15 Days Birding Tour in Morocco

DAY 1: MARRAKECH AIRPORT – HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS OUKAIMDEN:

Today we meet you at your hotel, or we pick up you from local Marrakech airport the day before the tours starts. (Accommodation day before the birding tour starts on request – please contact us). Meet and Welcome you at Marrakech airport we will drive up into the High Atlas Mountains and Visit Oukaimeden (2600m). As we drive along the cultivated Fields we should find a good mix of resident species such as Southern Grey Shrike Little Owl, Sardinian Warbler. Spotles Startling.Moroccan Magpie. Moussiers’s Redstarts and House Bunting Slightly Higher up.among the rocky Slopes we will search for Blue Rock Thrush and the endemic Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker. When we reach the ski resort at Oukaimeden we will check the snowline for the handsome African Crimson-Winged Finch.other species here include Rock Sparrow Black Wheatear, Seebohm’s Wheatear, Alpin Chough and Atlas Horned Lark. Dinner and accommodation at the Atlas Mountains.

DAY 2: HIGH ATLAS MOUNTAINS – MARRAKECH – CASABLANCA – RABAT:

Aftar an early breakfast we leave the mountains behind.perhaps pausing again en route for Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker From the flat plains of Marrakech and then north-west via Casablanca to Rabat for 3 Nights en route we will make some birding stops and several stops to look for Calandra Lark Dinner and accommodation in Rabat.

DAY 3: MERDJA ZERGA:

After breakfast we head north to Merdja Merga which means Blue Lagon >>this large coastal lagoonteem with thousands of waders including godwits, Greenshank and Redshank.lingering Duck and Flamingoes. The marshes are one of the few places to find African marsh Owl,an endemic subspecies We will also scan the beach and Atlantic Ocean for terns.gulls.any skuas on passage and Balearic Shearwater. Dinner and accommodation in Rabat

DAY 4: THE ZAERS SIDI BOURHABA:

An early start today is essential for a trip southeast of rabat into the King’s hunting forest, the zaers to see and hear Double-Spurred francolin a secretive game bird that calls from the tops of tree stumps Other woodland species possible include Black Crowned Tchagra, Black-shouldered kite Woodpigean.stock Dove Groenfinsh Serin Pied Flycatcher Redstart and Barbary Bartndge Weil spend the afternoon along the Atlantic coast visiting lagoons and saltpans including and excellent freshwater lake lac de sidi Bourhaba Good numbers of Red-Knabbed Coots should be on the lake as well as Marbled Duck and White-headed Duck while Western Marsh Harriers quarter the reed beds. Dinner and Accommodation in rabat

DAY 5: RARAT-MEKNES CEDAR FOREST IN AZROU-MIDDLE ATLAS MOUNTAINS – ZAIDA:

Driving south-east to Zaida we will stop firstly to see lesser Kesterl in Azrou town and then at excellent sites in the Middle Atlas for Levaillant’s Woodpecker and Ruddy Shelduck in the Cedar Forests we may also see Wood Lark Firecrest and local races of Great Spotted Woodpecker.Coal Tit and Barbary Apes. Dinnes and accommodation in Zaida.

DAY 6: ZAIDA PLAIN-ZIZ VALLEY-MERZOUGA:

We will leave early to search for Dupont’s Lark near Zaida this very dificult high-plains species disapearing amongst the Tussocks during our walk we should seo Thekla and Short-toed Larks After breakfast we will head south to the edge of sahara deserton route wo may see Eurasian Crag-martin Desert Lark Black and White Crowned Wheatears while.in spectacular Valley Rock Bunting and Blue Rock thrush can be found. Finally after another exciting stop we arrive at our Desert hotel for the two nights. Dinnes and Accommodation in Merzouga

DAY 7-8: MERZOUGA ERC CHERBI DUNES – RISSANI

We have two full days dedicated to exploring the sandy dunes, palm groves wadis and nearby stony desert of org cheb – the largest dune system in morocco this remote area holds a number of key target birds and we’ll have plenty of time to search for them in a very relaxed mannerour target species here and amongst the stark desert landscapes, as well as several remote cafe’s will be the superb the attractive looking Desert Sparrow Other species we will search for include Pharaoph Eagle- Owl guyuin, Fulvous Babbler greater Hoopoe Lark, African Desert Warbler and Brown-necked Raven there are sometimes seasonal lakes which attract numerous wildfowl and waders, an amazing sight out her in the desert lit is also worth scanning the skies for visible migration and as the day warms up it is possible to see good numbers of storks and raptors rising on the thermals and heading north towards their breedings grounds other species this area include Spotted and Crowned Sandgrouse and Lanner Falcon Short-toed Desert and Bar-tailed Larks Desert and Spectacled Warblers Trumpeter Finch and Southern Grey Shrike We will also be here at a good time of the year to seek out Egyptian Nightjar at a day roost. Dinner and Accommodation in Merzouga

DAY 9: MERZOUGA-GOULMIMA-TODRA CORCE TAGDILT TRACK-BOUMALN DU DADES.

After an early look at the desert around our hotel, we will head west and stop at a site to search for Scrub Warbler Spectacled Warbler and Trumpeter Finch. Next we travel westwards and stop at todra Gorge for Tristram’s Warbler Black Wheatear, Blue Rock-Thrush. Rock Dove Crag Martin and possible Benelis Eagle I then to Tagdilt Track. The stony desert here is at quite a high altitude Larks are well Represented with Thekla. Desert Short-Toed. Thick-Billed and Temminks Larks, Desert and Red-Rumped Wheatears. Dinner and Accommodation in Boumalne Dades

We will begin at the Tagdilt Track again, to look for any species we may have missed yesterday. then head west searching the roadside stone-deserts for the rare wheatear Maghreb Wheatear Before reaching our hotel in Quarzazate we’ll stop to explore the Barrage at Mansour Eddahabihere we have the chance of seeing Marbled Duck, Ruddy Shelduck Black Winged Stilts and Maghreb Lark, as well as Cormorants and Herons and selection of waders. Dinner and Accommodation in Quarzazate

DAY 11: QUARZAZATE-ANTI ATLAS MOUNTAINS SOUSS VALLEY-TAROUDANT AGADIR.

A long drive to the west will take us over the anti atlas mountains into the Souss Valley and on to Agadir Initially we will keep our eyes open for various larks by the roadside and for wheatears in the Souss Valley we could see Black Crowned Tchagra, Laughing Dove, Ciri Bunting, Spanish Sparrow Over the town of Taroudant there may be Little and Pallid Swifts Finally after another exciting stop we arrive at our Hotel in Agadir for 3 nights Dinner and accommodation in Agadir.

DAY 12: AGADIR CAP CHIR TAMBI ESTUARY:

Early in the moming We will head north, stopping at a beach where there will be Lesser Black-Backed Gulls of two races Audouins gulis and a few yellow-legged gulls and at cap ghir for seewatch we will continue north to tamri to search in the scrub and fields adjacent to the coast for the Northern Bald Ibis. Late in the afternoon we travel back to Agadir Dinner and accommodation in Agadir