This tour takes place in the triangle formed by three western Moroccan cities; Marrakesh in the north of the Atlas mountains , Agadir in the west and Goulemine in the south. Two of them lie on the Atlantic coast, far enough south to enjoy a reasonably warm winter climate. There are excellent areas, rich in bird life, holding large numbers of wintering European birds as well as an interesting resident population that includes several Moroccan specialties. Agadir lies in the westernmost part of the Atlas mountains where this huge range submerges into the Atlantic ocean . Around the city there are many different habitats; sandy and rocky seashores, scrubby estuaries, humanised valleys, solitary hidden mountains valleys, and rocky semi-desert. During the tour we will explore the best habitats for a combination of desert, mountain and coastal birds, including the best Bald Ibis colony in the world, not far from Agadir.
Itinerary
Day1: Time permitting, birding in Marrakesh will produce our first delights – birds such as House Bunting, White Stork, Pallid and Little Swift, and Sardinian Warbler – Overnight in Marrakesh .
Day 2: After breakfast we'll drive to the Atlas mountains, birding en route with several stops to look for Levaillant's Woddpecker, Hawfinch, Crossbill, Firecrest, African Blue Tit and other forest specialities. At the famous Oukaimeden ski resort, we will look for mountain specialities such as Crimson-winged Finch, Rock Sparrow, Alpine Accentor, Shore Lark, White-throated Dipper, Barbary Partridge, Red-billed Chough and Alpine Chough. Overnight in Marrakesh .
Day 3: Early in the morning we will drive south to Agadir, visiting the spectacular Atlantic beaches with good opportunities of seeing hundreds of gulls and terns. Near Tamri is a cliff-nesting colony of Bald Ibis, individuals from which can sometimes be seen feeding and drinking by the Tamri estuary. Birding here is non-stop and can include Fan-tailed Warbler, Southern Grey Shrike, the Moroccan race of White Wagtail (subpersonata), Spectacled Warbler and Barbary Falcon. We'll later visit the Paradise Valley in the rocky foothills of the High Atlas with dense slopes of cistus, evergreen oak, and juniper, where we'll search for two ‘difficult to find' raptors in Morocco; Golden and Bonelli´s Eagle. Black Wheatear, Thekla Lark, Red-rumped Swallow and Blue Rock Thrush also occur in the area. The roads here wind up through typical mountain villages where Crag Martins, wintering warblers, and species such as Crossbill and Firecrest occur. Overnight in Agadir.
Day 4: A few miles to the south of the Sous is the estuary of the River Massa. Despite the heavy rains, in 2009 and 2010, flooding large areas of the Oued Massa estuary, modifying its natural vegetation and the sandy sediments of the river bed, this Moroccan national park used to be one of the richest ornithological sites in Morocco during migration and in the winter. The deeper water here attracts many water birds, and herons, egrets and ducks are well represented, maybe including Marbled and Ferruginous Ducks, with perhaps a small flock of wintering Cranes. Depending on how cold and wet the winter has been we could see almost anything, including residents such us that little jewel, Moussier's Redstart, the rare Plain Martin, Black-crowned Tchagra and Bald Ibis, plus Spotless Starling, House Bunting, Laughing Dove, Hoopoe and Spanish Sparrow. Migrants can include Iberian Chiffchaff, Isabelline (formerly Western Olivaceous) Warbler, Squacco Heron and Woodchat Shrike. The sandy desert nearby can produce Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew, Thekla Lark and Lesser Short-toed Lark. Later we will drive to Goulemine and overnight there.
Day 5: Early in the morning we will drive south, beyond Goulemine, on the edge of the huge Sahara Desert . We may stop en route for a roadside Desert Lark and Black Wheatear, but we'll search for other representatives of those two families – Temminck's, Horned, Thick-billed, Lesser Short-toed, Bar-tailed Desert and Hoopoe Larks, plus Desert, Red-rumped, and White-crowned Black Wheatears - in the deserts south of the town. Lanner, Barbary Falcon, Trumpeter Finch, Cream-coloured Courser, Fulvous Babbler and the delightful Streaked Scrub Warbler are also possibilities. We'll then drive back to Agadir, birding en route. Overnight in Agadir.
Day 6: Early morning we will visit the nearby estuary of the Oued Sous, frequented by large flocks of waders, gulls and terns. There are usually small flocks of Greater Flamingos and Spoonbills, with a few White Storks present too. Gulls can include Mediterranean and Audouin's. Around the edge of the estuary we'll see Sardinian Warbler, Common Bulbul, Moussier's Redstart, Black Crowned Tchagra, Barbary Partridge. Drive to Agadir airport to take your Flight home.
Birding in the Atlantic coast 
