Anne Belton Photography
At the end of April 2024 we travelled to Marrakesh, Morocco to travel for 2 weeks with Rockjumper birding tours. There were 13 of us on the trip with 2 guides and a driver. Only 2 of us were Canadian, the rest from the US.
​
The road map shows the route we took, a lot of distance covered, but very interesting to see the different areas from coast to lush forest, to farmland, to stony desert, and to the Sahara.
​
The other map shows all the places we birded, each icon representing where we put in a list to eBird.
European Turtle-Dove
Day 1 -On the 1st day we headed south out of Marrakesh to the Ourika Valley and the area around the Oukaimeden ski resort in the High Atlas Mountains.
Marrakesh as we flew in.
African Chaffinch
Moussier's Redstart
Sardinian Warbler
Great Spotted Woodpecker
European Serin
Rock Sparrow
Common Chaffinch
Cirl Bunting
Rock Bunting
White-throated Dipper
Mistlethrush
European Robin
Atlas Mountains with a bit of snow
Common Firecrest
Great Tit
Common Bulbul
Barbary Squirrel
Black Redstart
Black Wheatear
Northern Raven
Black Redstart
Rock Sparrow
Gray Wagtail
Eurasian Wren
Crimson-winged Finch
Atlas Wheatear
The ski resort
Blue Rock-Thrush
Rufous-Tailed Rock-Thrush
Black Wheatear
Melodious Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Temminck's Lark
African Blue Tit
Levaillant's Woodpecker
Eurasian Kestral
Atlas Wheatear
Maghreb Owl
Day 2 - we drove from Oukaineden to Agadir on the Atlantic coast.
Maghreb Owl
Black Kite
Eurasian Kestral
White Wagtail (Moroccaan)
Little Ringed Plover
Cattle Egret
White Stork
Gray Wagtail
Barn Swallow
European Turtle-Dove
Western Black-eared Wheatear (f)
Black Kite
Great Gray Shrike
Barbary Partridge
Little Ringed Plover
Thekla's Lark
White Stork with a chick
Day 3 - we visited 2 estuaries, Oued Massa and Oued Sassa, both north of Agadir.
Common Sandpiper
Eurasian Spoonbill
Little Owl - we saw them almost daily - just sitting by the side of the road or in a field.
Crested Lark
Spotless Starling
Pallid Swift
Little Egret
Little Egret
Cetti's Warbler
Zitting Cisticola
Purple Heron
Rufous-Tailed Scrub Robin
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin
European Stonechat
Trumpeter Finch
Little Owl
Black-Crowned Tchagra
Black- Crowned Tchagra
Common Kestral
Spotted Flycatcher
Sardinian Warbler
Cetti's Warbler
Eurasian Kestral
Northern Bald Ibis - critically endangered
European Greenfinch
Eurasian Linnet
European Goldfinch
Common Quail - our only view of this bird as it was flushed out of deep grass and quickly left.
Cream-colored Courser
Northern Bald Ibis
Nightingale
Common Bulbul
Oystercatcher, Lesser Crested Tern, Sandwich Tern, Gull billed Tern
Lesser Crested Tern (yellow bill), Sandwich Tern (white tip on bill), Gull-billed Tern(short bill)
Day 4 In the morning we went back to the estuary Oued Souss, in the afternoon to Tamri.
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Bar-tailed Godwit
Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Audouin's Gull
Grey Plover ( Black-bellied)
Bar-tailed Godwit
Dunlin & Little Ringed Plover
Red Knot, Black-tailed Godwit
Sandwich Terns & Black-tailed Godwit in front
Marbled Ducks - one of the rarest ducks in the world
Northern Bald Ibis
The only Butterfly I saw the whole trip, green on the underside of wings
Holiday time on the dunes - people were "snow boarding". Love the Starbucks sign and camels!!
Day 5 - this morning started with a pelagic trip into the Atlantic. Unfortunately we went very early and the water was very calm, and the fishing boats were not working yet so birds were scarce.
​
After the trip we drove for the rest of the day to our next stop - very few stops this day.
Agadir at dawn
Jellyfish ?
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Woodchat Shrike
Day 6 - High stony desert - Tagelit, and to the Dades Gorge
Thick-billed Lark
Temminck's Lark
Atlas Wheatear
African Desert Warbler
Desert Wheatear
Bonelli's Eagle
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse
Lanner Falcon
Lanner Falcon
Eurasian Kestral
Pharaoh Eagle-Owl
Pharaoh Eagle-Owlet
Western Subalpine Warbler
Bonelli's Eagle
Day 7 - Started the morning at Dodra Gorge, then to Tinthir, Merzouga and Erg Thebdi - heading east to the Sahara
Blue Rock Thrush
Long-legged Buzzard with sand rat
Black Wheatear feeding a chick
Brown-necked Raven
Bar-tailed Lark
?
Sand fence - similar to a snow fence to keep the sand off the highway
Greater Hoopoo Lark
Breakfast at one of the lodges
Day 8 - In the desert area
Strange buddies!
African Desert Warbler
House Bunting
Desert Sparrow - in front of a mirror - female is having issues with her reflection!
The lady who lived in this compound fed the birds every morning and so bird watching tours went there. She served us tea, and had some handicrafts for sale!
Desert Sparrow (m & f)
White-crowned Wheatear
Woodchat Shrike
Crowned Sandgrouse (m&f)
Crowned Sandgrouse
Spotted Sandgrouse
Maghreb Lark
Egyptian Nightjar
Egyptian Nightjar - so well camouflaged!
Tea served with a flair!
Day 9 - started with a walk through a community garden - a cement waterway had been built through an area and families had small plots on which to grow veggies.
Common Blackbird
Common Redstart
Whinchat
Eurasian Collared-Dove
Willow Warbler
Fulvous Chatterer
Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin
Barn Swallow
Short-toed Snake Eagle
Glamping!! way too hot in the tent for me - I moved to the hotel for the 2nd night
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin
Willow Warbler
Hooded Wheatear with chicks
Day 10 - back to the desert first thing in the morning then drove north out of the desert to Ifrane, lots of farm land and huge flocks of sheep.
Eurasian Nuthatch
European Turtle-Dove
Dupont's Lark
Dupont's Lark
Cream-colored Courser
European Pied Flycatcher
Eurasian Scops Owl
White Stork
Booted Eagle
Long-legged Buzzard
Lesser Kestral
Eurasian Moorhen
Red-knobbed Coot
Common Pochard
Atlas Wheatear
Great-crested Grebe
Common Redstart
Spotted Flycatcher
Barbary Macaque
Day 11 - Zaida Plain before breakfast, then headed to Ifrane and a lake Dayat Aoua.
Mediterranean Short-toed Lark
Atlas Mountains
Levaillant's Woodpecker
Eurasian Hoopoo
Great Spotted Woodpecker
European Roller
Short-toed Treecreeper
African Blue Tit
European Serin
European Roller
European Greenfinch
Booted Eagle
African Chaffinch
Woodchat Shrike
Western Subalpine Warbler
Red Crossbills
Red Crossbill
Red-crested Pochard
These raptors had some sort of issue with each other
Poppies growing wild in the fields!
Black-winged Stilt
Marbled Ducks
White Stork
African Chaffinch
White-headed Duck
Day 12 - Back on the Atlantic coast - north of Rabat
Common Kingfisher
Yellow-legged Gull
Black-crowned Night Heron
Collared Pratincole
Rufous Heron
Cattle Egret
Black-crowned Night Heron
Dunlin & Little-ringed Plover
Common Redshank
??
Glossy Ibis
Common Blackbird
Caspian Tern
At the end of the day we went to a farm and walked through fields of veggies and fruit. At one section that appeared to not be planted this year several Marsh Owls took to the air. As the farmer walked into the field he flushed them up, they quickly settled out of sight in another part of the field. I think as many as 8 flew up!
Day 13 -Started early to find a Nightjar, which we did but only as a fly by. Then did some birding on the way south to Casa Blanca and the end of the tour.
Glossy Ibis
Double-spurred Spurfowl
Glossy Ibis, Little Egret, Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
European Serin
A wonderful tour, best yet... great guides, great companions, great birds and a beautiful country!
Total birds 219
Lifers 100