The trip list topped out at 98, try as we might we could not get to 100. For a whole week that seems somehow sub-standard especially as I am likely to see a similar number on a short weekend trip. But as I've mentioned/moaned a few time over the course of this trip report birds were generally in short supply out in the desert. We missed most of the Sandgrouse, and did not make an effort for Desert Sparrow as all the recent reports we could find would have been beyond our vehicle. We couldn't find any Babblers and we were too early for Atlas Wheatear (old Seebohm's). Not having a scope for the larger water bodies probably cost us a few species as well.
But those birds that we did see, especially the desert species, we saw really well, and as photography was the priority we gave them a lot of time. I came away pretty pleased - I have keepers of about ten species, including four Wheatears. And lets not forget that this is with a camera that I only started using for bird photography at the end of last year. Having now used it quite intensively for a week I am a buyer. It has clear limitations, it is harder to take an off the cuff photograph still. With the Canon my fingers were moving well before I lifted the camera, the Sony requires more thought and thus slows me down. Quite a few shots were missed as I didn't have the right settings, or had flicked a button inadvertently and didn't know how to change it back. Having a zoom rather than a prime is also a bit novel, and in the heat of the action it's entirely possible to discover that you were taking photos at 200mm and not 600mm! But the quality is there, the only limitation is me learning how to get the best from it. Deep down I want an A9 series for the ergonomics, having buttons and dials where I want them, and for a step up in autofocus, but for now my tiny A6600 seems to do just fine. And tiny is what it is and why I bought it - when I pick it up, when I pack it or unpack it, or just stand it up somewhere - the size gets me every time. It is just breathtakingly small and light in comparison to what I used to use. I can carry it all day without really noticing it is there. In short it is great and I hope to become a lot more competent with it this year.
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| Olympus on the left, Sony on the right |
Anyway, Morocco is fantastic and I can't wait to go back. I think March or early April would likely be a good time to go, the only issue is that this trip takes time. It's not a weekend jaunt, the drive out to the real deserts takes an entire day, and it is best to break it up into two. Essentially that means a whole week, multiples of which I don't have at the moment. I am so looking forward to retirement.
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