Where can I see flamingos and birds in Morocco?

Morocco sits on one of the great bird-migration flyways between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa, so it is a far better birding destination than most visitors realise — and yes, you can absolutely see flamingos. For pink flocks, my first recommendation is the Merja Zerga lagoon near Moulay Bousselham on the north Atlantic coast: a huge tidal lagoon where greater flamingos wade in the shallows alongside spoonbills, avocets and countless waders. Local boatmen take you out quietly at dawn, which is the magic hour.

Further south on the Atlantic, the lagoons at Sidi Moussa and Oualidia are another flamingo and waterbird haven, easy to combine with the oyster farms Oualidia is famous for. And the Souss-Massa National Park just south of Agadir is internationally important — it is one of the last refuges on earth of the critically endangered northern bald ibis, plus a wealth of coastal and wetland species along the Oued Massa estuary. Serious birders make a pilgrimage here.

In the interior and desert, the picture changes completely and gets exciting for specialist species. The oued and palmeries around the Sahara fringe — Merzouga has a seasonal lake, Dayet Srji, that fills after rain and can host flamingos in the middle of the desert, an unforgettable sight — draw desert sparrows, sandgrouse and migrating raptors. High in the Atlas, Lake Tislit near Imilchil and the high plateaus are home to mountain species, and the cedar forests of the Middle Atlas have woodpeckers and the rare African crimson-winged finch.

My timing advice: spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the peak migration windows when numbers and variety explode, and they avoid the worst summer heat. Bring binoculars and ideally go with a local guide who knows the current water levels — desert and lagoon birding is all about where the water is that season. Early morning is always best; by midday in the heat the birds, and most birders, have gone quiet.