Without doubt this is the best place in North Africa to watch the migrations to and from Europe. The stretch of coast from Cap Spartel in the west to Punta Ceres in the east and the advantage of height gained by Jebel Kebir and Jebel Musa provide ample viewing spots. The wind direction and strength determine the exact routes followed. Many birds are wide-ranging, but most have feeding, breeding or other biological requirements, which restrict them to a habitat, or group of habitats. Some birds adapted to these habitats include waders such as oystercatchers and plovers, and cliff-nesting seabirds such as gulls, gannets and cormorants.
Estuaries occur where rivers meet the sea and many are now important conservation reserves.
At low tides the mud floor is exposed and makes a rich feeding ground for migratory waders like sandpipers, stints, curlew, godwits and plovers. The coasts attract a rich variety of seabirds, including graceful petrels and Shearwaters, which live a great part of their lives on the open sea. Look out for marauding skuas that harass seabirds and force them to drop their catch. Forest Forests and woodlands now cover only a small proportion of Morocco s total land area, and in many parts have been replaced by a mosaic of pastoral and agricultural lands. Nonetheless, orchards, plantations and gardens can support a surprising number of small birds, such as warblers and pipits.