A Velvet Scoter (Melanitta fusca) found at Oued Martil, northern Morocco. It’s the third national record.
Une Macreuse brune observée à Oued Martil, au nord du Maroc. C’est la troisième observation dans le pays.
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While birding at Oued Martil, near the city of Tétouan on 18 November 2024, the local birder Othman Amalal discovered a Velvet Scoter alongside a few of the more common wintering ducks. The same observer reconnected with the bird two days later.
On 21 November, local birders Anissa El Khattabi and Azzeddin El Mounssi also observed and photographed the bird.
The Velvet Scoter is extremely rare in Morocco, with only two previous records. Both were from the Atlantic coast: one at Merja Zerga in December 1989 and the other at Mehdiya in December 1993 (Thévenot et al. 2003).
Reported sighting of this species at Essaouira in the late 19th century may have been a misidentification of the Common Scoter (Melanitta nigra), a regular winter visitor along Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
Thanks for mention ! I really appreciate this so much.
But I got an update:
I was checking on the bird every day from Monday to Thursday when I met Anissa El Khattabi and Azzeddin El Mounssi when they photographed it, but on Friday I did not find it (including the diving ducks that was with it) despite searching for it three times on the same day and today I did not find it either unfortunately.