Birding News - Page 2 of 6

First African Crake, Red-tailed Shrike and Little Bunting for Algeria

31 December 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Red-tailed Shrike / Pie-grièche du Turkestan (Lanius phoenicuroides), Skikda, northern Algeria, 9 Oct. 2020 (Youcef Karrit)

Three new species were added to the Algerian list in autumn 2020: Red-tailed Shrike, Little Bunting and African Crake. The Red-tailed Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides) was discovered and photographed at Skikda on 9 October by Youcef Karrit. This is also the first record for the whole Northwest Africa. Other closely related species are also very rare …

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Morocco: sharing the birds – a Sound Approach guide

5 June 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Morocco

‘Morocco: sharing the birds’ by Arnoud B van den Berg & The Sound Approach

The new Sound Approach title ‘Morocco: sharing the birds’ is to launch on 1 July 2020 and is now available for pre-order. Morocco: sharing the birds – A Sound Approach guide to birds of the MaghrebBy: Arnoud B van den Berg & The Sound ApproachISBN: 978-90-810933-9-2NUR-code: 435Published by: The Sound Approach, Enefco House, 19 The …

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First record of Jacobin Cuckoo for North Africa

5 March 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Jacobin Cuckoo / Coucou jacobin (Clamator jacobinus), Tamanrasset, southern Algeria, 5 Oct. 2019 (Karim Haddad).

Two Jacobin Cuckoos photographed at Tamanrasset in October 2019. This is the first record for Algeria and North Africa. Jacobin or Pied Cuckoo (Clamator jacobinus) is distributed in Africa south of the Sahara and in India and Sri Lanka. It’s very rare in the Western Palearctic region (WP). Members of the Association EcoCirta encountered this …

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Dwarf Bittern and Eurasian Siskin at Nouadhibou, Mauritania

27 January 2020 / Birding News

Dwarf Bittern (Ixobrychus sturmii), Nouadhibou, Mauritania, 23 Jan. 2020 (Sylvia van der Steen)

Dutch birders recorded the first Eurasian Siskin for Mauritania and the 11th Dwarf Bittern for the Western Palearctic at Nouadhibou a couple of days ago. Dwarf Bittern The Dwarf Bittern was found on 22 January 2020 by ‘Banc d’Arguin’, a small non-commercial Dutch travel company that organises overland trans-Sahara birding trips between Agadir and The …

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Black Scrub Robin at Tamanrasset, Algeria

20 January 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Black Scrub Robin / Agrobate podobé (Cercotrichas podobe), Tamanrasset region, southern Algeria, 3 May 2019 (Soufyane Bekkouche).

A Black Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas podobe) was photographed at Tamanrasset last year. It’s the first observation in Algeria in five decades. Un Agrobate podobé photographié à Tamanrasset au sud de l’Algérie le 3 mai 2019. C’est la deuxième ou troisième observation pour le pays. A Black Scrub Robin was photographed at Tamanrasset on 3 May …

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First White-rumped Seedeater for Algeria and W. Palearctic

8 January 2020 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

White-rumped Seedeater / Serin à croupion blanc (Crithagra leucopygia), Tamanrasset, southern Algeria, 25 Dec 2019 (Mourad Harzallah).

White-rumped Seedeater observed at Tamanrasset, southern Algeria. This is the first record for the country and the Western Palearctic. En décembre 2019, un groupe d’ornithologues de terrain algérien a découvert le Serin à croupion blanc à Tamanrasset (les noms cités ci-dessous). Plus important encore, l’équipe a observé un adulte nourrissant un jeune (une preuve de …

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Andalusian Buttonquail observed in Algeria

3 December 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Andalusian Buttonquail / Turnix d’Andalousie (Turnix sylvaticus sylvaticus), north-east Algeria, 29 Nov. 2019 (Moussa Houache).

The Andalusian Buttonquail observed in Algeria for the first time after almost three decades without confirmed sightings. Le Turnix d’Andalousie observé en Algérie pour la première fois après une absence d’observations vérifiées pendant près de trois décennies. The Andalusian Buttonquail – affectionately known in Europe as Andalusian Hemipode – is the Mediterranean endemic subspecies of …

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Are birding optics banned from entry in Morocco?

29 September 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Morocco

Are birding optics banned in Morocco? The short answer in NO.

Are birding optics such as telescopes banned in Morocco? Are there any new rules regarding this subject? The answer is NO. Please read until the end, share with your friends and colleagues and contribute your feedback (after your visit to the country). Morocco has been visited by several kinds of people over the years, from …

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Birding Northern and Southern Algeria (trip report)

27 April 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Algeria

Red-billed Firefinches (Lagonosticta senegala), Tamanrasset, southern Algeria (Sam Viles)

In March 2019, three birders – Peter Stronach, Bob Swann and Sam Viles – visited northern Algeria and the region of Tamanrraset in the south. The aim was to see the three most wanted species from the Western Palearctic birders’ perspective. Below is a summary of the main visited sites and key species. The full …

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Dunn’s Lark at Merzouga, Morocco

28 March 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Morocco

African Dunn’s Lark / Alouette de Dunn (Eremalauda dunni), Merzouga, Morocco, 26 March 2019 (Jeroen De Bruijn).

Dunn’s Lark reappeared at Merzouga almost 7 years later. Dunn’s Lark was discovered at Merzouga in April 2010 by a group of Austrian birders (Ernst Albegger and his colleagues). Breeding of the species was confirmed next month by Martin Barry, Benoît Maire and Alain Mathurin. Almost every birder who visited the area during this spring …

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