Morocco - A Bald Ibis Break!

Transcription

1 Naturetrek 31 October - 4 November 2007 Report compiled by Richard Bashford Naturetrek Cheriton Mill Cheriton Alresford Hampshire SO24 0NG England T: +44 (0) F: +44 (0) E: info@naturetrek.co.uk W:

2 Morocco - A Bald Ibis Break! Tour Leader: Richard Bashford Participants: David Kay Inge Smekens Peter Sutcliffe Margaret Sutcliffe Ian Herbert Mary Herbert Martin Phillips Diana Housley Barry Lowry Dominic Sargent Heather Sargent Day 1 Wednesday 31st October Landed Marrakech 11.20, journey to Sidi R Bat with lunch stop on route. Dry, sunny, clear, calm After meeting Mohammed at the airport, we changed money and hit the road. We headed west out of the city and were soon in open country. Roadside birds included Southern Grey Shrikes, Stonechats, White Wagtails, and Crested Larks. At the highest point on this route, we took a break at a roadside café in the early afternoon which provided an opportunity to stretch our legs as well as showing us some local flavour a popular spot for locals! Descending down and further west, we reached Agadir where we took a quick comfort stop and saw our first Spotless Starlings. Next we headed south towards Massa spotting our first Cattle Egrets going to roost, and then drove the final, rather bumpy, track to our hotel in Sidi R Bat. And what a hotel! After essentially a driving day, we had a welcome hour and a half to relax and settle in the fabulous Kasr Massa before the first of many excellent meals. Day 2 Thursday 1st November Sea watch from hotel and short walk north, morning walk to reserve entrance, lunch at hotel 12.30, , Walk along reserve track to hide. Some cloud early am, clear, sunny, hot No driving today. We decided to explore our surroundings and the setting was perfect. We could sea watch from the hotel and we did! Cory s and Mediterranean Shearwaters, Gannets and a couple of Arctic Skuas, Audouin s Gulls, Curlew, Sanderlings and Ringed Plover on the beach. Breakfast was served on the terrace which was a good place for a birdwatching party to be. As we sat down, a small bird flew from under the table our first Moussier s Redstart. As we were eating, Diana spotted something big and black on the beach which turned out to be an Osprey! Naturetrek December 07 1

3 Our first of several walks to towards the reserve was taken slowly this morning we had to keep stopping Sardinian Warbler, Kentish Plover, House Bunting and then a covey of Barbary Partridge all within 200m of the hotel. As we reached the reserve track, two of the reserve staff met us and asked us what we had seen. One lifted a nearby rock and showed us a large yellow scorpion. A minute or two later, they shouted Ibis as a flight of eight Bald Ibis headed south along the coast. A few minutes later, another group of seven flew south. As we were all scanning the lagoon, we may well have missed them. The lagoon itself was full of birds. The vast majority were Coot but among them were Spoonbill, Greater Flamingo, Glossy Ibis, Pintail and a Marbled Duck. We returned to the hotel for a leisurely lunch on the terrace. The fantastic food took some time to get through but the break was welcome almost as much as the flyover Bald Ibis possibly our closest on of the trip which flew north over the hotel and then circled over our heads before continuing it must have heard we were staying here! After a bit of a siesta through the early afternoon heat, we set out towards the reserve once more. This time we worked our way up the reserve track. Two more Bald Ibis soared overhead as we neared the reserve entrance. Curlew Sandpiper, Greenshank, Little Stint and Black winged Stilt fed around the lagoon shore. Among the ducks we saw Shoveler, Gadwall and three more Marbled Duck. Perhaps the same Osprey was fishing here and was joined by a second and we got to grips with the charismatic Common Bulbul. An interesting sighting today involved two ringed Spoonbills. Subsquent s revealed that one ringed in Germany in June had travelled 3104km in 145 days. The other ringed in May in the Netherlands had travelled 2881kms in 163 days. All too soon, it was time to return to the hotel where we freshened up before running through the log and enjoyed our fine dinner. Day 3 Friday 2nd November Pre breakfast walk to Massa Lagoon, Semi desert, Fields east of Massa Village to river course, Lunch at reserve entrance, Walk into reserve and back through adjacent village, western Massa river crossing, semi desert, hotel A pre-breakfast walk this morning with the aim of seeing another one of north Africa s special birds the Blackcrowned Tcharga. We had heard one the day before but they are elusive at the best of times, especially in the heat of the day. It was good to hear one in the scrub between the hotel and reserve entrance but no further sign but a Little Owl put on a good show here. We moved on to the lagoon and added Little Stint, some stunning Moussier s Redstarts and a fabulous prolonged view of a large Wild Boar walking along the lagoon edge. On the way back, we again heard a Tchagra with its distinctive rambling whistle. After a minute or two, we saw it perched on top of a bush. Before long it flew and bounced along the ground hiding behind bushes for the most part. But with some careful stalking, we all got good views. A second bird then joined in again giving good but brief views on top of a bush. The trouble was, it was now breakfast time and we needed to get back another close Little Owl sighting didn t help but we had to stop for it. Breakfast on the terrace at We met Mohammed at 9.15 and headed out to explore further up the Massa valley. The bumpy track to the hotel may have been a bit uncomfortable but it was semi-desert and so, well worth a scan or two. Halfway along we hit the jackpot with seventeen Cream coloured Coursers. Unfortunately, they flew, or rather fifteen of them did. Carefully we scanned the nearby desert and picked out the remaining two feeding. With them was a smaller 2 Naturetrek December 07

4 bird which looked interesting. It was! We slowly stalked these birds, getting closer bit by bit. The smaller bird was as suspected, a Hoopoe Lark something we did not expect to see in this area but there it was, bashing some poor insect to pieces. The views of the Coursers were also much better now all birds actively feeding. On into Massa village to a track leading through fields to the river course. We spent most of the morning here seeing Kingfisher, Fan-tailed Warbler, Red-rumped Swallow, Tawny Pipit, and finally Plain Martin. On the way back, we managed see a bird which Inge had spotted earlier a fine Black-shouldered Kite which flew in and perched next to the road allowing excellent scope views. Returning to the bus, we headed back to the eastern reserve entrance for picnic lunch under the trees after stopping for a dark phase Booted Eagle which took off from the roadside and soared over the valley. The picnic was interrupted by a Spotted Flycatcher in the trees and more Wild Boars three piglets and two adults swimming across the water and wallowing in the mud. A short walk in provided us with Lapwing, more close views of Osprey, Marsh Harrier and Turtle Dove and even more boars we saw about ten in total. Walking back through the village and small fields gave us Laughing Dove, Common Redstart and better views of House Bunting. Small pools at the end of the village were worth a look too as these had Black Tern, Hoopoe, Teal and then just before we got back on the minibus, a fantastic view of a pair of Bonelli s Eagles overhead - one more black and white, the other more rufous. We decided it was worth a quick visit to the more western crossing of the river near Massa village and were rewarded with Squacco Heron, three Kingfishers, another Black-shouldered Kite and over 50 Terrapins presumably Spanish which occurs in Morocco. Our late afternoon trip back to the hotel across the semi-desert gave us a small flock of Lesser-short-toed Larks. Back at the hotel, we had time to relax before another fabulous meal. Day 4 Saturday 3rd November Pre breakfast walk north of hotel along cliffs, journey to Tamri with stops, Tamri Lagoon and field north of village, lunch Cap Rhir, Oued Sous, hotel Our pre breakfast walk was a little quieter this morning but a pair of Ruddy Shelducks flew north along the coast and several Whimbrel were heard. Scanning further north a skein of large black birds proved too distant to identify but most likely about 50 Bald Ibis. More Cory s Shearwaters and Gannets feeding busily kept our attention right through breakfast and a Whimbrel on the beach not good for digestion perhaps but we couldn t help it and four Bald Ibis were found about a three km away perched on the beach, but not exactly a good view! Today we headed north to visit another prime ibis site at Tamri. Crossing the semi desert we saw a Barbary Falcon hunting all too briefly and then flying off into the distance but the two coursers were still present. We drove through Agadir and about 15km north stopped quickly to watch a flock of thirty Bald Ibis fly overhead slowly our most prolonged view yet. On to Tamri where we saw Black Wheatear, a fabulously close Peregrine, Ruddy Shelduck and yet another Osprey. We searched in vain for ibis north of the village but did chance upon a Long-legged Buzzard which perched for us along excellent scope views. Heading back south we had a picnic lunch near the Cap Rhir lighthouse with the only birds of note being 2 Ravens. Naturetrek December 07 3

5 On the way back, we visited another key site in this part of Morocco Oued Sous at the extreme north of the National Park. Many birds here but we did our best to scan through them several Mediterranean Gulls, Grey Plover, Knot, Bar-tailed Godwits, Greater Flamingos and after some waiting, a north African Blue Tit a good bird to see as they are quite different to the birds in the UK. As we neared the hotel a roosting Osprey and a Little Owl were seen before sundown. Day 5 Sunday 4th November Massa Lagoon, journey to Oued Sous, Oued Sous, journey to Barrage Abdelmoumen for lunch until 13.20, journey to Marrakech LHR Barry and Martin hit the beach to get closer views of Audouin s Gull while the rest of the early risers headed for the lagoon. A confiding Hoopoe perched for all to see at the reserve gate. Great views of Moussier s Redstart here too. Diana spotted five Wigeon flying in which was new for the trip. Efforts to gain more views of Blackcrowned Tchagra paid off for one or two with another bird perched on top of a bush. The trouble was that this coincided with a flyby of thirty Bald Ibis (we were beginning to think they only flew in groups of thirty!) Back for breakfast, we saw what was probably the same flock again over the lagoon area but this time there were two more in the group. We said goodbye to Ian and Mary who were staying for another week in Agadir and reluctantly left this wonderful area and hotel. Headed north we passed eight Cream-coloured Coursers and the Hoopoe Lark in the semi desert. We had a short visit to Oued Sous again where we added White Stork and Slender-billed Gull to the trip list alongside a variety of waders. We could have done with another three hours here but we had a date with a plane. A stop to fill up in the outskirts of Agadir provided us with two new trip birds. Firstly, a group of at least six kestrels raised suspicions that they were the colonial nesting Lesser Kestrels as we watched we saw their characteristic Hobby-like feeding method of catching insects with their talons and bringing them up to their beak. Nearby a small group of Crag Martins passed us. Heading east through the foothills towards Marrakech, we stopped for lunch in an area we had spotted on the way down which had a fair amount of cover. Unfortunately it was quite quiet but Martin found two soaring falcons which turned out to be Lanners. We pushed on, arriving dead on time at the airport at to say our goodbyes to Mohammed our driver and David, Inge, Peter and Margaret who were spending the night in the city. The remaining six of us were rather disturbed to see our flight was on the information board as flying back to Gatwick (rather than Heathrow!) but fortunately this was just an error and we arrived safely back in Heathrow at This was the second Bald Ibis break run by Naturetrek but the first trip in Autumn. Thanks to the location and the wonderful hotel, we were well looked after and saw an excellent range of birds including the main target on most days. Can t wait to get back! Receive our e-newsletter Join the Naturetrek ing list and be the first to hear about new tours, additional departures and new dates, tour reports and special offers. Visit to sign up. 4 Naturetrek December 07

6 Species Lists Birds Oct/Nov Common name Scientific name Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea Balearic Shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus Gannet Sula bassanus Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo c Moroccan Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo maroccanus Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 2 8 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides 1 10 Little Egret Egretta garzetta Grey Heron Ardea cinerea Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodi Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus Northern Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita White Stork Ciconia ciconia Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber c Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 5 18 Mallard Anas platyrhynchos Gadwall Anas strepera Wigeon Anas penelope 5 21 Teal Anas crecca Pintail Anas acuta Shoveler Anas clypeata Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula Pochard Aythya ferina Common Scoter Melanitta nigra Black-shouldered Kite Elaneus caeruleus 2 29 Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus Osprey Pandion haliaetus Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus 1 33 Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus 2 34 Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus 1 35 Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides 1 38 Peregrine Falco peregrinus brookei 1 39 Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus 2 40 Barbary Partridge Alectoris barbara 8 41 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropu Coot Fulica atra Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus Stone-curlew Burhinus oedicnemus H 46 Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula Naturetrek December 07 5

7 Oct/Nov Common name Scientific name Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 4 50 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola Dunlin Calidris alpina Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea Knot Calidris canutus Sanderling Calidris alba Little Stint Calidris minuta Temminck s Stint Calidris temminckii 1? 57 Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 3 60 Curlew Numenius arquata Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 3 62 Redshank Tringa totanus Greenshank Tringa nebularia Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 1 65 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus Mediterranean Gull Larus melanocephalus Slender-billed Gull Larus genei 3 71 Western Yellow-legged Gull Larus michahellis michahellis 5 72 Western Lesser Black-backed Gull Larus fuscus graellsii 73 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis Black Tern Chlidonias niger 4 75 Rock Dove/Feral Pigeon Columba livia 76 Collared Dove Streptopelia decaoto 77 Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtue 1 78 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis Wood Pigeon Columba palumbus Little Owl Athene noctua Little Swift Apus affinis 1 82 Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 4 83 Hoopoe Upupa epops Skylark Alauda arvensis 3 85 Crested Lark Galerida cristata 3 86 Thekla Lark Galerida theklae 1? 87 Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 1 88 Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens 6 89 Hoopoe Lark Alaemon aludipes Sand Martin Riparia riparia Plain Martin Riparia paludicola 4 92 Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris 4 93 Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica rustica Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 1 96 Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 2 5H White Wagtail Motacilla alba 98 Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea Naturetrek December 07

8 Oct/Nov Common name Scientific name Yellow Wagtail sp Motacilla flava Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus Robin Erithacus rubecula Stonechat Saxicola torquata Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros Moussier's Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe? Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius Blackbird Turdus merula mauritanicus Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Cetti's Warbler Cettia cetti 1 6H H 112 Fan-tailed Warbler Cisticola juncidis Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Great Tit Parus major African Blue Tit Parus teneriffae ultramarinus Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegala 1H Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis algenensis Moroccan Magpie Pica pica mauritanica 'North African' Raven Corvus corax tingitanus Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis House Sparrow Passer domesticus 'North African' Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs africana Serin Serinus serinus Linnet Acanthis cannabina Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis parva Greenfinch Carduelis chloris voousi Corn Bunting Miliaria calandra House Bunting Emberiza sahari Mammals Wild Boar Butterflies/Moths Swallowtail Red Admiral Speckled Wood Bath White Plain Tiger Crimson Speckled Retiles and Amphibians Spanish Terrapin Gecko sp. Egyptian Mongoose Mallow Skipper Clouded Yellow Small White Painted Lady Lang s Short-tailed Blue Toad sp (spadefoot?) Naturetrek December 07 7