Fiche de renseignements - Go-South

Egyptian Nightjar in recent years, and after a brief search there we decided to return to
Auberge La Caravan.
After a one-hour break we went on another four-wheel drive at 4 p.m. and searched until
nightfall for Houbara Bustard in the stony desert east of Erg Chebbi, reaching very close to
the Algerian border. The sandstorm wasn’t helpful and unfortunately we were again
unsuccessful. We stayed a second night at Auberge Le Caravane – two of us in a berber
tent, a nice experience.
15.04. Rissani, Hassan Addakhil, Zeida Plains
Yesterday’s sandstorm had quietened down and so we left Auberge Le Caravane at 4 a.m.
to try our luck with the Egyptian Nightjar at the new hotspot at Auberge Tresor. We heard 1
bird in first light but didn’t manage to see it.
We continued to Rissani, where we walked along the Oued Ziz. This dried out river bed is
mentioned by Gosney as the most reliable site for Saharan Olivaceous Warbler (race
reiseri), which is sometimes thought to be a separate species. After searching for the species
north of the bridge without success - although at least 12 Blue-cheecked Bee-eaters and
one Moroccan White Wagtail (race subpersonata) were some consolation - we located 3
singing birds in the tamarisks south of the bridge.
After a delightful breakfast in Rissani we searched for our final target bird in the area, Longbilled
Crested Lark race macrorhyncha. This subspecies is often treated as a separate
species and we found it to be quite common along the drainage channels next to the road to
the well-known site for Pharaoh Eagle Owl.
Saharan Olivaceous Warbler, Rissani,
15.04.2010
14
Long-billed Crested Lark, Rissani,
15.04.2010
We continued north towards Midelt with several stops along the way, including a quick swim
at the beautiful Source Bleue de Meski near Er-Rachidia and some birding at the famous
dam at Hassan Addakhil, where we had a small flock of Greater Flamingos, Ruddy
Shelducks and 5 Marbled Ducks.
We arrived at the Zeida plains in the late afternoon, where we visited a site mentioned by
Gosney. Three km south of Zeida we turned right at the crossroads between two bends,
close to the km post that says “Er Rachidia 167” and “Meknes 162”. We stopped after a few
hundred metres along this track (32.7944 N 4.9335 W) and searched for Dupont’s Lark in
light rain. Our hopes were low due to the bad weather and the late time of the day but after a
brief but heavy thunderstorm the sun came out. We were very pleased to hear 5-8 birds
singing, together with 20+ Lesser Short-toed Larks and 15+ Greater Short-toed Larks. After a
long hunt, we managed to get brief views of 2 Dupont’s Larks, which proved extremely
difficult to locate although they were singing directly in front of us. We stayed at the nearby
Hotel Timnay, which turned out to be good value. Although it was not the cheapest hotel, it
can be highly recommend and keeps a birding logbook. It is located about 2 km south of the
junction to the track for the larks on the left when coming from the north. We spent a pleasant
evening at the hotel.