Our next day dawned with sunshine and beautiful blue skies, the harsh call of a Levaillant’s Woodpecker echoing around the valley as we ate breakfast proving to be a promising sign in our attempt at connecting with this endemic species.
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| The wooded surroundings of Aurocher |
With a number of Serins serenading us as we left the car park, we drove slowly up to Igunane, scanning the bare trunks and oak thickets favoured by the Levaillant’s, the early morning playing to our advantage with a distinct lack of people. In no time at all our dawn start had paid off, and we were soon enjoying fantastic views of a male Levaillant’s Woodpecker, boring in to the thick trunk of a large dead tree in front of us and posing statue like as we drank in the views.
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| Levaillant's Woodpecker |
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| The rows of trees lining the road at Igunane that the Levaillant's favoured. There was only a small stretch half way up to Oukaïmeden that seemed suitable. |
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| The Woodpecker's favourite dead tree - next to one of the small Atlas cafes |
Dropping down unseen in to a grassy slope next to one of the tagine stands, our woodpecker didn’t resurface, so once more we headed up to the summit in an attempt to catch up with what was now turning in to a bit of a regular nemesis – Alpine Accentor. Upon arrival, the contrast between the previous day was startling – where there had been hundreds of bustling tourists and locals selling their wares a day earlier now stood empty, with not a single person in sight.
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| A rather more peaceful Oukaïmeden |
Pulling up beside the first car park, several Alpine Choughs lined the wires in front of us, offering much better views than the distant specks I had seen in Spain 5 years earlier, while a small flock of Crimson-winged Finches gave outstanding views on the small wall next to the car, snaffling the leftover seeds and nuts from the previous day’s wares.
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| Alpine Chough - note the yellow bill |
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| African Crimson-winged Finch - the star of the show at Oukaïmeden! |
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| It was incredible to watch these charasmatic finches feed at such close quarters |
Almost like another world compared to the chaos of Sunday and much more enjoyable in the peace and quiet, it would be wise to plan any trips to Oukaimeden for a weekday morning, avoiding the absolute carnage and madness that seems to unfold on a weekend.
Scanning the slopes once more revealed a huge mega flock of African Chaffinches, several Atlas Horned Larks and Bramblings mixed within, while Rock Sparrows bustled along the walls and fences. Higher up the slopes where some of the larger snow patches remained produced our first Rock Bunting for the trip, while a pair of Black Wheatear held territory on one of the larger boulders – fascinating to hear the male sing and display.
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| Rock Bunting |
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| Snow! |
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| Looking back down at the main resort and village |
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| Clear skies from the watchpoint! |
A single Barbary Partridge flushed from the Atlas lookout point was a nice surprise, while Black Redstarts once again flitted from rock to rock. With an extensive search yet again yielding no Alpine Accentors, we headed back down the mountain, a small flock of Crag Martins wheeling around the cliff face our first of the trip while a second Rock Bunting perched below.
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| Rock Bunting |
A stop off at Aurocher for a spot of lunch saw us sample the delights of the delicious Atlas Mountain Morels, a speciality of the area and cooked to perfection in a much needed omelette, providing the opportunity for a relaxing break with an ice cold fresh orange juice, soaking up the scenery after a busy morning at the summit.
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| The fantastic Aurocher - complete with stunning mountain backdrop |
Refreshed and heading further down the mountainside, a stop off in some sheltered pines revealed a handful of singing Firecrests, while a bit of patience resulted in our first Coal Tit for the trip (ssp Atlas). The lower levels of the mountain saw an abundance of Red-rumped Swallows artfully weaving across the roadside, while scoping down to the riverbed below resulted in our first Moroccan Wagtails (a subspecies of White Wagtail), their black bridles and head straps clear to see despite the distance.
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| The amazing views of the Atlas Mountains on our descent |
A handful of Common Bulbuls offered a chance for some photos as they lined the trees next to the lush streamside vegetation, while more Red-rumped Swallows floated gracefully overhead.
With the stupendous Moussiers Redstart on our minds, we set about exploring the farmland and villages at the base of the Atlas, still yet to connect with one of Morocco’s star species. Heading towards the nearby village of Ourika once more saw us experiencing Moroccan traffic at its finest, the locals deciding the main road and bridge over a river would provide the best location for an outdoor market - carts, donkeys, animals, stalls, mopeds and a swarming mass of people all adding to the chaos.
The difference in farming between Morocco and the sterile grasslands of the British farming scene was never more apparent than in the back roads of Ourika, with the fields and hedges absolutely teeming with life. Corn Bunting songs jangled from every bush, while no fewer than 7 pairs of Stonechats made their territory in the hedgerows. House Sparrows, finches and Serins flittered in abundance as coveys of Barbary Partridges made their way gingerly through the crops, while our first Woodchat Shrike of the trip added a splash of colour as it perched on surrounding branches.
A three-point turn in one of the narrow village back roads (realistically more like a 50-point turn) to get back to Ourika once more turned in to an event in itself as locals swarmed en-masse to see what was occurring, with clusters of eager children pawing at the car enthusiastically - our impromptu visit clearly creating mass excitement in an undoubtedly normally event-free rural village community.
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| Common Bulbul |
A particularly showy Common Bulbul provided a good photo opportunity despite the backlight, but with a lack of Moussiers Redstarts in the area and evening approaching, we headed back to Aurocher (once more having to work our way through the stresses of the bridge market!), a dinner of hummus and delicious lamb cutlets waiting for us in the peace and tranquillity of the Atlas mountain backdrop.
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