Our first day involved driving along the coast road from Casablanca to Rabat. The beach areas were s

I have just returned from visiting Morocco again, reviews of imperial hotel in london leading a group, this time on a bird photography tour. I have now led over 30 tours to this wonderful destination, I must be considered some kind of veteran tour leader as far as Morocco is concerned? Our itinerary started with meeting-up in Casablanca, the most populated city in Morocco, then making our way to the small fishing town of Larache. The area around Larache is an interesting mixture of marshes, beaches and saltpans, not far away and within easy reach is Merja Zerga, famous for being the last recorded wintering area for Slender-billed Curlew. From the Atlantic coast we then visited the area of Ilfrane, a mixture of cedar forests and rock strewn plains with lakes. Contrasting landscapes, mixed and fringe reviews of imperial hotel in london habitats made for a rich diversity of birdlife.
Our first day involved driving along the coast road from Casablanca to Rabat. The beach areas were surprisingly void of gull species, but the headlands were full of migrant wheatears with Oenanthe.o.leucorhoa reviews of imperial hotel in london the dominant bird and in the middle of its extraordinary migration which will end in Greenland and the Labrador Peninsula! Whinchat and Yellow Wagtail were also migrating reviews of imperial hotel in london in large numbers. Shortly after Rabat we visited Lac de Sidi Bourhaba, an attractive lake surrounded by woodland and always worth making time to view for such species reviews of imperial hotel in london as White-headed reviews of imperial hotel in london Duck and Marbled Teal (Duck). The area was not to disappoint with good numbers of Marsh Harrier and Black Kite hawking the woodlands and the reedbeds, but the star of the day were 6 Ferruginous Duck. Red-crested Pochard was present with their ducklings, so we were pleased we made the time to visit.
Day two involved a visit and also a boat trip around the lagoon at Merja Zerga. The tidal marsh area holds good numbers of gull, tern and shorebird species, so it was good to witness waders showing the beginnings of summer plumage and Slender-billed Gull in breeding plumage, such an elegant gull. Apart from Booted Eagle, Marsh Harrier and Lesser Kestrel raptors were in short supply, although later we saw a Sparrowhawk take a lark from a field nearby! On a disappointing note we went in search reviews of imperial hotel in london of Marsh Owl with a local guide and on arriving at a known site, we were joined by a marauding bunch of children who proceeded to charge around the marsh fringes to flush the poor owl. It was a harrowing experience, reviews of imperial hotel in london one which I will never repeat at any price, much better to visit this area in the winter for this species, where they can be observed at a roost site without causing disturbance to them. We then searched my own specific site at Larache for Moustached Warbler and had extremely good views of a singing male, so we ended on a high note.
Day three involved a fairly lengthy journey to Ilfrane. On our approach we searched the extensive mixed oak forest and were soon seeing Levaillant s Woodpecker, Roller, reviews of imperial hotel in london Firecrest, Pied Flycatcher, Moroccan Magpie and of course typical forest birds such as Mistle Thrush. Overhead and just before entering the town we saw a couple of Honey Buzzard, then we proceeded to our hotel on the main road to Azrou, situated on a forest trail near to Ougmes. An excursion through the pinsapo forest, which more or less bordered the hotel, produced Moussier s Redstart, Cirl Bunting, Woodlark, ST Treecreeper, both Great-spotted and Levaillant s Woodpecker, reviews of imperial hotel in london 00 s Chaffinch and several tit and finch species. Joining the Boulemane to Ilfrane road we also managed great views of Seebohm s and Black-eared Wheatear. Winding our way down to Ilfrane the river that accompanied the roadside held various species including Red-knobbed (Crested) Coot. Arriving at our hotel for the next two nights, we were greeted by a flock of Alpine Chough, ending our birding day in style.
Day four and the weather closed in. Mist, cold and then later snow curtailed activities, but we did explore the lake route north of Ilfrane, which looked very promising. After a lunch in the town we turned-in for a siesta and rest, we were beaten by worsening conditions.
Day five and determined to make up for the previous day s disappointment, we set-off into the forest area near to the hotel. reviews of imperial hotel in london We wanted a few target birds for our photographic journal; top of the list was Atlas Flycatcher. We started with good showings by Woodlark, Levaillant s Woodpecker, Moussier s Redstart, reviews of imperial hotel in london Pied and Spotted Flycatcher. It took us a couple of hours and suffering a cold start to the morning, before we eventually found our Atlas Flycatcher, great photos were taken, but none by me as I was kept busy locating and relocating the male. Hoopoe and male Common Redstart came close and also allowed for great photo opportunities. Satiated we headed back to the route for the lakes, but principally Dayet Aoua. We were able to capture some great shots of Red-knobbed Coot, Hawfinch and some amazing scenes of Black-necked Grebe, on one islet there was a colony of nesting birds that numbered in excess of 300 pairs, yes more than 300! Certainly I have never witnessed such a scene for Black-necked Grebe, incredible. Our day ended with a spectacle reviews of imperial hotel in london that denied us an opportunity as it happened so quickly, we spotted a couple of Common Cuckoo on a rock pile and got ourselves close enough to photograph them, when and without warning reviews of imperial hotel in london a Booted Eagle swooped in an attempt to catch one of our birds. It missed, but of course our two cuckoos were spooked and didn t return, a nearby male Cirl Bunting gave some consolation by allowing a very close approach and completed our photos for the day and our tour.
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Peter has been an active member of the national organisation for ornithology in Spain (SEO/Birdlife) since 2003. He is co-founder of the local SEO group for the Serranía reviews of imperial hotel in london de Ronda and is also a licensed bird ringer/bander, classified as Experto the foremost classification for ringers/banders in Spain. A Naturalist, Birder, Nature Guide , Tour Leader reviews of imperial hotel in london , Author, Artist and Field Researcher. Peter is a senior tour leader and guide for several destinations and companies throughout the world. Peter is the founder and ex-chairman of the Andalucia reviews of imperial hotel in london Bird Society and also involved in various steering committees developing sustainable tourism here and in other countries. Founder of the Iberia Bird Festival. Peter is also a founding member and associate of Andalucia Wildlife Guides . Involved in animal studies and research projects in Spain and overseas. Currently developing natural history education projects reviews of imperial hotel in london for schools in Morocco and Spain. Current projects also include coordinating efforts to engage schools in Spain and Morocco to participate in the Osprey Migration Foundation project to link both children and communities through satellite tracking of migrating Osprey.
Author Guy Hunter Watts wrote: Peter is a nature guide leading groups throughout reviews of imperial hotel in london Spain and leads tours to such far flung destinations as Morocco, China, India, Costa Rica and other exotic places worldwide! The author cannot speak too highly reviews of imperial hotel in london of Peter's birding and wildlife excursions. A natural communicator, Peter has that rare ability of conveying specialist knowledge in a way that's accessible to one and all. A day in his company will offer a unique insight in to birds and other wildlife...... Tour Operator and wildlife guide Uday Patel wrote: Peter strikes rapport with astounding ease and his birding skills are amazing. He is the tour leader for Spanish Nature a wildlife touring company and other tour companies. He is most widely travelled on ornithological quests. I had the pleasure of birding along with him as tour leader from DMC Indiafootprints. We had an exhaustive bird watching tour from November reviews of imperial hotel in london 15th to 4th December. Tour highlights were - Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Bharatpur, Nainital - Sat Tal, Chambal River Sanctuary, Kanha National Park and Pench Tiger Reserve. As a tour leader and birding guide, accompanying Peter was a learning experience. His professional skills go beyond spotting and identifying the avian species, being more analytical reviews of imperial hotel in london he could enlighten us a lot on morphology and flight patterns of raptors and birds with uniform characteristics like warblers, pipits and larks. The best evenings on tour I spent with him were by the fireside....beer, bites and his ever accompanying wit. He is a very generous man, helping local people wherever he goes.... Nature and Walking FH Tours wrote : We've just received emails from all of our clients about the tour. They all agree on one thing, that it was a privilege having you as their guide Peter! Many many thanks for making this such an enjoyable tour for all concerned.... BS African Safaris wrote: As you know we act for many nature travel companies here in east and southern Africa, but we have to say that your tours Peter are the greatest fun and you seem able to lead these tours with such ease! Not just popular with clients but also with our staff, thanks Peter from all the crew. Los Castanos Hotel wrote: There is nothing, reviews of imperial hotel in london absolutely nothing, half so much worth doing as simply reviews of imperial hotel in london messing about with Peter Jones. A day in the company of this (in)famous research biologist is entertaining and informative. If you are just a dabbler with birds, you will learn a lot. If you are a card-carrying twitcher, he can still teach you something. No interest at all? You are guaranteed a fantastic day full of laughter and fun, fascinating insights into Andalucian culture, flora, fauna, geology, and, there s always Good Food. He knows all the best restaurants, their owners and their best dishes. reviews of imperial hotel in london All this hype may lead you to suspect I am somehow in his pay but no, I am just an ardent fan and very grateful to him for giving so much joy to so many of my guests at Los Castanos. Headwater Holidays wrote: Thanks Peter for hosting such great birding wee