A Birding Trip to Morocco, March 2020

Desert days........for birders, Morocco is one of those "must go" destinations. So close to Europe but part of Africa it offers many species of birds that are difficult to see elsewhere. It is also blessed with variety of habitats from snow-capped mountains to deserts. I last visited the country as a long-haired student exactly 50 years ago when it was on the hippie trail and known for its lax laws on marijuana. This might explain why I have very few memories of the trip. Until recently my only souvenir was a striped cotton djellaba bought in a Marrakesh market, which I do not believe I ever wore at anything other than a fancy dress party. Sadly, years of sitting in a drawer had not done it any favours and very recently it had to go to the recycling bin.

This visit was going to be very different. I was travelling in an organised group, with a focus on seeing birds and apart from anything else my long locks have gone the same way as the djellaba, except a long time earlier. And birds we did see. Overall we spotted 170 different species of which twenty were new to me. Here are just a few of my favourites:

What is known as stoney desert, with the Atlas mountains in the distance

A Cream-coloured Courser, a desert specialist, high on my list to see

Red-rumped Wheatear

Scrub Warbler, a tiny mouse like bird eking out a living in the harshest places

Desert Wheatear

Another desert specialist, the Hoopoe Lark

Desert Warbler

The fabulous Crowned Sandgrouse

Desert Sparrow

It was a truly fabulous trip. When we set off the Corona Virus was yet to really show us what it could do but even in Morocco its effects reached us as the Moroccan Government decided to stop all flights both into and out of the country as a precautionary measure, forcing us to leave three days early. Once home, it soon became apparent how much the world had changed and how lucky we had been to have seen as much of the country and its wildlife as we had.

A full trip report is available form the link below

Morocco Trip Report