ALGERIA -
A Western Palearctic Hotspot
DAY 1 ARRIVAL IN ALGIERS - 7th February
There are some really cheap flights from London to Algiers at present, with Air Algeria being under £200 and British Airways just a little more. Upon arrival we will obtain our Visa and then drive for a couple of hours to EL Achir where we will spend the night.
DAY 2 EL ACHIR - BOUAFROUNE FOREST
We will be up early of course, as today is the day we hope to get our main target bird - the highly localised and Endangered endemic Algerian Nuthatch. Our priority is not only seeing this superb species but getting good views and hopefully some photos.
As well as the nuthatch we could see Barbary Partridge, Levaillant’s Woodpecker and Maghreb (Tawny) Owl, Woodlark, African Blue Tit and African Chaffinch as well. There are also some interesting subspecies we should try and see including Great Spotted Woodpecker (numidus), Lesser Spotted Woodpecker (ledouci), Coal Tit (ledouci), Short-toed Treecreeper (mauritanica) and Eurasian Jay (cervivalis).
After a good day's birding we will enjoy a fine evening meal at a local restaurant.
DAY 3 BOUAFROUNE FOREST - RAJLA LAKE - LAC LAGHDIR - TAMANRASSET
We have another morning to get better views of the nuthatch if required, or we can explore a couple of excellent lakes for a variety of wildfowl including Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck & sometimes White-headed Duck, as well as Greater Flamingo, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Swamphen, Black-necked Grebe, Bonelli's Eagle, a few shorebirds, Cetti's Warbler and plenty of other common species. Heading back towards Algiers this afternoon we should see White Stork and Black-winged Kite amongst others and at some stage today we could also see Barbary Macaque. Our flight south to Tamanrasset is scheduled for around midnight and upon arrival we will stay the night at a nearby hotel.
DAYS 4 - 6 TAMANRASSET AREA
Following a short night's sleep will may well have a slightly later start before setting out to look for our two main targets - African Silverbill and Red-billed Firefinch, both mega ticks in the Western Palearctic. This is the only place in the entire Western Palearctic where it is possible to see these two species! And as we are very close to the border with Niger and Mali there is a very high chance of finding something rare. Hopefully, we can locate Sudan Golden Sparrow during these next few days, as this is a species that seems to be expanding its range into this area.
Our time here is sure to be exciting, as we are birding on the extreme edge of the Western Palearctic, so we need to be alert for rarities! During our exploration we should see a good variety of other species including Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, possibly Spotted & Crowned Sandgrouse, Black Kite, Laughing Dove, Lanner Falcon, Eurasian Hoopoe, Great Grey Shrike (elegans), Pale Crag Martin, Desert Lark, White-crowned Wheatear, Fulvous Babbler, Desert Wheatear, Sardinian Warbler, Western Subalpine Warbler, Eastern (Saharan)Olivaceous Warbler, Brown-necked Raven, Desert Sparrow and House Bunting amongst others.
On top of this there are several potential additions to the Category C List that seem to have begun making this area their home following escapes from the wild bird trade such as Senegal Parrot, White-rumped Seedeater, Yellow-fronted Canary and Vitelline Masked Weaver.
DAY 7 TAMANRASSET - ALGIERS - END OF TOUR - 13th February
Early morning flight to Algiers where the tour concludes and onward connections back to London/Europe.
