Aoussard, the Sahara Desert and the quest for Sudan Golden Sparrow, Cricket Longtail and Dunn's Lark

 I set out for the road to Aoussard from Dakhla in the morning of the 27th January .  The first bird of note was a Tristam's Warbler beside the road before the watering hole.  The water tower itself only provided some Collared Dove and a Barn Swallow this time.

My next stop was a Oued, spied from the road.  I parked as off road as I dared and began a patrol of the scant trees.  There didn't seem to be any life there at all, but a Cape Hare took off from cover and was soon gone into the near distance.

Some Desert Sparrow, revealed themselves, with ten eventually showing quite well.   A Western Subalpine Warbler also lurked with a Great Grey Shrike sitting undeterred a top one of the acacia trees.  

A surprisingly lone Fulvous Chatterer was also present.

I continued to walk out from the road.  Before I could take it in, an owl sprung from a tree right i front of me landing 50 metres away.  I strained to check the species and log some record shots.  As I was doing this a Lanner swooped on the Short-eared Owl, returning to repeat this action several times before the owl was forced off and out of sight. 

A red-rumped Wheatear was seen beside the road.

At around 4pm, Oued Jenna held almost no birds at all so I continued onward to the nearby canyon. A Desert Wheatear, 3 Bar-tailed and 2 Desert Lark were seen beside the road.

I reached the canyon by 5.05pm, and began a wander, followed every inch of the way by a very thin cat.  The more notable sightings here were 3 Pale Crag martin, and a Western Subalpine Warbler.  There's also Black-crowned and Black Wheatears present here, a Chiffchaff, Collared Doves and a Great Grey Shrike.

After 90 minutes exploring the area I returned to the van and got a tin of tuna out for the cat which it, unsurprisingly, wolfed down.  Poor thing obviously wasn't treated well by the custodian of the canyon (who I didn't see), but where do you run to when in the middle of the Sahara desert?

I parked at Oued Jenna after dark and listened out for Nightjar and anything else that may give itself away.  But it's cold at night this time of year and I gave up after 30 minutes. 

Next morning I explored the Oued for two hours, but no luck with the speciality species.  There were only four species.  13 Fulvous Chatterer, two Western Subalpine Warblers, seven great Grey Shrikes, 1 Collared Dove and 2 unidentified Sylvia/Curruca warbler species.

On the way back towards the water tower I came across another Greater Hoopoe Lark, seven Bar-tailed Larks, two Desert Wheatear, twenty-three Desert Sparrows, seven Great Grey Shrikes, three Barn Swallows, 2 Fulvous Chatterer, one Lanner, and eight Brown-necked Ravens.

Stopping again at the water tower I watched as local Bedouin came along to let out some water for heir camels.  A Great Grey Shrike parent used a camel as a perch while it hunted to provide food for the three recently fledged chicks in bushes at the watering hole. Five birds in total with both parents feeding their chicks.

The only other bird of note seen before reaching the coast again was another Red-rumped Wheatear.

A very interesting trip, but missed almost every target species.  The area was suffered from a drought period, and is also early in the year from some of the species.

I'd do it again, but probably later in the year next time.




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