Morocco - March 2026

Dates: March 13-28, 2026

Leader: Brian Gibbons

E-bird

Total Species: 182 birds

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Overall Summary

Redolent orange blossoms, humid Atlantic air, bubbling tagines, a frosty morning in the High Atlas, and a sandstorm in the dunes of Erg Chebbi are some of the experiences that greeted us. Snow-capped mountains, reddish dunes, stony deserts, Souss and Massa estuaries along the Atlantic coast, then the desiccating air of the desert, and 182 species of birds filled our two weeks in Morocco. These are just a few of the memories we created in Morocco. Ossama took us from the bustling markets of Marrakech to the coast, through the mountains, to the deserts, and back again.

Souss-Massa National Park provided the largest host of species right off the bat. Resident birds lingered alongside migrants passing through on their northward journey. We saw hundreds of Eurasian Spoonbills along with sandpipers and plovers all moving north. Greater Flamingos swung their upside-down heads back and forth in the Souss River, filtering crustaceans to nourish themselves during the breeding season. Gull-billed Terns swooped over the wetlands, plucking unlucky insects. As we walked along the river in Souss-Massa National Park, we saw Ospreys overhead and the unique Black-crowned Tchagra in the scrubby woods. European Stonechat and the striking Moussier’s Redstart were also noted during our walk. We also watched a Plain Martin, bill and mouth stuffed with insects for its young, dive into a burrow on the side of a cliff. Perhaps the most unexpected sighting was when one of the local guides implored us to follow him… five minutes later there was a Red-necked Nightjar roosting for the day under a scenic overhanging rock face. Well worth one of Santi’s hats and a few Dirham!

Each evening at Riad Villa Blanche, we were treated to beautifully presented, delicious meals, followed by excellent desserts. North of Agadir, at Tamrir, we enjoyed a nifty Moroccan White Wagtail on the beach. But the spectacle of the day was watching a flock of 48 Northern Bald Ibis wheeling over the dunes, only to land right in front of us while the gloomy sky sprinkled rain upon us. The birds proceeded to wander right past us as they probed the sand for morsels. Along the coast, we admired the sleek Audouin’s Gulls alongside the hulking Yellow-legged and the more common Lesser Black-backed gulls. We enjoyed a picnic lunch above the crashing Atlantic waves and among the succulent euphorbs that reminded us of the cacti of the Southwestern US.

After amazing birding on the coast, we ventured inland, crossing the Anti-Atlas and weaving our way to Ouarzazate. Here, our desert birding started in earnest. We encountered our first Bee-eaters, both the in-transit Europeans and the newly arrived breeders, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. Along the way, we found Black Wheatears in the rocky canyons and the similar White-crowned Wheatear in the open stony deserts. By the time our birding would end, we had encountered nine species of Wheatears—all subtle beauties in their own way. Boumalne Dades gave us access to wide open plains of stony desert with scant vegetation, surrounded by rocky mountains—a gorgeous setting to pursue some of our most notable desert birds.

The Cream-colored Courser, a sleek waxwing-like shorebird relative, flew over and slinked away from us among the sparse desert plants. Wheeling overhead were the calling Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse. We were able to track the Black-bellieds down, but the Pin-tails disappeared into the vastness. Temminck’s Lark was easy to observe with its tiny “horns.” Greater Hoopoe-Lark was easy to hear but more challenging to see well; their striking hoopoe-like wings gave them away when they were skylarking. The real prize was the Thick-billed Lark, which we finally got great looks at after wandering the desert all morning. Amazingly, alongside the Thick-billed was another specialty, the Bar-tailed Lark. All morning long we enjoyed Wheatears of five species: Atlas, Desert, Western Black-eared, and Red-rumped.

Hassan has become the caretaker and guide for the nesting raptors in the area. A former shepherd, he has been guiding birders for years. He delicately lifted a large stone to reveal the camouflaged and venomous Moroccan Horned Viper’s lair. We made a few photos, then restored its roof and moved into the gorge to seek the nesting raptors. A Long-legged Buzzard was tucked into its large stick nest hanging from the cliff. Nestled along the red rock cliff was a female Pharaoh Eagle-Owl. A few feet away, a fuzzy baby was ensconced, bobbing its head like it already knew how to be an owl. Around the bend in the gorge, we found Trumpeter Finches and a Mourning Wheatear on our way to the Lanner Falcon nesting ledge. The female was hunkered down deep in her nest crevice, barely visible, as we scrambled up the slope to spy. The male gave us a nice flyby as we watched. A well-earned meal awaited at the hotel after we had walked miles in the deserts and gorges for the birds.

After enjoying the birds of the Tagdilt Track desert, we made our way further east to the dunes of the Sahara. Tracking down the sneaky Scrub Warbler before lunch, we then enjoyed another tagine lunch on the patio of a local restaurant. As we drove to the Erg Chebbi dunes, the desert whipped up winds and a sandstorm to welcome us. The next morning, winds were calm, the air clear, and eventually we heard the chatter of sandgrouse coming to a small waterhole for a drink. Mostly Crowned Sandgrouse were coming and going, and eventually we found a flock of Spotted Sandgrouse. We tracked from one great bird to the next with our small squadron of 4x4 SUVs. Next, we walked through a wadi, a desert wash with more vegetation than the surrounding sandy desert. The pale sand-colored African Desert Warbler flitted from bush to bush, only giving brief glimpses of its pallid plumage.

One of the top three bird highlights was yet to come. A local herder has been keeping tabs on the roosting Egyptian Nightjars for years. Today he had three birds in close company, and we enjoyed exceptional scope views of the master of camouflage. Another stunning desert inhabitant was the Desert Sparrow. Several of these beauties were hanging around a tented camp, eating stale bread so we could enjoy them at our leisure—surely one of the best-looking Old World sparrows. All this occurred before an excellent lunch at a nearby kasbah. After lunch, we went to an irrigated agricultural area; there, among the Salt Cedars, we found a family group of Fulvous Chatterers. Crested Larks, Bee-eaters, and warblers entertained us until we had to retreat for dinner.

We were treated to a real desert oasis the following morning. The dry lake at Dayet Srij was full! And with water in the desert, there was life: Flamingos, Ruddy Shelduck, Black-winged Stilts, and a few shorebirds. We enjoyed a near-constant procession of Western Yellow Wagtails of three subspecies, migrants that found this stopover to their liking. Sedge Warblers, Common and Iberian Chiffchaffs, and Bee-eaters were all moving through. Little Ringed Plover and Marbled Duck were spotted on the lake. Great Crested Grebes, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, and even a few Eurasian Coots had found this oasis in the desert. It had been dry for several years before refilling with winter rains a couple of years ago.

On our way back to Ouarzazate, we stopped at the stunning Rissani gate, admiring the architecture and craftsmanship of this beautiful gate. It was refreshing to watch hundreds of school-bound kids making their way to class through the gate on mopeds, bicycles, and on foot! A short drive away, we found the singing Eastern Olivaceous Warbler in its tamarisk home. Heading back west, we partially retraced our steps and then struck out on a new southern route as we birded our way to the edge of Marrakech before heading back up the High Atlas. Along the way, we found a couple of tardy Black Storks soaring overhead, making their way to Europe for the summer. As we ascended the Atlas Mountains we found another Bonelli’s Eagle, while we piled out of the van the bird gave decent looks before climbing quickly on unseen thermals. In the morning we had made a couple cultural stops, but as always we were looking for birds, even at the stunning old fortress of Ait Ben Haddu. Where we saw a distant Montagu’s Harrier winging its way north as well as European Bee-eaters calling and flying northward. As we climbed the river valley the trees got bigger and Santi knew the place to stop for Levaillant’s Woodpecker. Soon we had a pair in the scope but the male disappeared into the cavity, leaving us to admire the female as she looked around. The pass at 8000 feet was windy, cloudy and not inviting for birding so we kept driving. Down the switchback road we curved and swerved our way to an excellent tagine lunch on the roadside. After lunch we descended further, to the outer reaches of Marrakech before climbing the High Atlas Mountains on the north side.

The temperate woodlands at middle elevations have a decidedly European avifauna. Blackbirds, Blackcap, Wren, and the charming little European Robin were all accounted for in the gardens at Aurocher. We started early the next day to take advantage of the clear skies at the highest elevation we would bird. We drove up another curvy road to 8800 feet. There with crystal skies the Crimson-winged Finch cooperated. Several of these gorgeous birds were easily seen on the roadside with Rock Sparrows, Red-billed and Yellow-billed choughs swirled overhead making their toy laser gun calls. We walked through the quiet ski village observing the snow receding up the mountains, ski season was over. Walking past dozens of stone shelters we made our way to a patch of open ground to see the Atlas Horned Lark and Atlas Wheatear. Mistle Thrush and Blue Rock-Thrush brightened our walk as we made our way to a stunning overlook with snow-capped mountains all around, not the typical African view! After our walk in the mountains we returned to a tiny lodge for our well-earned treat. A simple rustic apple tart that was exquisite, crispy and crusty but soft and warm, divine. Coffee amplified our enjoyment of the mountain scene, the gorgeous blue skies, and the amazing birds we had just enjoyed. As we weaved our way down the mountain we had another stop in mind. Along the rushing rocky stream, perfect dipper habitat we spied a couple Gray Wagtails, then a White-throated Dipper ceased dipping for us to study the simple creature with extraordinary abilities. They swim, float, and crawl along the bottom of rushing streams searching for invertebrates.

We continued our descent as the clouds continued theirs. Soon the chilled air enveloped us as we searched the Atlas Cedar woodland for Coal Tits, Short-toed Treecreepers, and Common Firecrests, all were tallied before we retreated from the chill. We made a quick stop to buy some fresh bread from a woman baking in her roadside clay oven with a teapot on top. The bread was steaming hot and delicious! We descended until we found the blue skies again in the Ourika Valley. Once we wound our way to a fabulous lunch spot we enjoyed birding and a wonderful meal at the Ourika Lodge. From the deck we added Lesser Kestrel and Common Cuckoo to our list. That wrapped our major birding for the trip and we continued on to Marrakech.

We started our city tour at Menara Gardens, and Santi did it again. A distant calling Great Spotted Cuckoo was detected and soon enough flew past for our final bird of the tour. We continued our tour through the Secret Garden and finally into the maze of the souk. The highlight for me was the spice demonstration more than twenty spices from Fenugreek to saffron blended to make Ras el Hanout which many of us took home for months of enjoyment reliving our experiences in the markets. Our final dinner at Jardin de la Koutoubia was of course, tagine-centric but oh so delicious.

Thanks for traveling with VENT and I look forward to our next birding adventure…wherever in the world it is! – Brian and Santi

Day-by-Day Summary

March 15 - Marrakech to Agadir, Souss River

March 16 - Sidi-Bibi city with Little Swift, Souss Massa National Park,Sidi Wassay

March 17 - Tamri River, Timlalen, Cape Rhir, Souss River

March 18 - Agadir to Ouarzazate, Souss Valley between High Atlas and Anti-Atlas, Tazenht, Oued Bachkon river area

March 19 - Ouarzazate to Boumalne Dades, Tizg Lilan, Al Mansour Reservoir, lunch Taferdout, Imidier desert and canyon birding

March 20 - Ikniouin Road, Tagdilt Track, Dades Gorge

March 21 - Todhra Gorge, Scrub Warbler spot road to Er Rachidia, Tiejad lunch, Erfoud transit, Kasbah Tombuctuo

March 22 - Erg Chebbi Dunes, lunch Auberge Du Sud, Merzouga Orchards

March 23 - Lake Dayet Srij, Wadi hike road to Rissani, lake in evening, night dune walk

March 24 - Rissani Gate and birding, Erfoud stream birding, Kasbah Meteorite, Tamsir River birding in date field Draa, Tizin Tiniffift canyon overlook on highway, Ouarzazate

March 25 - Kasbah Tifoultoute, Ksar Ait Benhaddou, Orchards of Amerzgane, Café Resto Targa, Tizin Tichka Pass, Tichka Argan, Aurocher Hotel

March 26 - Oukaimeden Ski area, Ourika Lodge, Marrakech

March 27 - Marrakech tour, Menara Garden, Secret Garden, Souk

Wildlife Seen: 

Moroccan Spiny-tailed Lizard

Fringe-toed Lizard sp

Fringe-toed Lizard sp

Spanish Pond Turtle

North African Green Toad

Common Agama

Saharan Horned Viper

Bat sp

Atlas Gundi

Lesser Egyptian Gerbil

Gallery