FROM THE ANTI-ATLAS TO THE ATLANTIC:AN ATLAS WHEATEAR TRIUMPH-DAY 9

After yesterday’s epic adventures and a magical night in a Moroccan castle, today had big shoes to fill as we wrapped up our journey west toward the Atlantic coast.

Before breakfast, we hiked to the top of a nearby hill to watch the sunrise wash over the Anti-Atlas. 

A lone Black Stork glided lazily across the valley at dawn, while a Short-toed Eagle lifted off from its overnight roost in a nearby tree. Two Barbary Partridges scurried across the hillside, and five male Northern Wheatears had clearly arrived overnight as fresh migrants. Sadly, there was still no sign of the elusive Atlas Wheatear, the one real speciality missing from our list after seven days of searching. Time was ticking.

Following what the team unanimously voted the best breakfast of the trip so far, fresh pastries, excellent coffee, and local honey, we headed out for the day’s birding. Our first stop was a serene little lake in the middle of nowhere.

It quickly produced a few welcome trip ticks: a handsome drake Northern Pintail, two Common Teal, and a skulking migrant Sedge Warbler working the reeds. A majestic Osprey plunged dramatically into the water but surfaced empty-taloned. At the same time, a Tree Pipit and flocks of hirundines and Phylloscopus warblers hinted at the site’s importance as a migration stopover. Black-eared Wheatear, Spectacled Warbler, and Trumpeter Finch kicked off the morning in style, and we even spotted a couple of terrapins sunning themselves, an identification challenge we’re still debating.

A two-hour drive through the rugged Anti-Atlas mountains followed, with everyone scanning every boulder and crag in the hope of finding that phantom wheatear. No luck… until we pulled over for a quick coffee break. As we stepped out of the van, a single wheatear zipped across the road and landed on an upside-down red Coca-Cola crate. “Atlas Wheatear!” came the excited shout, and chaos instantly followed. Everyone piled out of the van, one team member even snapping his glasses in the frenzy. Fortunately, the bird cooperated beautifully.

(c)Owen Parsons

(c) Jack Pettit

Atlas Wheatear

(c)Dennis Morrison

This near-mythical species, formerly known as Seebohm’s Wheatear, posed obligingly for the next half hour, giving us outstanding views and plenty of photos. Success at last! We celebrated with steaming saffron tea before continuing our journey west.

Yes, it was found perched on here

After a delicious lunch among the Anti-Atlas peaks, we stopped to stretch our legs in an olive grove.

Our guide, Hamid, was determined to track down a Western Orphean Warbler. The grove quickly produced a pair of dazzling Moussier’s Redstarts and a striking male Common Redstart. Then, right on cue, a male Western Orphean Warbler burst into song nearby. After a brief game of hide-and-seek through the branches, we were rewarded with fantastic close views of this chunky Mediterranean warbler. 

(c) Jack Pettit

Western Orphean Warbler

(c)Dennis Morrison

As a bonus, a Moroccan Spur-thighed Tortoise lumbered through the undergrowth, a wonderful non-avian addition to the day’s sightings.

Moroccan Spur-thighed Tortoise

(c)Owen Parsons

By evening, we rolled into Agadir, the Atlantic breeze a welcome change after the mountains.

Just half an hour before dusk, we watched thousands of gulls streaming north offshore, joined by 60 elegant Greater Flamingos and a dozen stately Great White Egrets heading toward their evening roosts. 

Greater Flamingo

As we closed out the day over a round of well-earned beers, a Stone Curlew flew overhead, its haunting call echoing through the twilight, an atmospheric reminder that tomorrow’s coastal birding promises even more excitement.