TRANSFER FROM TALIOUINE TO AGADIR - WITH STOPS AT AOULOUZ GORGE – SOUS VALLEY – OUED SOUS ESTUARY
WEATHER; cloudy, misty and drizzling rain to start. Brighter later and much warmer at the coast.
After a slow start we had an epic birding day today, we saw literally thousands of birds ranging from migrating raptors to large flocks of waders on the estuary shoreline at Oued Sous.
After our 7am breakfast we assembled by the bus to load up the luggage, a Levaillant’s Woodpecker called in the distance and a Golden Oriole called several times from the nearby woods. We also noted: African Chaffinch, Cirl Bunting and Common Bulbul before we boarded the bus and left the area.
70km down the road we pulled over to a regular site on this tour, the Aoulouz Gorge, I have seen many a good bird in this gorge over the years. A fair amount of water was flowing in the river, too much perhaps! Not enough muddy fringes around pools could be seen or at the base of the reedbeds.
We saw a few birds and heard a lot more. Sedge Warblers, Blackcaps, a single Little Bittern and four different species of raptors – Peregrine Falcon (a pair), Long-legged Buzzard, Common Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk. We heard Black-crowned Tchagra, Common Nightingale, Olivaceous Warbler and Common Moorhen without seeing any of them.
this very distant raptor sat on top of the gorge. It had us confused at first, but we decided on it being a juvenile Long-legged Buzzard
Our next stop was much more productive and quite exciting, we pulled over at the head of te Sous Valley where wide open terrain had scattered bushes and Argan Trees, some cultivated areas ad hedges of pine trees. We searched for Black-winged Kite, but found Cirl Bunting, Corn Bunting, Spanish Sparrow, Turtle Dove, Sardinian Warbler, Serin, Greenfinch, Crested Lark and four Montagu’s Harriers.
The dull, low cloud began to clear a little and as it did so, Black Kites began to appear – in their hundreds and then thousands!! Huge swirling clouds of Kites, spiralled upwards and disappeared into the clouds. We watched many of these ‘kettles’ it was amazing.
Black Kites appeared in flocks of 100+ there must have been 2-3000 of them in the 30 minute passage
In the meantime Matts, found the Black-winged Kite, it perche not far from us and stayed for about 30 minutes in one tree before flying off, wowza! That was special.
a record of the Black-winged Kite found by Matts
More raptors appeared, as Short-toed Eagle, Booted Eagle and Montagu’s Harrier joined the mass of Black Kites, even a small flock of Lesser Kestrels flew over. The Kites were still forming large ‘Kettles’ as we left.
We stopped for a coffee and to buy lunch which we ate on the bus as we travelled non-stop to Agadir. Our destination was the huge estuary of the River Sous, we arrived around 3pm.
The tide was receding as we walked to the river across a heathland, we note Zitting Cisticola, Sardinian Warbler, Magreb Magpie, Crested larks and lot of Wood Pigeon. A distant White Stork’s nest had a pair in attendance and an Osprey sat on a pylon eating a fish.
Eurasian Spoonbills being photo-bombed by a Greater Flamingo
more Flamingos join in with a few Grey Plover
We collected a nice list of species during this first period at the river, Eurasian Spoonbills, Greater Flamingo’s, Avocets, Black-winged stilts, Grey Heron, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns and both Ruddy and Common Shelducks.
Waders included Redshank, Greenshank, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover and Black-tailed Godwits. As we crossed the heath toward the river mouth we put up a couple of Stone Curlews! Paul then found a third one on the ground, this bird let us approach and gave excellent views!
Stone Curlew found by Paul
Walking along the side of the estuary towards the beach, we added a few gull species which included: Mediterranean, Slender-billed and it was Matts who found us a Little Gull. There was also Black-headed, Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls.
Slender-billed Gull - one of six in a small pool with Med Gulls and Black-headed Gulls
it was Matts again who found another great species for the list, with this Little Gull sighting
Caspian Tern with a Eurasian Oystercatcher
More waders went onto the list as we progressed to view wider mudflats, we added Ruddy Turnstone, Sanderling, Dunlin, Kentish Plover, Bar-tailed Godwits, Little stint and Curlew Sandpiper. Sandwich Terns appeared in good numbers.
lots of Magreb Magpies were dashing about in the marsh
It was approaching 6pm when we left, it had been very exciting day with birds galore, we probably saw more birds today than on the rest of the trip combined, 85 species in all today!