First was the ksars of Aït Benhaddou. The Hoopoe showed opposite the hotel at dawn but disappeared before I could get any closer for a decent shot. House Buntings were frequent on the trip and the Galerida larks provided the usual identification headaches. Lesser Kestrels around the top of the site were perhaps a bit of surprise so early in the year.
Hoopoe Upupa epops
House Bunting Emberiza sahari
Crested Lark Galerida cristata
Heading south of Ouarzazate this eagle was my first Moroccan tick of the trip.
Bonelli's Eagle Aquila fasciata
After a fairly uneventful drive along the southern desert road we reached the Auberge Yasmina at the Erg Chebbi where Desert Sparrow failed to show for us but the camel ride and night in the dunes was magnificent.
The moths were encountered fairly frequently at dawn and dusk. The birds were mainly the familiar desert species and were in rather smaller numbers than on previous trips. The desert hyacinth is a spectacular parasitic plant, a type of broomrape.
Striped Hawk-moth Hyles livornica
Bar-tailed Desert Lark Ammomanes cinctura
Hoopoe Lark Alaemon alaudipes
Desert Grey Shrike Lanius elegans
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis
Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis
Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus, female
Chafer Beetle
Ant sp.
The tracks of the many Dung Beetles
Desert Hyacinth Cistanche tubulosa
Apple Of Sodom Calotropis procera
Next we headed for the mountains and the dramatic Todra Gorge.
Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura
House Bunting Emberiza sahari
And finally we crossed the High Atlas via a tortuous minor road to reach the Falls of Ouzoud with its troupe of Barbary Macaques.
Barbary Macaques Macaca sylvanus
African Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs africana
1 comment:
These are some really nice captures!
Pixellicious Photos
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