WESTERN SAHARA

On this exciting new tour, we aim to look for several species on the extreme edges of their Western Palearctic ranges including Royal Tern, Kelp Gull, Dunn's Lark, Pied Crow, Cricket Warbler and Black-crowned Sparrow-lark. We will also see several other uncommon Western Palearctic birds, perhaps including Crowned and Spotted Sandgrouse, Thick-billed Lark and Desert Sparrow, and we may also make a discovery or two in this rarely-visited region.

Day 1 Flight from London to Agadir followed by an internal flight to Dakhla in the southwest of the country, in an area, which used to be known as Western Sahara. On arrival, we will transfer to our hotel for a three-night stay

Day 2 Taking a packed breakfast with us, we will make the two-hour journey to arrive in Aousserd not long after dawn and start our search for Cricket Warblers. This enigmatic species is right on the edge of its Western Palearctic range here although it is quite common in the right habitat. Also present in the area are Southern Grey Shrike and Brown-necked Raven. Black-crowned Finch-lark can also regularly be found here whilst another speciality of the area is Dunn's Lark, although both Bar-tailed Lark and Greater Hoopoe-lark are commoner. Desert Sparrows are more reliable here than in their former stronghold of Merzouga and Red-rumped Wheatears can also be found. Blue-naped Mousebirds and Sudan Golden Sparrows have also both been recorded slightly further south in Mauritania so you never know your luck! In the afternoon we will return to Dakhla via Gleb Jdiane where we will wait for Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse to come in to drink at dusk.

Day 3 Today we will return to Gleb Jdiane to watch sandgrouse coming in to drink. In the mornings, Spotted Sandgrouse are the commonest species but smaller numbers Crowned Sandgrouse are also likely. Other birds in the area may include Temminck's Larks and Desert Wheatears. We then have the option either to return to Aousserd, if we still need the Cricket Warbler, or to drive west to the coast south of Dakhla to look for Royal Terns. They are regular here year round and can be found in their winter plumage amongst larger numbers of Caspian Terns. There may also be and Lesser Crested Terns present. Big numbers of Audouin's Gulls winter here alongside Yellow-legged and Lesser Black-backed Gulls, whilst the smaller gulls are represented by Black-headed and Slender-billed Gulls. It will also be worth keeping our eyes open for Grey-headed Gulls, which have occurred not far south of here. Cory's Shearwaters can also be watched flying offshore.

Day 4 This morning we will pack up and head north birding en route. Our only scheduled stop will be to look for Pied Crows at a roadside café made famous by a pair of Pied Crows which bred here for the first time in the Western Palearctic in 2009. The rest of the day will be spent driving north to La'ayoune for an overnight stop. Roadside birds may include Lanner Falcon, Long-legged Buzzard and maybe even Cream-coloured Courser.

Day 5 Just south of La'ayoune is a wonderful oasis, which is often full of birds. Some of the species, which may be seen here, include Greater Flamingo, Marbled Duck, Ruddy Shelduck, Eurasian Spoonbill and Glossy Ibis, whilst Plain Swifts from the Canary Islands can sometimes be found here in winter. Heading north, we will spend the rest of the morning birding en route to Tarfaya, our base for the next two nights. In the afternoon, we will visit the famous Khniffis Lagoon. Depending on the state of the tide we will either scan from the shore or hire a boat to get out onto the lagoon but our target is still the same: Kelp Gull! Until recently it was thought that there was an increasing colony here but it has been determined that most of the large 'black-backed' gulls are in fact Greater Black-backed Gulls, so we will have our work cut out to find our target amongst the hordes of Lesser Black-backed and Yellow-legged Gulls. There should also be good numbers of waders wintering here.

Day 6 We will return to Khniffis Lagoon again today, not only to look for the Kelp Gulls but also to see if we can find any other extralimital Western Palearctic species.

Day 7 We will have a last chance to visit Khniffis Lagoon if for any reason we have failed to see the Kelp Gulls on our previous attempts. The rest of the day, however, will be spent driving north to Agadir making opportunistic stops for roadside birding for species like Thick-billed Lark and Black Wheatear. Overnight in Agadir.

Day 8 After breakfast, we will drive to the airport for our return flight to Gatwick at the end of the tour.

General Information The climate can vary from warm in the desert to cold on the coast with rain possible. There will be a moderate amount of walking, mainly on flat ground. Insects are not a problem. Visas are not required for EU citizens. Distances are quite long but we will have a reliable local driver. Accommodation standards are moderate with mostly en-suite facilities.

Group size Minimum number for tour to go ahead: 6; maximum group size: 10 with 2 leaders.