Our final day in the Atlas
Mountains dawned crisp and fresh once more, and being our last chance for
Alpine Accentor we checked out early and took the winding road back up to the
summit. The Crimson-winged Finches once more put on a show in the first car
park, while the now familiar Rock Sparrows, Horned Larks, Bramblings and
African Chaffinches foraged in the hay.
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| African Crimson-winged Finch |
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| African Chaffinch |
This time exploring the summit
next to the TV transmitter (the area the Accentors apparently favour), there
was an abundance of Black Wheatears (the African subspecies riggenbachi) and we
counted no fewer than 9 birds, one pair in particular giving outstanding views
as they made display flights from the rocks in front of us.
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| Male Black Wheatear |
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| The views from the track up the mountains |
Sadly however,
despite several hours searching, the Alpine Accentors just weren’t to be found,
and we headed back down the mountain feeling slightly dejected having failed to
connect, reports of two birds at the very TV station we searched at a few weeks
later particularly galling.
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| The TV towers at the top of the mountain where the Alpine Accentors are said to favour - however not for us sadly |
Enjoying a last glass of
thirst quenching fresh orange at Aurocher, we left the Atlas Mountains and the
charming maze of traditional villages behind for the last time, completely enchanted
by the simple lifestyle of the villagers, the heart-warming smells coming from
the roadside bread ovens and the lines of bubbling tagines.
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| The views of the Aurocher gardens |
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| The traditional Berber villages had a particular magic about them |
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| The views on the Atlas Mountains had been stunning |
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| Traditional farmland with a backdrop of the Atlas |
Having identified a spot with
good records of Moussier’s Redstart online, we made our way straight there,
stopping one last time to get a shot of the distant Atlas Mountains as a
backdrop against the road to Marrakech. Almost immediately upon arrival we
struck it lucky, spotting the striking black and orange combination of a male
Moussier’s Redstart, albeit distantly, foraging in the farmland shrubs.
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| Moussier's - honest. Not quite the frame filling shot I had been hoping for... |
With the heat haze rendering
viewing through the scope difficult to say the least, we headed further up the
track in search of any closer birds. A number of Maghreb Magpies parading along
the field margins down to a matter of feet was a vast improvement on our
previous sightings, while the scratchy song of a Sardinian Warbler rattled
around us.
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| Maghreb Magpie |
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| The farm track near Marrakech favoured by the Moussier's Redstart |
It wasn’t long before we’d located a second Moussier’s – this one
much showier than the first and allowing us a relatively close approach if we
stayed hidden behind the large gnarling trunks. With a flaming orange belly and
bold black and white markings, Moussier’s Redstart was the star attraction of the
trip for me and a bird I had been wanting to see for a very long time, so this
was a very special moment indeed and we savoured every second of it.
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| Moussier's Redstart - my star bird of the trip! |
With the afternoon drawing on
and the Moussier’s disappearing off deeper in to the Olive grove, we made our
way to our Riad for the night - in what transpired to be in the heart of
Marrakech. Describing the traffic as chaotic would be a complete
understatement, as scooters, bikes, rickshaws, donkeys, taxis and pedestrians
all jostled for position in the un-laned roads and alleyways. With our sat-nav
attempting to take us the wrong way down a one way back alley to reach the
Riad, we abandoned ship in the nearest and safest looking car park we could
find, navigating the sleeping dogs and masses of people as we trawled our
suitcases through the bustling market street.
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| House Bunting - common but beautiful |
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| They loved the spilled seed |
A huge gathering of around 30
House Buntings was a welcome distraction as they congregated on a large pile of
spilled seed and grain by the side of the road, and we stopped to photograph
these showy common town birds as curious locals looked on.
Several huge White
Stork nests en-route atop the city walls were some of the first birds back to
breed, while crowds of Pallid Swifts swept over our heads as they prepared to
roost in the nooks and crannies.
Our Riad for the evening was
once more in the traditional style of our first evening, again accessed through
back alleyways that looked less than safe and secure. Never the less we were
made to feel especially welcome once we arrived, and a pair of House Buntings
scavenging on leftover biscuit inside the complex kept us entertained for our
visit (though not so welcome giving loud bursts of song outside the room before
5am!). With the journey across to Agadir ahead of us the next day we settled
down to a rather poultry meal of pot noodle and frazzles, stocking up on water
supplies from the Riad owner after debating whether the 4x huge 5l bottles of
Bahia osmosis water from the local shop that Alex had hauled back were indeed
legit to drink!
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| House Bunting in the Riad! |
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