Tuesday 20th May 2025: Morocco

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 tones, following a regular circuit around the trees, pausing intermittently to sing from a high song post. 

Then we drove back to the rock pile where we had seen the Moussier’s Redstart and shrike to enable Bernie to see these beautiful birds, as he was not able to complete the walk before breakfast. This time a  Cuckoo was heard, and as the bus was about to leave, I caught a brief view of a rufous plumaged  harrier species, but it disappeared too fast and I was unable to confirm the identification. It was presumably a juvenile Pallid or  Montagu’s, Harrier, but sadly I shall never know.

We returned to the woodland we had visited yesterday, and I managed to add Nuthatch to my list which many in the group had seen yesterday. The Levaillant’s Woodpecker continued to be elusive, but was seen by some. A Firecrest showed well, and then a furtive Robin, difficult to locate in the dense shady branches. However, our guide was on hand, and got it out into the open with a tape lure! Oh the shame, tape luring a Robin!!

We continued our journey to our next accommodation, noting a few birds of interest from the bus, namely: Long-legged Buzzard, Ravens, Thekla lark and  Seebohm’s Wheatear, 

Finally we arrived at an area of rocky desert, where we alighted to search for DuPont’s Lark. No luck with that today, but we did spot some Greater short-toed Larks foraging amongst the vegetation, and several Desert Wheatear. Some of the group also found Horned Lark.

Rollers