Morocco Birding Trip Report - Day 6 (Friday 1st March 2019)

Awaking bright and early and taking a punt on some info we’d found online for Fulvous Babbler, we headed east towards the town of Taroudant, an hour or so away from Agadir. With scattered Babbler records in the area dating back a few years, whilst not nailed on we felt it was at least worth a shot, and sure enough, upon arrival in this unlikely location the habitat looked ideal, with numerous shrubs and bushes on the parched ground – perfect for Babblers! 

Prime Babbler habitat at Taroudant aerodrome

After parking up at the side of the compound fence at the aerodrome, almost immediately Alex remarkably locked on to a Fulvous Babbler, perched on one of the prominent branches and providing good but distant views from in-between the chain-link fence.

Fulvous Babblers

As with other Babbler species, Fulvous Babblers form social groupings, and we eventually counted seven emerging from inside the shrub and foraging in the sand, moving as a flock from bush to bush.

Flying in to the gatepost trees beside us sadly saw us too slow with our cameras to get any meaningful shots, and the Babblers eventually melted in to the foliage and away.

A quick scan of the track around the compound resulted in an abundance of House Sparrows with a scattering of Spanish Sparrows thrown in for good measure, while a small flock of Common Bulbuls posed obligingly by the side of the road. Subalpine and Sardinian Warblers busying themselves in the low down gorse unfortunately didn’t contain a Tristram’s amongst them, but a duo of Maghreb Magpies put on a good display as they hopped amongst a pile of abandoned oranges.

Common Bulbul

Maghreb Magpie

With nothing more of note around Taroudant apart from a Thekla Lark, we headed back out of town and north towards Paradise Valley, stopping to admire the swarms of Pallid Swifts screeching excitedly along the city walls.

Thekla Lark

With Vallée d'Imouzzer at the top of Paradise Valley holding ad-hoc records of Tristram’s Warbler during the winter and buoyed on by our Fulvous Babbler success, we decided to give it a go, the incredible scenery at least a bonus even if the warblers didn’t show.

Climbing the twisting mountain roads resulted in an abundance of Moussier’s Redstarts en-route (not quite as showy or photogenic as our Souss Massa superstar), while healthy numbers of Sardinian Warblers busied themselves in the spiny shrubbery. 

The beautiful scenery of Paradise Valley

Stopping off at the first main car park on our ascent, a quick scout around unearthed yet more Sardinian Warblers, before remarkably I picked up a male Tristram’s Warbler belting out its full song above us on the slope. Calling Alex over, we watched as it flew from bush to bush, getting ever closer, before it eventually landed in the tree in front of us, eyeing us inquisitively before retreating up the mountainside.

Tristram's Warbler

The slope in the car park the Tristram's Warbler was favouring

With only a smattering of records in this area during the winter months, this male clearly appeared to be on territory – begging the question of whether Tristram’s Warblers are in fact breeding here.

A highly range restricted species in North Africa, being found mainly in Morocco and Tunisia, it was great to catch up with this star bird, and we enjoyed further views on our descent back down the valley when we passed the car park again later that afternoon.

The car park in question

Once at the top of the valley, a pair of Black Wheatear provided a nice show against the fabulous backdrop of the gorge below, while a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles powering down the ridges were our first of the trip. Having already scored on the Tristram’s Warbler front, we never actually made it as far as Vallée d'Imouzzer, instead drinking in the views before making out descent.

Bonelli's Eagle - note the white patch on the back

The views were stunning!

With time remaining before darkness set in, we tested out Oued Sous in an attempt to see if the Red-necked Nightjars were still present. Sadly there was neither sight nor sound of them as the darkness enveloped the car around us, a lone Zitting Cisticola calling before roost all we had for company avian-wise amongst the many bikers and fishermen settling in the car park. 

Zitting Cisticola

Suitable habitat for Nightjars at Oued Sous?

Previously a hotspot to see the nightjars, sadly access restrictions by the palace now mean the area the nightjars favoured is no longer accessible, and we headed back to the hotel empty handed, a final dinner of lamb cutlets fueling us for our concluding day ahead.