MOROCCO - DAY 8 - MARCH 13TH 2014

SOUSS MASSA NATIONAL PARK ALL DAY

We had a fabulous day in the Souss Massa National Park, the weather was just perfect with overcast conditions until lunchtime when the sun burnt the cloud off, There was a nice cooling breeze all day.

Souss Massa is one of my favourite places in Morocco you are always guaranteed a good range of species and some lovely scenery. We arrived at about 8am after driving from AGADIR and stopping to watch Little Owls along the way.

The walk began outside the reserve on a track that was placed some way above the river and the meadows that surround it. We started listing with a Moussier's Redstart, a male posed well for the cameras.





 

MOUSSIER'S REDSTART

Birds came thick and fast, we saw our first Stonechat of the trip, then a pair of House Buntings showed well. The hedgerows were full of warblers and another new sighting was a Reed Warbler, we also saw Zitting Cisticola  lots of Chiffchaff and several Blackcap.

Back on the walk we stopped to look for a Wryneck that was calling, it eventually showed well across the river as did another sought after species the Black-crowned Tchagra. A little further on we found Olivaceous Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Kingfisher, Laughing Dove, more Stonechats and another pair of Moussier's Redstart.


CIRL BUNTING

The Cirl Bunting is always nice to see, we had good views of them as well as House Bunting. As qe entered the reserve the farming reduced and scrubland appeared.

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LITTLE OWL - SUB-SPECIES

The bird numbers thinned out, we did see a couple of harriers fly over, one each of Montague's and Marsh. Los of Serins and Linnets buzzed around us but generally it was quiet.

 

SERIN

SERIN

Birds on the water were few and far between, a bunch of Common Coots were joined by a single Northern Pintail and few Great Cormorants flew or perched on logs.

LOOKING RIVER TO SOUSS MASSA VILLAGE

At the mouth of the river a huge sand-bar covers the exit to the sea and on it sat hundred sod gulls and terms and few waders. We listed four of the gulls seen yesterday and only Sandwich Tern. Waders included a flock of four Avocets, Sanderling, Kentish Plover and Eurasian Curlew.

SPANISH SPARROW

It was now very warm but the sea breeze kept us cool as we watched Balearic Shearwaters, Arctic Skua and Northern Gannet out at sea.

 

BLACK CROWNED TCHAGRA

We ate lunch on a terrace of a hotel overlooking the sea where we added Great Skuas to our list.

YELLOW WAGTAIL - iberiae

The rest of the afternoon was spent looking in the cultivated fields and open farmland areas near the river a little further inland. We were hoping for Plain Martin but never saw one. A huge bonus was the finding of a Black-winged Kite. This bird was roosting so we kept very quiet and got some decent pictures of, lovely.

watching the Black-winged Kite

 

We set off home a little early because everyone was very tired after our epic walk this morning, our list was now approaching 170, very good for just 8 days in the field.



HOUSE BUNTING