Final 12 months, my spouse and I visited (in knowledgeable capability) mates who at the moment lived in a high-rise condo constructing in Marrakesh. They confirmed us fairly a little bit of the town, and I in fact was looking out for birds. However there isn’t that a lot to see in city Marrakesh, and my whole record for that a part of our journey was 10 species, together with 4 lifers.
This 12 months, once we went again to go to them once more, that they had moved to Tameslouht, a way more conventional and smaller village a few half hour outdoors Marrakesh. The city has about 1/150th of the inhabitants of that metropolis, so one is rarely distant from the sting of city. And whereas, as soon as once more, birding was not the aim of this journey, I made positive to stroll the fields across the city. I used to be not dissatisfied, as this time I noticed double the species, with three extra lifers for good measure.
A lot of the land round Tameslouht is rocky and naked, with scattered goat-proof small shrubs. However there are additionally olive groves, and a few native timber. The birdiest spot was the city trash dump. However there was some avian exercise wherever vegetation had been to be discovered. (Having stated that, the positioning jogged my memory within the desert, trash is everlasting. On this city, “trash dump” is barely a matter of diploma.)
Within the Marrakesh space, you’re by no means very removed from feral Rock Pigeons, Cattle Egrets, and the considerably extra unique Spotless Starlings and Widespread Bulbuls. Morocco’s iconic (and charming) Home Buntings are in fact additionally current. When you find yourself on a metropolis avenue, you’re prone to see a Home Sparrow. However as quickly as you stroll onto a area or take a mud highway, the Sparrows flip Spanish.
Spotless Starlings, and a Eurasian Collared Dove
Spanish, not Home, Sparrows. Belief me. (You may see a male Spanish Sparrow within the photograph above this put up. The streaky breast proves that identification.)
This time in Morocco, I noticed a number of different species I already knew from Spain: Thekla’s Lark, Sardinian Warbler, European Stonechat, and White Stork. The Nice Grey Shrike I knew beforehand from Turkey, and the Widespread Chiffchaff, Laughing Dove, White Wagtail, and European Blackbird from a number of nations.
Thekla’s Lark — except it’s an almost-identical Crested Lark
Nice Grey Shrike
However then I received to satisfy some real African specialties. The Moussier’s Redstarts had been simply the showiest birds I noticed. African Chaffinches usually are not so totally different from Eurasian Chaffinches, however get further factors for having the phrase “African” of their title.
Moussier’s Redstart
African Chaffinch
Maybe probably the most intriguing fowl I noticed was a falcon that flew overhead in a straight line, with robust, regular wingbeats. The one photograph I managed (with my Olympus journey digicam, which I’ve but to grasp) confirmed very pointed wings, and the looks of darkish underneath wings and breast, contrasting with a a lot lighter stomach. I believe this may increasingly have been a Lanner Falcon. Would any specialists on the market prefer to touch upon this beneath?
Not having had the mobility to journey to, say, a physique of water or a highland forest, my species whole for Morocco (26, after two journeys) remains to be not that huge. However I did improve my record from 10 to 26 species, with only a few hours of birding. And there are positively some attention-grabbing birds to be seen, with only a transient foray outdoors of the town of Marrakesh. And whereas I wouldn’t say nature seems to be well-cared-for right here, one may locate sudden magnificence, like this excellent wall portray on a crumbling adobe wall in a random area:
