ALL DAY TRANSFER TO TALIOUINE WITH STOPS AT ALNIF AND TAZENAKHT
WEATHER; We had a huge thunderstorm and a very heavy rain-storm at 5am then a clearer sky as we went further west. Sunshine from 1pm.
I have never witnessed so much rain in the Sahara Desert before, we got up to find huge pools of water all over the desert floor, some of the tracks were mud-baths.The rain had stopped but the flooding continued, the roads were flooded in parts and every river and stream was overflowing.
We made our first stop just before we reached the tarmac on the Merzouga road, a falcon sat on top of a pylon, using bins only we identified it as a Lanner Falcon, when it flew off the identity was confirmed.
Just beyond Rissani on the Alnif road we stopped to search a cliff face for more falcon activity and the stoney plains for sandgrouse, none of them turned up, so we moved on.
Ourt first official stop was at a café just east of Alnif, we walked the gardens and found a few species: Common and Moussier’s Redstarts, Trumpeter Finch, House Bunting, Crested Lark and a few barn Swallows.
We were diverted at Alnif because on the west side of town the road was flooded, the diversion took us around the south side of town and back to our route. More flooded areas slowed us down quite a lot, we bought lunch supplies and stopped to eat on the road to Agdz.
From a high point in a roadside lay-by we had good views of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Subalpine and Bonelli’s Warblers, Great Grey and Woodchat Shrikes and more Swallows. Just east of Agdz we stopped again and found European Bee-eaters, Laughing Doves, Barbary Partridges and more warblers.
The roads seemed drier as we travelled further westward and the floods were less frequent, rivers were flowing where I have never seen water before. Next week is going to be a wild flower extravaganza all over central Morocco.
At one point we
We were in and out of the bus all day but the distant and time soon flew by and it didn’t seem too bad, there was always the extraordinary and fascinating scenery to look at. It was 5pm when we stopped at the desert plains just west of Tazenakht. We took a walk as the sunshine began to wane, nothing of any great interest turned up, until Claire found a Scorpion, then another and another. From then onwards, I think more eyes were on the ground than on the horizon looking for birds.
We did find four Cream-coloured Coursers, quite distant, but with a little stealthy walking we got fairly close to them, good enough for photographers I think.
It was nearly dark when we arrived at Taliouine where our stop-over hotel was situated, it was almost dark and no-one went out birding.