Pixie Birding: Morocco Birding Trip Report - Day 7 (Saturday 2nd March 2019)

With almost a whole day ahead of us before our flight back to Manchester, we headed back to the Oued Sous in daylight, notching up a small flock of Greater Flamingos on the sandbar as a small number of Avocets and Greenshanks probed in the shallows. Several Sandwich Terns fished further out to shore, whilst both Maghreb Magpies and a duo of Moroccan Wagtails put on a great show at close quarters.

Maghreb Magpie - recently split this is now recognised as its own species - mainly due to the blue patch of colour behind the eye.

Laughing Dove

Moroccan Wagtail

The Oued Sous

With the rest of the morning and afternoon free, we decided to head back up to Paradise Valley for a final look at Moussier’s Redstarts, the valley being one of the best sites of the trip for them. We weren’t disappointed, managing to locate a further four birds, a single female next to a smallholding remarkably our first non-male of the trip. The pair of Bonelli’s Eagles were once more in action, while a male Sardinian Warbler was a nice consolation for the absence of any Tristram’s Warblers today.

Moussier's Redstart

Our first female of the trip - subtle yet identifiable (complete with Argan nuts!)

Goats on Argan Tree - Paradise Valley, Morocco

The famous goats eating the famous Argan nuts! I hadn't actually realised it was Argan trees we had been seeing until back in the UK. Argan trees (famed for their Argan oil) are endemic to the Souss Valley of southwestern Morocco and to the region of Tindouf in southwestern Algeria.

With our flight approaching, we made our descent, using up the last of the fizzy water to try and clean some of the dust and grime off our hire car before finally relenting and heading to the car wash outside the airport in an attempt to avoid any cleaning fees!

During our stay Morocco had completely blown us away with its charm, and there is a certain chaos that is quite unlike any other country I have visited before. From the unruly Marrakech city centre roads and the frenzied rural street markets to the ancient Berber villages in the imposing Atlas Mountains, the people of Morocco were all part of the magic, and this was a fantastic gentle introduction to Moroccan birding.

Oukaïmeden

Berber Village - Atlas Mountains, Morocco

A traditional Berber village

The grounds at Aurocher - our hotel whilst in the Atlas

The high Atlas

With many tours taking in the whole of the Atlas Mountains, the Sahara, Agadir and even Fez in one trip, with limited time this was an ideal itinerary for us, concentrating solely on the Atlas Mountains and Agadir, with the aim of returning again to focus on the desert species and Marsh Owl. This gentler pace really allowed us to savour the landscapes, culture and birdlife on offer on what had been a truly fantastic trip and in amazing country.