HERE WE GO AGAIN.....2

 So our 2nd Turkiye tour did eventually give us Bimaculated Lark, a rather wary individual near Demirkazik that was present in a typically rock-strewn field. 

Bimaculated Lark 

The Blue-cheeked Bee-eater colony was again superb, and the site was also enhanced by a small colony of Dead Sea Sparrows as well. 

Dead Sea Sparrow perched above its untidy nest

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Meanwhile the Long-eared Owl we found on the first tour in Birecik Park showed much better and the resident Pallid Scops Owl was also very obliging. 

Long-eared Owl in Birecik Park

Pallid Scops Owl

I really love this tour, as much for the great views of most species and one in particular from this tour stands out in my mind - Savi's Warbler. At Sultan Sazligi Marshes this is a common species and this bird was very bold....

Savi's Warbler doing the splits....

Another really showy bird was this Ruppell's Warbler...

Ruppell's Warbler isn't a rare species, but it's just downright cool..!

This White-throated Kingfisher was also very much appreciated as we explored the Adana Delta....

White-throated Kingfisher 

And the final new bird of this great tour was a cracking Eurasian Penduline Tit....

Eurasian Penduline Tit

And that's a wrap. So from here I flew back to Istanbul and caught a flight to Atyrau in West Kazakhstan where I had a few days before the tour started to check out a few areas....

Here We Go Again...

 Well, I can't believe it's been so long since my last post from Morocco...! Since then i've done 2 back-to-back tours in Türkiye, followed by West Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, back to Türkiye for Brown Fish Owl and another successful Egypt tour. And now i'm heading off to Oman for a 6 week visit..! My whole summer was spent in Plymouth with my terminally sick brother who sadly passed away very recently, so life has been on hold since July. It's weird how things like this makes one re-evaluate priorities and i've done a lot of thinking (and overthinking) about everything. But without my long-suffering wife who has been my rock and my obsession with birding, I could have very well ended up in a really bad place. Birding brings me calm, birding brings me focus, and birding keeps my feet firmly on the ground. As you know, I run a birding holiday business and I am into my 17th year of Zoothera Birding, which I run with Lynzi who takes care of all the 'boring' stuff (or most important stuff...) such as running the office, invoices, etc etc. So I am extremely lucky to be able to spend the majority of my life focussing on birding. But it's not without certain worries, such as 'will people book?' Or troubles arranging new tours, such as my continued frustrations trying to get a Colombia tour organised with a local guide. There's also the long hours in the office, and quite often i'm working long into the night preparing for a tour or checking logistics. Is it worth it though? Absolutely, and I wouldn't want to do anything else. 

So these days i'm primarily doing Western Palearctic tours and heavily involved in the Oman birding scene. It's a whole new ball game from the long haul and 'tough' tours i'd become used to. My personal Life List is stagnating somewhere between 7,500 and 7,700 and it's not really a priority any more. I'm loving the WP stuff and getting a bunch of new clients who are super keen, super knowledgeable, great fun and utterly nuts tbh! It's great. I'm loving birding more than ever and think I really appreciate even more the privileged position I have. 

So back to the birds. Rather than just do the normal diary thing I always do, I think I might just post a few photos of some of the highlights from the spring. I want to do a daily update from Oman, as much as that is possible so this is the best way to catch up. 

Let's begin with Türkiye 1....

We saw all the usual great birds but this trip being a little earlier than previous ones we've done scored a few more migrants, but also we visited a new place near the Gocsu Delta and enjoyed several magnificent Olive-tree Warblers. 

Olive -tree Warbler

Over these past few years Red-wattled Lapwings and Yellow-throated Sparrows have become easier to see and don't take too much finding now, compared to even just a few years ago. Both are very much big Western Palearctic ticks for a lot of people...

Red-wattled Lapwing

Yellow-throated Sparrow

And, of course, Iraq Babbler is now a regular sighting around Birecik. They are quite easy to see in the reedbeds bordering the Euphrates River, and are really inquisitive to any sort of squeaking!

Iraq Babbler

Of course you always think about the ones that got away, and on this first trip I just couldn't find Bimaculated Lark anywhere.... And so on to the next story........

IFRANE & THE MIDDLE ATLAS AT LAST!

We left Rabat and drove for 2.5 hours towards Ifrane after breakfast, and as we neared our destination we passed a small flock of 5 Lesser Kestrels perched on telegraph wires. Then as we crossed some rocky hills, we stopped when a fine looking male Atlas Wheatear was spotted close to the road. Out we jumped and enjoyed a lengthy session watching a pair of these striking looking birds. 

Atlas Wheatear

Continuing on, we reached a nice patch of forest and spent a truly enjoyable couple of hours following a trail through open woodland and notched up a number of new trip ticks. Around the bushes at the edge of the forest were several singing Melodious Warblers, along with a superb Western Subalpine Warbler and best of all, a cracking male Moussier’s Redstart. Wow! in fact we saw plenty of these superb redstarts but never had the chance to get a decent photo. Inside the forest we were looking for Atlas Flycatcher but never had a sniff of one, although a fine Levaillant’s Woodpecker provided some distraction, and our first Long-legged (Atlas) Buzzard was also much appreciated by all. With African Chaffinches and African Blue Tits also present and seen repeatedly, it was certainly a great session. 

Atlas Flycatcher

After lunch at a nearby restaurant we spent the next few hours in a different patch of forest, and this one had plenty of dead trees and more Oak present. This was obviously conducive to Atlas Flycatcher as we saw many here and spent quite a long time watching them, noting the males large white forehead patch and extensive white on the wings. We also saw a few more Levaillant’s Woodpeckers, as well as Common Redstart, 4 Common Rollers, a Firecrest, Eurasian Nuthatch and more African Blue Tits & Chaffinches. We even tracked down a calling Maghreb (Tawny) Owl at its day roost on top of a broken tree.

Maghreb Owl

Our isolated and really lovely Pension wasn’t far away and once we had checked in we had a walk around the nearby scrub and farmland notching up a fine selection of species, with Hawfinches being the pick of the bunch. But numerous singing Common Nightingales provided a perfect backdrop to some more Melodious Warblers, and both Corn & Cirl Buntings.

Melodious Warbler

Western Subalpine Warbler

Our last morning was spent revisiting the same areas as yesterday. So we had a 7.30am breakfast and then headed up to the hills where we wanted to see Atlas Wheatear again, which we did. In fact there were maybe 4 pairs in the same area as yesterday, when we only saw one pair in the late morning yesterday! As we spread out across the hillside, an extremely confiding male Moussier’s Redstart gave superlative photo opportunities for everyone and we could truly appreciate each and every feather as it posed beautifully, even singing on occasion. There was also at least 3 males and a female Spectacled Warbler found nearby, and we also had Booted Eagle, Atlas Long-legged Buzzard and numerous Northern Ravens flying over.

Moussier's Redstart

Spectacled Warbler

After a nice relaxed couple of hours here, we dropped down into the nearby forest where some of the group went off in a successful search for yesterday’s Western Orphean Warbler. Some better views of Western Subalpine Warbler were also wanted and a male duly obliged, although proved to be tricky for photos as he decided to sing right from the top of a conifer, some 30 feet above us! Numerous Melodious Warblers were perched out singing from surrounding bushes, African Chaffinches were around and more African Blue Tits were seen. And that was basically our lot. 

Atlas Wheatear

We headed back to the hotel to shower and pack and then drove up to Fez Airport for our flight back to the UK and conclusion of a very successful tour.

MOROCCO: THE ZAERS - LAC de SIDI BOURHABA - MERJA ZERGA

Shortly after 5am we were driving along quiet roads towards an area known as The Zaers, on our quest for another tricky WP species – Double-spurred Spurfowl. An hour later we were walking amidst an area of rolling hills covered in scrub, where both Short-toed and Booted Eagles were seen. It was pretty cool this early and not much was calling, apart from numerous Common Nightingales and several European Turtle Doves. Our first African Chaffinches and African Blue Tits were largely ignored as we were single-minded in our pursuit of the spurfowl. Eventually one began calling, and then another but both were in areas where we had no chance of spotting them. So we walked further and came to a viewpoint where there were a couple of wide tracks and open areas. Sure enough, a pair were first found by Ian quite distantly but perfectly decent views through the powerful Swarovski scope were enjoyed by everyone and the pressure was off. We could hear another bird calling close by, but again on a dense brush-covered slope. Fortunately another spurfowl appeared on the track below us a short while later, again giving decent scope views. A Barbary Partridge appeared a couple of times as well whilst we scanned, but after around an hour and a half as the weather became warmer it was apparent we weren’t going to get any better views so walked back to the car.

White-headed Ducks

Following a really nice breakfast in a town we headed to Lac de Sidi Bourhaba, one of the famous sites in Morocco, where we spent a pleasant hour watching 65+ White-headed Ducks, along with numerous Red-crested & Common Pochards, Ferruginous Ducks, along with several Marbled Ducks and Red-knobbed Coots. Both Booted Eagles and Black Kites showed overhead as well in the clear blue skies.

Marbled Ducks

Red-knobbed Coot

From here we drove further north along the coast to probably the most famous birding site in the whole country – Merja Zerga. We picked up a local man who took us through the strawberry farms and out into the marsh where Marsh Owl was our next quarry. 

Marsh Owl - Western Palearctic royalty!!!

Sure enough it didn’t take long for us to get a couple of flybys from an adult bird and we thoroughly enjoyed getting stunning views without having to work too hard (for a change)!

MOROCCO - THE BIG BUTTONQUAIL HUNT

Well this was it. THE DAY. Our date with destiny and search for one of the Holy Grail birds of the WP…. Small Buttonquail. Getting here at first light gave us our best shot at nailing it….. To cut a long and very tedious story very short, after a combined total of 12 + hours spent over 2 days, we had a 6 second flight view of a bird that had been calling repeatedly in a hay field as it shot out and flew away. 

Now that really undermines our magnificent effort, stamina and sheer tenaciousness for sticking it out. We had checked field after field without hearing any buttonquails, although it was rather amazing to hear so many Common Quails calling. They were practically in every field! So we decided to try the wheat field where we had the calling buttonquail yesterday and staked it out. Hassan had employed the local farmer who owned the field and we stood in a track in the middle of the field, frustratingly having the buttonquail calling from various spots in the field, sometimes seemingly quite close. We waited and waited and some of us had given up. It was 11am, hot, we were all tired and rather bored to be honest. I had literally just said that maybe we should give it up and leave but I’m nothing if not stubborn and Hassan also wanted to give it one last try. So I beckoned everyone to get together for one last attempt and with the farmer’s permission we walked back up the field and suddenly the bird was calling right in front of us. All of a sudden it shot up out of the field and veered left and into dense cover, allowing everyone a decent flight view, revealing its pale flight feathers and small size. YES! We had done it and seen one of the Western Palearctics most wanted, rarest, hardest to see species! I cannot describe the elation and I think a few of the guys were a little stunned that we’d only gone and done it!

 After a lovely cup of coffee we headed off to our next hotel in Rabat, about 3 hours away.

Moving on to Northern Morocco

We had a late breakfast before going to look for an Eurasian Wryneck that Steve & Andy had found earlier, but for most of us it was just a voice in the distance. However, a Common Whitethroat was a trip tick and we saw a few more Cirl Buntings before heading off towards Bastia. At Etang de Biguglia we spent a little time scanning the area and enjoyed seeing 8 European Honey Buzzards flying high overhead and heading north, plus we had Zitting Cisticola and a singing Sedge Warbler. Driving around this huge complex to get to the airport we passed a small beach where an Audouin’s Gull was found and was the last new bird for our visit to Corsica. The rest of the afternoon and evening was spent flying to Marseille and then on to Casablanca, where we reached our hotel shortly before 11pm.

Spotless Starling

After a late breakfast we left the hotel with our guide, Hassan and headed south-west towards the buttonquail site. We spent the morning looking for Small Buttonquail, hearing one call distantly but all too briefly. We did pick up many Spotless Starlings, Great Grey Shrike, a bunch of common shorebirds on some lagoons, but a group of Audouin’s Gulls were very nice, and a posing Little Owl was also cool. After lunch in the nearby village we drove to our next hotel in El Jadida for a rest as it was really hot and bird activity was low.

In the early evening we returned to Sidi Abed and had another buttonquail calling, this time much closer but in a wheat field with no chance of seeing it. How frustrating! We did have an Eurasian Golden Oriole flying over, along with another group of Audouin’s Gulls, but not a lot else.

CORSICA DAYS 3 - 5

We had a walk around the grounds before breakfast, seeing a brief Moltoni’s Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Eurasian Hoopoe, Italian Sparrow & Cirl Bunting. After breakfast we drove up into the mountains to a different area in the forlorn hope of seeing Lammergeier. Sadly nothing doing with the big bird, however we managed excellent views of Corsican Finch, with a pair feeding right beside the road and the male literally filling the view in the scope. 

The scope views were much better than this photo shows - Corsican Finch

We also had a pair of Golden Eagles, Common Cuckoo, Northern Ravens, very distant Alpine Choughs, and a superb sighting of a singing Marmora’s Warbler right in front of us. We also enjoyed further Corsican Finch sightings later in the morning as well. We then drove to the rather picturesque Gorges de la Restonica and saw another pair of Golden Eagles, had the most bold Firecrest imaginable, along with a fantastic experience watching a White-throated Dipper repeatedly bringing food to its nest somewhere below us. Watching it going underwater in the crystal clear mountain river and finding food was incredible.

A Firecrest - everybody loves them....

Marmora's Warbler

I always like to try and incorporate some habitat around the birds I photograph. Well, that's my excuse as I don't try and get too close to the bird.....! And to be honest, i generally don't put too much effort into getting a shot. But i've upgraded to a new camera setup and it really is making it easier to get better shots now. I'm using Nikon Z8 with a Nikon Z 600mm pf lens, thanks to a suggestion from my friend Eduard Sangster.

The following morning we had a rare 8 o’clock breakfast being something of a luxury on a birding tour and nothing planned before this, some of the group checked out the local area and found 3 Whinchats had dropped in overnight, and a Corsican finch was also seen. We headed 20 minutes drive down to the coast and checked out various lakes for most of the day and added some padders to our list. Nothing special really but birding to the backdrop of numerous Common Nightingales and Cetti’s Warblers is really something special…! We added Common Shelduck, Red-crested Pochard, Mute Swan, Mediterranean Shag, Stone-Curlew, Common Tern, and a heard only Common Reed Warbler to our list. We also spent some time trying to get a few photos of a large flock of European Bee-eaters perched on telegraph wires close to the road. As well as enjoying a fine lunch in a local restaurant before heading back to our cabins, where there were now 8 Whinchats and a pair of Corsican Finches, plus a Moltoni’s Warbler seen in a light drizzle. After a fine evening meal we finally made a successful attempt at seeing the noisy Eurasian Scops Owl before the heavens opened and we hit the sack!

Moltoni's Warbler

We headed up to the Vallee d’Asco with the main aim of finding a Lammergeier, after our previous failed attempt. Only just over an hour’s drive from our cabins we were soon driving through an impressive gorge on our way ever higher to a ski resort. At the first stop we had some incredible luck with a very confiding Moltoni’s warbler giving us our best views so far – and the previous ones weren’t too bad either! Over the course of the rest of the day we scanned from various vantage points, looking up at ever impressive craggy peaks for Lammergeier, interspersed with a couple of stops for coffee at the ski resort – well it was pretty chilly here! We drove lower down at one stage and had further views of an aggressive Corsican Nuthatch, whilst back up higher we came across a small group of 4 Corsican Finches feedig on the ground and later calling away from the conifers next to the car park. Eventually we picked up a Lammergeier soaring across a ridge above us, and relief all round. It was a lifer for one of the group and reason enough to have a few beers this evening with our dinner.