The 23rd report (for 2017) of the Moroccan Rare Birds Committee (MRBC) is published. In 2017, the MRBC examined 116 new records of which 111 were accepted. These included the first Moroccan records of the following four species and one genus: Cinnamon Teal (Spatula cyanoptera), Fea’s/Desertas/Zino’s Petrel (Pterodroma feae/deserta/madeira), Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis), Baird’s Sandpiper
Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) is considered an accidental visitor in Morocco. But based on recent observations, the species should be regarded as a migrant and wintering visitor in Morocco. For example, 4 birds were counted at Jbel Moussa in spring 2017 and 6 birds in spring 2016 (including 3 birds photographed together on 7 May).
First record of Cinereous Vulture for Mauritania Read More »
Wahlberg’s Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi) is an African raptor distributed south of the Sahara. It’s known as an intra-African migrant, but movements north of the range are very rare. Indeed, the first Western Palearctic record was obtained only on 3 May 2013: a bird photographed by Ahmed Waheed on the west coast of Gulf of Suez,
Second Wahlberg’s Eagle for the Western Palearctic Read More »
Tawny Eagle in Morocco is critically endangered and extremely rare, with no documented breeding pairs recorded for more than two decades. The former breeding range of Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) in Morocco was much larger, however the known breeding areas in the past few decades are/were much more restricted as the species has already disappeared
Tawny Eagle in Morocco: current status and vagrancy potential Read More »
About two years ago Karim Rousselon shared with us the story of how a Swedish Peregrine Falcon was rescued from poachers at Casablanca. The same story happened again last November with a Peregrine Falcon from Finland and a Saker Falcon. This account is based on the report by K. Rousselon and his co-authors published today.
Almost 1500 White-headed Ducks (Oxyura leucocephala) counted yesterday by Said Lahrouz and his team at Merja Fouwarate (Fouarat), a peri-urban wetland located at Kenitra (north-west Morocco). A more detailed census the next day, 1 January 2018, revealed a total of 1430 individuals, including 600 males (Lahrouz et al. 2018). This is probably the biggest wintering
Important White-headed Duck wintering population in Morocco Read More »
A summary of a birding trip to Oued Dahab region by The Sound Approach team that focused mainly on sound recording as well as general birding. Written by Arnoud B. van den Berg. As there were reports of rain from Dakhla-Aousserd three months earlier, we visited the area on 10-19 December 2017 for The Sound
Birding trip to Dakhla-Aousserd region by The Sound Approach Read More »
In the Palearctic, the Striped Ground Squirrel is only present in Morocco. Despite being relatively large and diurnal, the species remained poorly known since it was discovered in the country. A new study shed more light on this mammal species. The striped ground squirrel (Euxerus erythropus) is widely distributed in the Sudano-Guinean savannah, between the
Striped Ground Squirrel in Morocco – hidden in plain sight Read More »
A short report about a pelagic trip off Agadir on 30 October 2017 by Arnoud B. van den Berg: “More than a month ago, high numbers of six shearwater species were seen on a Limosa pelagic trip c 15 km offshore from Agadir, Atlantic Morocco. No wind, so most were floating on the water. Also
Seawatching off Agadir, Morocco, 30 October 2017 Read More »
The breeding of Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita) in the last wild population in southern Morocco has been exceptional during the last few years. With this breeding output, the establishment of new breeding colonies was expected for some time now. The productivity ranged between 1 and 1.7 fledged chicks per breeding pair, and the overall
New Northern Bald Ibis breeding sites discovered in Morocco Read More »