Window to Wildlife

 We spent the whole day travelling from the mountains to Marrakech, ready for an early check-in tomorrow, so there was little birding to be had. A Little Owl showed very well from the road, our first and only one of the trip. At a short stop to stretch our legs, with a view across a vast reservoir, Dave spotted a gorgeous male Sardinian Warbler feeding in the low vegetation, which although mobile, eventually gave good views for some of us. And finally, at a coffee shop in the valley, we had great views of another Woodchat Shrike. Common Bulbul and Melodious Warbler provided the sound accompaniment! Little Owl (David Park) Woodchat Shrike (David Park)

We set off at 05.40 for the Zaida plain again in search of the elusive DuPont’s Lark. We had been promised that finding the bird would be far easier this morning as the birds would be singing, but we arrived to silence, save for some burbling contact calls of Greater Short-toed Larks. We spread out to scan the land, and I confess for me this was without hope or expectation of success. However, after around 20 minutes, our guide received a recording from the driver of a bird he had heard singing, so we hot-footed it back to the bus, and drove a short distance to where it had been found. Positioning ourselves in front of the rising sun, it did not take long for our guide to relocate the target bird, and we enjoyed a number of appearances, with some musical display flights and excellent scope views as it perched up on the low lying thyme bushes.  A great result making our early start worthwhile. Several Greater short toed larks were also seen scurrying amongst the vegetation and as we...

Inspired by our walk yesterday, we were joined by the rest of the group at 6.45 to seek some of the species we had seen yesterday. The day got off to a cracking start, with a pair of displaying Rollers, which then perched on the wire giving excellent views from the bedroom . A Great Tit also showed well in a nearby tree.  Descending to the road, where we met the rest of the group, there were lots of singing Corn Buntings, and a number of Quail called from the depths of the wheat fields, with one sounding incredibly close, but still impossible to locate. Continuing along the track, we again found a Cirl Bunting, although less close than yesterday, and a Moussier’s Redstart moving amongst the rocks and trees on the sandstone escarpment. A Woodchat Shrike showed well in some distant scrubby bushes, and we heard the beautiful song of a Wood Lark.  Returning to the hotel for breakfast and to pack, a short stroll to the pool area gave us a lovely Melodious Warbler, with yellowish to...

We had an early start this morning heading off at 05.30 for the king’s hunting lodge at Zaida Plains in search of another specialist bird, the  Double-spurred Francolin. We heard several birds calling, including one at close range, but unfortunately our guide’s efforts to flush it out were not successful. There was some compensation though with distant views of  Barbary Partridge feeding on an  open slope, then a further sighting of  two birds on the track in front of us, flying off with a brief flash of grey back and rufous flanks as they departed, a new tick for me. In this open woodland area, we also enjoyed good views of a pirouetting Spotted Flycatcher seen at close range and a burbling Western Olivaceous Warbler which posed obligingly in a prominent position atop the bush. Both African Chaffinch and African Blue Tit were seen well, and a Nightingale endlessly poured out its beautiful song. Turtle Doves purred from the treetops, and several Common Bulbul feasted...

This morning we headed to a large lake, the shore lined with shady eucalyptus trees, where we took a gentle stroll through the narrow woodland, a popular picnic site with the locals. As we arrived and set up our scopes, we were watched by numerous Black Kites circling overhead and across the landscape. Several Marbled Ducks were quickly found, showing brilliantly in the scopes, but just a tad too distant for good photos. Nevertheless, this was a vast improvement on my previous sighting of the species, a  brief glimpse in flight on our previous trip to Morocco. Marbled Duck  There were plenty of groups of  Red-crested Pochard females leading their brood across the water, but we were unable to locate any of the more colourful males. Another highlight here was the endangered White-headed Duck, again seen in good numbers around the pond. In the UK, many Ruddy Duck have been culled in an effort to protect this rare duck from cross-breeding, so it was good to find them here, ra...

As we like to do, we started the morning with a pre-breakfast stroll along the beach. Low-flying Pallid and Common Swifts filled the air as they scythed the skies, screaming and swooping to their nest sites in the derelict buildings, Yellow-legged Gulls loafed on the beach, mainly  juveniles, with noticeably dark mantles. The morning was once again dedicated to a fruitless search for the elusive Buttonquail, but luckily some other fine birds provided some interest. At our first stop, we scoured the alfalfa  crop, a real butterfly magnet, with hordes of whites and clouded yellows nectaring on the tiny flowers. Then we patrolled the adjacent stubble fields, noting Crested Lark, and Zitting Cisticolas around the fields. A Red-rumped Swallow sped through, chasing insects, together with regular Barn Swallows. In the distance, a small flock of Bee-eaters wandered across the sky. Returning to the bus, a Turtle Dove purred from the hedgerow, and a beautiful golden Serin perched just a...

Our first birds of the trip were Pallid swifts seen swirling around the airport terminal at Marrakech and abundant over the town. As we drove through the city, we noted Spotless Starlings on lampposts, White Storks nesting on minarets and further nests piled up one above the other on pylons, like high rise apartments for Storks! Feral pigeons were plentiful, and several Kestrel hunted over the more open areas of the landscape as we left the city behind. Passing a small patch of water, we caught a fleeting glimpse of Black-winged Stilts. The landscape through which we travelled was barren and stony, with extensive flat plains, sadly strewn with plastic rubbish. There were scattered buildings, and very few trees. The goats, sheep and donkeys all appeared scrawny, and we noted cacti and stunted eucalyptus trees, reflecting the harshness of the environment. After several hours of driving, we stopped for an ice cream, and took the opportunity to start birding. House Buntings foraged on the ...

 After a visit from Kate and the grandchildren, I returned with them to Shropshire for the first week of the half term. Michael started with a Forest school session in mid Shropshire, so while he was there, Kate and I had a short visit to Venus Pools. Oystercatchers and Lapwings appeared to be breeding on the islands, and a pair of Little Ringed Plovers were chasing each other around the reserve. Gadwall and Shelduck were on the pools and a stunning Grey Heron in front of the hide wowed Kate with its graceful pose.  Little Ringed Plover After some time, we moved on to the feeder hide, where we had very close views of Greenfinch, Goldfinch and Great Spotted Woodpecker taking advantage of the plentiful food supply. The following day, another short visit between school drop off and pick up time just a few hours later, took us to Wood Lane nature reserve, basically a series of small fishing pools next to a working quarry, with a network of leafy paths between the pools. This was r...

 With the children away, Kate and I set the alarm for 05.30 to head to World’s End, near Llangollen, in the hope of finding lekking Black Grouse. We got a little lost on the way, but our detour did enable us to add Mistle Thrush to Kate’s growing bird list, with a pair seen hopping by the gate at Manera Quarry.  Fortunately when we arrived, the Grouse were still present, and we enjoyed some time watching their antics as they strutted about, with chests puffed and tail feathers fanned in a splendid display. Sadly a walker passing by flushed the birds and most failed to return. Nevertheless this was a memorable encounter and we were surprised at how close to the road the birds were, giving excellent views. Black Grouse (Richard Allan) After the birds had flown, we lingered hopefully for a while, observing a number of Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and a couple of Wheatears close to the lekking site. We were surprised to find a Canada Goose up here, on this wild, moorland habitat. Among...