We decided to revisit Western Sahara and make another attempt at seeing Sandcat and Golden Nightjar. We booked Rio Escapade and looked into flights. We worked out that the best way was to travel with Royal Air Maroc direct to Dakhla, via Casablanca. The flights were more expensive but worked out much better when we factored in hotel and car costs.
We arrived at 11.00pm on Saturday night and were collected by Mohammed and his two drivers and taken to some apartments for the first two nights.
Sunday morning we were collected and taken to the Samarkand for breakfast before setting off south to visit the fishing village, La Sarga. Unfortunately, the fishermen were in dispute and had set up a demonstration which meant the police wouldn’t let us through. Mohammed turned round and we drove back a short distance before driving round to La Sarga marshes where we walked down the low cliffs and scanned through the thousands of waders feeding through the area. The number of birds was incredible with Dunlin, Sanderling, Greenshank, Redshank, Kentish, Grey and Ringed Plovers, Knot, Whimbrel and Shelduck. In the distance a few Egrets included a Great White. On the sandbar was a large flock of gulls and terns, including a few Caspian Terns so DW and AF walked round while BF and myself waded through the shallow, squishy marsh to the sand bar on the other side.
A radio message about an owl that had been flushed came through as we walked round but as no further news came we continued to the gulls. Just as we were setting up the scopes we enquired about the owl to discover that it was being watched and it was an Eagle Owl! A very rapid, half mile yomp back across the marsh and we were watching the Owl. Checking the details identified it as a Pharoah’s Eagle Owl!! Something we had been looking for for years. (Unfortunately my battery had dies and DW had left his Battery at the apartments so only bridge camera shots.)The habitat was most unexpected as there were only low cliffs and not much in the way of rocks. Eventually the owl flew further away and we returned to the vans.
With a brief stop back at the apartments to collect batteries we drove across Oyster Farm, passing our first camel herd, where we stopped for lunch. As last year, we had a tomato salad, fresh oysters with lemon followed by baked fish with vegetables. The tide was much further out that last year and Yellow wagtails flew along the beach with Terns flying further out to sea.
We then drove further along the coast and scanned the oyster beds where DW found a Western Reef Heron feeding in a creek. We drove across to check out a gull flock and found a single Royal Tern which was roosting in the sand.
We made our way back to the apartments where we freshened up before heading to the Samarkand for a tasty tagine.
We arrived at 11.00pm on Saturday night and were collected by Mohammed and his two drivers and taken to some apartments for the first two nights.
Sunday morning we were collected and taken to the Samarkand for breakfast before setting off south to visit the fishing village, La Sarga. Unfortunately, the fishermen were in dispute and had set up a demonstration which meant the police wouldn’t let us through. Mohammed turned round and we drove back a short distance before driving round to La Sarga marshes where we walked down the low cliffs and scanned through the thousands of waders feeding through the area. The number of birds was incredible with Dunlin, Sanderling, Greenshank, Redshank, Kentish, Grey and Ringed Plovers, Knot, Whimbrel and Shelduck. In the distance a few Egrets included a Great White. On the sandbar was a large flock of gulls and terns, including a few Caspian Terns so DW and AF walked round while BF and myself waded through the shallow, squishy marsh to the sand bar on the other side.
A radio message about an owl that had been flushed came through as we walked round but as no further news came we continued to the gulls. Just as we were setting up the scopes we enquired about the owl to discover that it was being watched and it was an Eagle Owl! A very rapid, half mile yomp back across the marsh and we were watching the Owl. Checking the details identified it as a Pharoah’s Eagle Owl!! Something we had been looking for for years. (Unfortunately my battery had dies and DW had left his Battery at the apartments so only bridge camera shots.)The habitat was most unexpected as there were only low cliffs and not much in the way of rocks. Eventually the owl flew further away and we returned to the vans.
With a brief stop back at the apartments to collect batteries we drove across Oyster Farm, passing our first camel herd, where we stopped for lunch. As last year, we had a tomato salad, fresh oysters with lemon followed by baked fish with vegetables. The tide was much further out that last year and Yellow wagtails flew along the beach with Terns flying further out to sea.
We then drove further along the coast and scanned the oyster beds where DW found a Western Reef Heron feeding in a creek. We drove across to check out a gull flock and found a single Royal Tern which was roosting in the sand.
We made our way back to the apartments where we freshened up before heading to the Samarkand for a tasty tagine.
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