Friday 16th May: Morocco coast

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 ground, Spotless Starlings were on the roof, plus a Kestrel took off and disappeared from view. Common Bulbul were flitting in the bushes, and a Turtle Dove purred as it sat on the roof watching us. A group of juvenile Barn Swallows roosted on a dead branch, and of course the ubiquitous House Sparrow chirped noisily all around. It felt good to finally be watching some birds.

House Bunting (David Park)

Barn Swallow, juvenile (David Park)

Turtle Dove (David Park)

We had barely left the premises when the van screeched to a halt, our guide having spotted a Calandra Lark in the field beside the road. It was well camouflaged, but eventually we all managed to get reasonable views, which was fortunate, as it was the only one we found on the trip!

The landscape gradually mellowed to green orchards and irrigated fields, then we reached a huge industrial area - with great piles of sulphur and limestone looking like a line of hills. Finally, we approached the beach area where we were to spend our first night. We stopped beside some fields of alfalfa and stubble, and took a short walk to search for Buttonquail, clapping our hands loudly as we attempted to flush the bird. We had no luck, but did manage to see Black-shouldered Kites and a Collared Pratincole passing overhead, and watched a Stone Curlew descend to the ground in a nearby field. Zitting Cisticolas zitted sharply as they hovered over the fields, before descending out of view into the vegetation.  As we returned to the bus, a Black-eared Wheatear appeared on the bare earth in front of us, giving a positive start to our trip.