Common Scoter; Grey Phalarope; and seventy Mediterranean Gulls)-plus a requested Sunfish on demand-but a mysterious absence of life whenever we entered a fog bank. Back on land an end-of-day return visit to the Sous yielded close White Storks and Slender-billed Gull which brought our trip list to one short of last year’s total.

The final morning, on the sea cliffs north of Tamri, a Peregrine nippling a sand dune was the equaliser-quickly followed by two Shags (of the local race riggenbachi, endemic to Morocco and with only twenty pairs in the world considered ‘Endangered’) and a Subalpine Warbler (the latest date ever-by one day- for this scarce migrant). In the estuary our main remaining target bird obliged -a Black-headed Bush Shrike- and then on Tarhazout beach the final one: Royal Tern (a scarce bird as most migrate south from their Mauritanian breeding grounds). A right royal finale to our trip list total of 158. We then had our final picnic in the Sous estuary before heading to the airport and the flight home. Not a minute was wasted and even with hindsight we couldn’t have enjoyed a more satisfactory sequence of experiences in this magnificent and magical country.” Bryan Bland

Bird List:

This is a list of all the species seen during the last thirteen tours to Morocco.

Column A = Number of tours on which this species has been recorded.

Column B = Number of days this species was seen on the last tour.

Column C = Maximum daily count for this species on the last tour.

H = Heard only

A		B	C
1	Black-necked Grebe				Podiceps nigricoilis
13	Little Grebe	2	140		Tachybaptus ruficollis
5	Great Crested Grebe				Podiceps cristatus
1	Bulwer’s Petrel				Bulweria bulwerii
11	Cory's Shearwater	4	200		Calonectris diomedea
1	Great Shearwater				Puffinus gravis
5	Sooty Shearwater	1	6		Puffinus griseus
7	Manx Shearwater	1	50		Puffinus puffinus
7	Balearic Shearwater	1	10		Puffinus mauretanicus
3	Wilson’s Storm-petrel				Oceanites oceanicus
3	British (European) Storm-petrel				Hydrobates pelagicus
3	Leach’s Storm-petrel				Oceanodroma leucorhoa
2	Madeiran Storm-petrel				Oceanodroma castro
13	Gannet	5	180		Sula bassana
5	Continental Cormorant	4	20		Phalacrocorax (carbo) sinensis
13	(Moroccan) Cormorant	4	30		Phalacrocorax (carbo) maroccanus
5	(Moroccan)Shag	1	2		Phalacrocorax aristotelis riggenbachi
3	Night Heron				Nycticorax nycticorax
8	Squacco Heron				Ardeola ralloides
13	Cattle Egret	5	200		Bubulcus ibis
13	Little Egret	5	40		Egretta garzetta
7	Great Egret				Egretta alba
13	Grey Heron	5	10		Ardea cinerea
13	White Stork	4	20		Ciconia ciconia
12	Glossy Ibis	2	90		Plegadis falcinellus
13	Bald Ibis	1	1		Geronticus eremita
12	Spoonbill	5	8		Platalea leucorodia
13	Greater Flamingo	4	107		Phoenicopterus roseus
7	Ruddy Shelduck	4	5		Tadorna ferruginea
3	Shelduck				Tadorna tadorna
8	Wigeon	1	4		Anas penelope
8	Gadwall	1	4		Anas strepera
9	Teal	2	1		Anas crecca
11	Mallard	1	10		Anas platyrhynchos
13	Pintail	3	40		Anas acuta
5	Garganey				Anas querquedula
13	Shoveler	3	200		Anas clypeata
12	Marbled Duck	1	9		Marmaronetta angustirostris
2	Red-crested Pochard				Netta rufina
12	Pochard	1	250		Aythya ferina
5	Ferruginous Duck	1	4		Aythya nyroca
8	Tufted Duck	1	2		Aythya fuligula
1	Greater Scaup				Ayhtya marila
7	Common Scoter	1	1		Melanitta nigra
1	Griffin Vulture	1	1		Gyps fulvus
11	Black-shouldered Kite	1	1		Elanus caeruleus
2	Black Kite				Milvus migrans
1	Short-toed Eagle				Circaetus gallicus
12	Marsh Harrier	2	4		Circus aeruginosus
3	Dark Chanting Goshawk				Melierax metabates
3	Goshawk				Accipiter gentilis
12	Sparrowhawk	3	2		Accipiter nisus
3	Common Buzzard				Buteo buteo
12	Long-legged Buzzard	2	15		Buteo rufinus
2	Tawny Eagle				Aquila rapax
7	Golden Eagle	2	2		Aquila chrysaetos
3	Booted Eagle				Hieraaetus pennatus
12	Bonelli's Eagle	2	9		Hieraaetus fasciatus
13	Osprey	3	3		Pandion haliaetus
2	Lesser Kestrel	1	1		Falco naumanni
13	Kestrel	7	7		Falco tinnunculus
11	Lanner	2	2		Falco biarmicus
6	Peregrine	1	1		Falco peregrinus
8	Barbary Falcon	3	1		Falco pelegrinoides
12	Barbary Partridge	3	12		Alectoris barbara
3	Quail				Coturnix coturnix
1	Water Rail				Rallus aquaticus
13	Moorhen	2	5		Gallinula chloropus
13	Coot	4	1000		Fulica atra
1	Common Crane				Grus grus
13	Oystercatcher	1	10		Haematopus ostralegus
13	Black-winged Stilt	5	100		Himantopus himantopus
8	Avocet				Recurvirostra avosetta
10	Stone-curlew	1	2		Burhinus oedicnemus
11	Cream-coloured Courser	3	20		Cursorius cursor
1	Collared Pratincole				Glareola pratincola
12	Little Ringed Plover				Charadrius dubius
13	Ringed Plover	2	30		Charadrius hiaticula
13	Kentish Plover	3	5		Charadrius alexandrinus
6	Golden Plover				Pluvialis apricara
12	Grey Plover	3	15		Pluvialis squatarola
1	(Eurasian) Dotterel				Charadrius morinellus
7	Lapwing	4	5		Vanellus vanellus
12	Knot	3	14		Calidris canutus
13	Sanderling	5	25		Calidris alba
13	Little Stint	2	1		Calidris minuta
2	Temminck’s Stint	1	1		Calidris temminckii
11	Curlew Sandpiper	2	5		Calidris ferruginea
13	Dunlin	5	30		Calidris alpina
12	Ruff				Philomachus pugnax
11	Common Snipe	2	4		Gallinago gallinago
13	Black-tailed Godwit	4	20		Limosa limosa
13	Bar-tailed Godwit	2	40		Limosa lapponica
5	Whimbrel	1	1	H	Numenius phaeopus
12	Curlew	4	15		Numenius arquata
8	Spotted Redshank				Tringa erythropus
13	Redshank	4	10		Tringa totanus
13	Greenshank	3	5		Tringa nebularia
13	Green Sandpiper	4	3		Tringa ochropus
1	Wood Sandpiper				Tringa glareola
13	Common Sandpiper	4	2		Actitis hypoleucos
3	Turnstone	2	4		Arenaria interpres
4	Grey Phalarope	1	3		Phalaropus fulicarius
7	Pomarine Skua	1	1		Stercorarius pomarinus
10	Arctic Skua	3	2		Stercorarius parasiticus
1	Long-tailed Skua				Stercorarius longicaudus
8	Great Skua	1	4		Catharacta skua
12	Mediterranean Gull	4	70		Larus melanocephalus
2	Little Gull				Larus minutus
1	Sabine’s Gull				Larus sabini
13	Black-headed Gull	3	200		Larus ridibundus
12	Slender-billed Gull	2	4		Larus genei
13	Audouin's Gull	5	800		Larus audouinii
1	Ring-billed Gull				Larus delawarensis
1	Franklin's Gull				Larus pipixcan
4	Common Gull				Larus canus
13	Lesser Black-backed Gull	5	1500		Larus fuscus
7	Herring Gull				Larus argentatus
13	Yellow-legged Gull	7	200		Larus cachinnans
1	Iceland Gull				Larus glaucoides
2	Great Black-backed Gull				Larus marinus
9	Gull-billed Tern	2	1		Gelochelidon nilotica
1	Little Tern				Sterna albifrons
1	Caspian Tern				Sterna caspia
4	Royal Tern	1	1		Sterna maxima
8	Lesser Crested Tern				Sterna bengalensis
13	Sandwich Tern	4	40		Sterna sandvicensis
9	Common Tern	1	1		Sterna hirundo
3	Arctic Tern				Sterna paradisaea
5	Whiskered Tern				Chlidonias hybrida
7	Black Tern				Chlidonias niger
1	White-winged Black Tern				Chlidonias leucopterus
1	Razorbill				Alca torda
1	Crowned Sandgrouse				Pterocles coronatus
13	Black-bellied Sandgrouse	2	120		Pterocles orientalis
13	Rock Dove	1	13		Columba livia
13	Feral Pigeon	8	50		Columba livia
2	Stock Dove				Columba oenas
11	Woodpigeon	2	60		Columba palumbus
12	Collared Dove	8	50		Streptopelia decaocto
3	Turtle Dove				Streptopelia turtur
11	Laughing Dove	1	8		Streptopelia senegalensis
5	Barn Owl				Tyto alba
12	Little Owl	1	3		Athene noctua
3	Short-eared Owl				Asio flammeus
5	Red-necked Nightjar	1	2		Caprimulgus ruficollis
1	Plain Swift				Apus unicolor
3	Pallid Swift				Apus pallidus
6	Little Swift	1	6		Apus affinis
13	Kingfisher	3	1		Alcedo atthis
1	European Bee-eater				Merops apiaster
8	Hoopoe				Upupa epops
2	Wryneck				Jynx torquilla
1	Great Spotted Cuckoo				Clamator glandarius
13	Bar-tailed Desert Lark	2	12		Ammomanes cincturus
10	Desert Lark	2	9		Ammomanes deserti
12	Hoopoe Lark	3	3		Alaemon alaudipes
10	Thick-billed Lark	3	15		Rhamphocoris clotbey
13	Short-toed Lark	3	40		Calandrella brachydactyla
13	Lesser Short-toed Lark	1	150		Calandrella rufescens
13	Crested Lark	6	10		Galerida cristata
13	Thekla Lark	8	50		Galerida theklae
1	Crested/Thekla Lark	8	‘00s		Galerida cristata/theklae
4	Skylark				Alauda arvensis
12	Temminck's Horned Lark	2	20		Eremophila bilopha
13	Brown-throated Sand Martin	1	5		Riparia paludicola
6	Sand Martin				Riparia riparia
2	Rock Martin				Hirundo fuligula
13	Crag Martin	4	40		Hirundoe rupestris
13	Swallow	4	20		Hirundo rustica
4	Red-rumped Swallow				Hirundo daurica
8	House Martin	3	10		Delichon urbica
3	Tree Pipit				Anthus trivialis
11	Meadow Pipit	4	2		Anthus pratensis
8	Red-throated Pipit				Anthus cervinus
2	Water Pipit				Anthus spinoletta
1	Rock Pipit				Anthus petrosus
12	Yellow Wagtail	1	8		Motacilla flava cinercocapilla
11	Grey Wagtail	2	2		Motacilla cinerea
13	White Wagtail	8	50		Motacilla (alba) alba
10	Moroccan White Wagtail	1	1		Motacilla (alba) subpersonata
13	Common Bulbul	8	50	H	Pycnonotus barbatus
4	Wren				Troglodytes troglodytes
13	Robin	5	5		Erithacus rubecula
8	Bluethroat				Luscinia svecica
12	Black Redstart	4	4		Phoenicurus ochruros
8	Redstart	3	1		Phoenicurus phoenicrus
13	Moussier's Redstart	7	10		Phoenicurus moussieri
5	Whinchat				Saxicola rubetra
13	Stonechat	8	6		Saxicola torquata
12	Northern Wheatear	3	2		Oenanthe oenanthe
13	Desert Wheatear	3	10		Oenanthe deserti
13	Red-rumped Wheatear	2	50		Oenanthe moesta
13	White-crowned Black Wheatear	3	20		Oenanthe leucopyga
13	Black Wheatear	4	10		Oenanthe leucura
11	Blue Rock Thrush	3	3		Monticola solitarius
13	Blackbird	5	30		Turdus merula
11	Song Thrush	4	2		Turdus philomelos
13	Cetti's Warbler	4	4	H	Cettia cetti
13	Fan-tailed Warbler	3	10		Cisticola juncidis
6	Scrub Warbler	1	2		Scotocerca inquieta
1	Sedge Warbler				Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
6	Reed Warbler	1	1		Acrocephalus scirpaceus
5	(Western) Olivaceous Warbler	1	2		Hippolais opaca
2	Melodious Warbler				Hippolais polyglotta
3	Dartford Warbler				Sylvia undata
12	Tristram's Warbler	1	3		Sylvia deserticola
11	Spectacled Warbler				Sylvia conspicillata
1	Subalpine Warbler	1	1		Sylvia cantillans
13	Sardinian Warbler	8	30		Sylvia melanocephala
2	Lesser Whitethroat				Sylvia curruca
13	Blackcap	5	4		Sylvia atricapilla
13	Chiffchaff	8	40		Phylloscopus collybita
5	Willow Warbler				Phylloscopus trochilus
5	Spotted Flycatcher				Muscicapa striata
6	Pied Flycatcher				Ficedula hypoleuca
10	Fulvous Babbler				Turdoides fulvus
4	Coal Tit				Parus ater
10	African Blue Tit				Parus caeruleus ultramarinus
13	Great Tit	2	2		Parus major
1	Short-toed Treecreeper				Certhia brachydactyla
1	Ring Ouzel				Turdus torquatus
1	Golden Oriole				Oriolus oriolus
12	Black-headed Bush Shrike	1	1		Tchagra senegala
1	Isabelline Shrike				Lanius (isabellinus) isabellinus
12	Southern Grey Shrike	7	50		Lanius meridionalis
2	Woodchat Shrike				Lanius senator
4	Jay				Garrulus glandarius
13	Magpie	8	16		Pica pica
5	Red-billed Chough	1	3		Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax
13	Raven	4	4		Corvus corax
4	Starling	2	5		Sturnus vulgaris
13	Spotless Starling	8	‘00s		Sturnus unicolor
13	House Sparrow	8	20		Passer domesticus
13	Spanish Sparrow	4	‘00s		Passer hispaniolensis
3	Rock Sparrow				Petronia petronia
13	Chaffinch	5	20		Fringilla coelebs
1	Brambling				Fringilla montifringilla
13	Serin	5	20		Serinus serinus
13	Greenfinch	2	2		Carduelis chloris
13	Goldfinch	6	10		Carduelis carduelis
3	Siskin	2	4		Carduelis spinus
13	Linnet	2	5		Carduelis cannabina
9	Atlas Crossbill	1	4		Loxia curvirostra poliogyna
13	Trumpeter Finch	2	150		Bucanetes githagineus
1	Hawfinch				Coccothraustes coccothraustes
13	Cirl Bunting	1	2		Emberiza cirlus
10	Rock Bunting	1	12		Emberiza cia
13	House Bunting	5	8		Emberiza striolata
13	Corn Bunting	3	10		Miliaria calandra