WILDLIFE HOTSPOTS

BIRDS OF THE BLUE LAGOON

Merja Zerga National Park is a haven for birds year-round. A highlight is the endangered Moroccan marsh owl, which skims over the lagoon banks hunting rodents. The park teems with birds all winter, too, with migrants such as flamingos and avocets lingering rather than heading south.

SCALES & SPINES

Naturetrek offers the chance to venture into the wilds of southern Morocco with an expert herpetologist, in search of puff adders, Spanish terrapins and local species such as the agile desert horned viper and Moroccan spinytailed lizard. After dark, you might even see geckos and Egyptian cobras. naturetrek.co.uk

THE GREAT MIGRATION

Northern Morocco is an important migration corridor for bird species such as bee-eaters, storks, cuckoos and nightingales, which fly across the Strait of Gibraltar to Africa once summer is over. Arctic terns sometimes pause here on their epic annual return trip from the Arctic Circle to Antarctica, too.

RAPTORS & VULTURES

The High Atlas is a stronghold for falcons, golden eagles and bearded vultures — big scavengers that feast on bone marrow. The Oued Massa lagoon, meanwhile, is part of a protected nature reserve south of Agadir, and offers a good chance of seeing ospreys and marsh harriers.