Trip Report: Morocco (2025-02-18 - 2025-03-01)
Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
Oukaimeden Lake
Bourmalne Dades Cliffs
Agidir Camels
Morocco Scenery
Merzouga Coffee Stand
Merzouga Oasis
Volubilis
Sand Dunes
Morocco Road
Sand Dunes and Tree
Bourmalne Dades Gorge
Oukaimeden Goat Herding Village
Marrakesh
Marrakesh
Marrakesh by Barbara
Oukaimeden Snowman
Source of Esskhounate
Tizy N' Test Pass
Tizy N' Test Pass
Tangier Slippers
Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) - Male
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus)
Temminck's Lark (Eremophila bilopha)
Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius)
Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) - Female
Red-rumped Wheatear (Oenanthe moesta) - Male
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Desert White (Pontia glauconome)
Moroccan Hairstreak (Tomares mauritanicus)
Levaillant's Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii)
Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica)
African Chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys) - Male
Dumeril's Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus dumerilii)
Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
Maghreb Owl (Strix mauritanica)
Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
Striped Hawkmoth (Hyles livornica)
White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) - Atlas
Tristram's Warbler (Curruca deserticola)
African Desert Warbler (Curruca deserti)
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Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
Oukaimeden Lake
Bourmalne Dades Cliffs
Agidir Camels
Morocco Scenery
Merzouga Coffee Stand
Merzouga Oasis
Volubilis
Sand Dunes
Morocco Road
Sand Dunes and Tree
Bourmalne Dades Gorge
Oukaimeden Goat Herding Village
Marrakesh
Marrakesh
Marrakesh by Barbara
Oukaimeden Snowman
Source of Esskhounate
Tizy N' Test Pass
Tizy N' Test Pass
Tangier Slippers
Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) - Male
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus)
Temminck's Lark (Eremophila bilopha)
Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius)
Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey)
Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros) - Female
Red-rumped Wheatear (Oenanthe moesta) - Male
Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
Desert White (Pontia glauconome)
Moroccan Hairstreak (Tomares mauritanicus)
Levaillant's Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii)
Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica)
African Chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys) - Male
Dumeril's Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus dumerilii)
Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes)
Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
Maghreb Owl (Strix mauritanica)
Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
Striped Hawkmoth (Hyles livornica)
White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) - Atlas
Tristram's Warbler (Curruca deserticola)
African Desert Warbler (Curruca deserti)
A trip to Morocco where we started in Marrakesh, drove around in the Sahara, continued to Fes, and finally took the ferry from Tangier to Tarifa, Spain.
Sites Visited
Species Seen
Kingdom: Animals (179 records)
Phylum: Arthropods
(11 records)
Class: Insects
(11 records)
- Order: Bees, Wasps, and Ants
(2 records)
- Family: Ants
- Bicolor Group Sahara Ants (Cataglyphis sp)
- Family: Thread-waisted Wasps
- Thread-waisted Wasp (Sphecidae sp)
- Order: Beetles
(2 records)
- Family: Darkling Beetles
- Darkling Beetle (Pimelia fairmairii)
- Family: Tiger Beetles
- Littoral Tiger Beetle (Calomera littoralis)
- Order: Butterflies and Moths
(6 records)
- Family: Crambid Snout Moths
- Crambid Snout Moth (Cornifrons ulceratalis)
- Family: Cutworm Moths and Allies
- The Bordered Straw (Heliothis peltigera)
- Family: Gossamer-winged Butterflies
- Moroccan Hairstreak (Tomares mauritanicus)
- Family: Sphinx Moths
- Striped Hawkmoth (Hyles livornica)
- Family: Whites, Yellows, and Sulphurs
- Desert White (Pontia glauconome)
- Greenish Black-Tip (Elphinstonia charlonia)
- Order: Grasshoppers, Katydids and Crickets
(1 record)
- Family: Shieldback Locusts
- Toadhopper (Batrachotetrix sp)
Phylum: Chordates
(168 records)
Class: Birds
(163 records)
- Order: Anseriformes
(10 records)
- Family: Swans, Geese, and Ducks
- Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea)
- Common Shelduck (Tadorna tadorna)
- Gadwall (Mareca strepera)
- Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)
- Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
- Blue-winged Teal (Spatula discors)
- Northern Shoveler (Spatula clypeata)
- Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
- Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
- Common Pochard (Aythya ferina)
- Order: Boobies
(1 record)
- Family: Boobies and Gannets
- Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus)
- Order: Bucerotiformes
(1 record)
- Family: Hoopoes
- Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)
- Order: Cranes, Rails, and Allies
(3 records)
- Family: Rails, Gallinules, and Allies
- Eurasian Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)
- Red-knobbed Coot (Fulica cristata)
- Eurasian Coot (Fulica atra)
- Order: Doves and Pigeons (3 records)
- Order: Hawks, Eagles, Kites, and Allies (7 records)
- Family: Osprey
- Osprey (Pandion haliaetus)
- Order: Hummingbirds and Swifts (3 records)
- Order: Owls And Nightjars
(4 records)
- Family: Nighthawks and Nightjars
- Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius)
- Family: Typical Owls
- Pharaoh Eagle-Owl (Bubo ascalaphus)
- Little Owl (Athene noctua)
- Maghreb Owl (Strix mauritanica)
- Order: Pelicans
(34 records)
- Family: Cormorants
- Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)
- Family: Falcons and Caracaras
- Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni)
- Eurasian Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)
- Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus)
- Family: Flamingos
- Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
- Family: Grebes
- Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
- Family: Herons
- Little Egret (Egretta garzetta)
- Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea)
- Great Egret (Ardea alba)
- Western Cattle Egret (Ardea ibis)
- Family: Ibises and Spoonbills
- Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus)
- Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
- Eurasian Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia)
- Family: Oystercatchers
- Eurasian Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)
- Family: Sandgrouse
- Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis)
- Crowned Sandgrouse (Pterocles coronatus)
- Family: Sandpipers and Allies
- Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
- Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa)
- Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica)
- Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)
- Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)
- Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)
- Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
- Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)
- Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
- Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
- Ruddy Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
- Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
- Sanderling (Calidris alba)
- Little Stint (Calidris minuta)
- Dunlin (Calidris alpina)
- Ruff (Calidris pugnax)
- Family: Stilts and Avocets
- Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
- Family: Storks
- White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)
- Order: Perching Birds
(78 records)
- Family: Bulbuls
- Common Bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)
- Family: Bush Warblers and Allies
- Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)
- Family: Cardueline Finches and Allies
- Crimson-winged Finch (Rhodopechys sanguineus)
- European Serin (Serinus serinus)
- European Greenfinch (Chloris chloris)
- Eurasian Siskin (Spinus spinus)
- European Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis)
- Eurasian Linnet (Linaria cannabina)
- Trumpeter Finch (Bucanetes githagineus)
- Red Crossbill (Loxia curvirostra)
- Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)
- African Chaffinch (Fringilla spodiogenys)
- Family: Chickadees and Titmice
- Coal Tit (Periparus ater)
- Great Tit (Parus major)
- African Blue Tit (Cyanistes teneriffae)
- Family: Jays and Crows
- Eurasian Jay (Garrulus glandarius)
- Red-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
- Yellow-billed Chough (Pyrrhocorax graculus)
- Eurasian Jackdaw (Coloeus monedula)
- Brown-necked Raven (Corvus ruficollis)
- Common Raven (Corvus corax)
- Black-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra senegalus)
- Maghreb Magpie (Pica mauritanica)
- Family: Larks
- Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura)
- Desert Lark (Ammomanes deserti)
- Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes)
- Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey)
- Greater Short-toed Lark (Calandrella brachydactyla)
- Mediterranean Short-toed Lark (Alaudala rufescens)
- Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)
- Thekla's Lark (Galerida theklae)
- Wood Lark (Lullula arborea)
- Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis)
- Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris)
- Temminck's Lark (Eremophila bilopha)
- Family: Laughingthrushes
- Fulvous Chatterer (Argya fulva)
- Family: Leaf Warblers
- Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus)
- Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)
- Family: Nuthatches
- Eurasian Nuthatch (Sitta europaea)
- Family: Old World Buntings
- Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
- House Bunting (Emberiza sahari)
- Corn Bunting (Emberiza calandra)
- Family: Old World Flycatchers
- White-crowned Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga)
- Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura)
- Mourning Wheatear (Oenanthe lugens)
- Red-rumped Wheatear (Oenanthe moesta)
- Western Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica)
- Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)
- European Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola)
- Family: Old World Sparrows
- House Sparrow (Passer domesticus)
- Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)
- Desert Sparrow (Passer simplex)
- Rock Sparrow (Petronia petronia)
- Family: Old World Warblers and Gnatcatchers
- Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
- African Desert Warbler (Curruca deserti)
- Sardinian Warbler (Curruca melanocephala)
- Spectacled Warbler (Curruca conspicillata)
- Tristram's Warbler (Curruca deserticola)
- Family: Prinias and Apalis
- Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis)
- Streaked Scrub-Warbler (Scotocerca inquieta)
- Family: Starlings and Mynas
- European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
- Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
- Family: Swallows
- Plain Martin (Riparia paludicola)
- Eurasian Crag-Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
- Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica)
- European Red-rumped Swallow (Cecropis rufula)
- Family: Thrushes and Allies
- Blue Rock-Thrush (Monticola solitarius)
- Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula)
- Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos)
- Mistle Thrush (Turdus viscivorus)
- Common Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos)
- Black Redstart (Phoenicurus ochruros)
- Moussier's Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)
- Family: Wagtails and Pipits
- White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
- Gray Wagtail (Motacilla cinerea)
- Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis)
- Order: Shorebirds and Allies
(15 records)
- Family: Auks, Murres, Guillemots, and Puffins
- Razorbill (Alca torda)
- Family: Gulls, Terns, and Skimmers
- Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)
- Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
- Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)
- Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei)
- Mediterranean Gull (Ichthyaetus melanocephalus)
- Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)
- Black Tern (Chlidonias niger)
- Yellow-legged Gull (Larus michahellis)
- Family: Plovers
- Pied Avocet (Recurvirostra avosetta)
- Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
- Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula)
- Little Ringed Plover (Thinornis dubius)
- Kentish Plover (Anarhynchus alexandrinus)
- Family: Thick-knees
- Eurasian Thick-knee (Burhinus oedicnemus)
- Order: Turkey-like birds
(1 record)
- Family: Grouse, Turkeys, and Allies
- Barbary Partridge (Alectoris barbara)
- Order: Woodpeckers, Barbets, Toucans, and Honeyguides
(3 records)
- Family: Piculets and Woodpeckers
- Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla)
- Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopos major)
- Levaillant's Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii)
Class: Mammals
(1 record)
- Order: Primates
(1 record)
- Family: Old World Monkeys
- Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus)
Class: Reptiles
(4 records)
- Order: Lizards and Snakes
(3 records)
- Family: Vipers and Pit Vipers
- Desert Horned Viper (Cerastes cerastes)
- Family: Wall Lizards
- Bosc's Fringe-toed Lizard (Acanthodactylus boskianus)
- Dumeril's Fringe-fingered Lizard (Acanthodactylus dumerilii)
- Order: Turtles
(1 record)
- Family: Tortoise
- Mediterranean Turtle (Mauremys leprosa)