The 26th report of the Moroccan Rare Birds Committee (MRBC) was published earlier this month. In 2020, the MRBC processed 62 records of which 55 were accepted. As to be expected in a year affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, there were actually only eight records from 2020, with the majority from 2019 (47 observations) and …
Deux Bruants rustiques observés dans le plateau du Tademaït dans le Sahara central algérien le 23 novembre 2021 (Robert Minshull). C’est la deuxième mention de l’espèce pour l’Algérie. Two Rustic Buntings found at Tademaït Plateau in Central Algerian Sahara on 23 November 2021. Robert Minshull first heard the birds’ call before trying to get some …
Two Rustic Buntings at Tademaït Plateau, Central Algeria Read More »
Two very rare visitors from North America and the Arctic landed in Morocco recently: Yellow-billed Cuckoo and Lapland Longspur. Lapland Longspur A Lapland Longspur was found at a small pond near Dayet Dar Bouazza on 13 November 2021 by Benoit Maire. Dayet Dar Bouazza and the adjacent pond where the bird was found are small …
First Lapland Longspur and 2nd Yellow-billed Cuckoo for Morocco Read More »
An African White-backed Vulture photographed at Tarifa, southern Spain. October and November is the time of Griffon Vulture migration at the Strait of Gibraltar. Thousands of juvenile and immature birds cross the Strait at this time to winter in Africa. And their African cousins, Rüppell’s and White-backed Vultures, tend also to occur with them at …
A Sudan Golden Sparrow (Passer luteus) captured at Ceuta during a ringing session. On 3 October, the Chagra Ringing Group captured an unexpected bird during a ringing session at Punta Blanca in Ceuta: a juvenile Sudan Golden Sparrow. How it arrived this far north? While the possibility of a natural arrival can’t be discarded, so …
A Red-billed Tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus) flying-over a beach near Oued Massa, southern Morocco. Sabine Zègres photographed the Red-billed Tropicbird at a beach near Oued Massa on 13 May 2021. The bird was heading north and, for a moment, seemed to have wanted to land near a small group of cormorants and gulls but continued flying …
The authors from the Zoological Society of London report their bird observations at Sidi Toui National Park made during six surveys (in 4 years). Although the main focus of the surveys was to monitor the oryx and gazelle populations, their ornithological records were nevertheless very important as they added new information about the birds of …
Bird observations at Sidi Toui National Park, Tunisia Read More »
Griffon Vulture started breeding again in Morocco following a very successful reintroduction trial at Jbel Moussa by the Moroccan Department of Forestry in cooperation with GREPOM. Watching Griffon Vultures mating and starting breeding for the first time ever at Jbel Moussa is a real joy. And that’s for several reasons, the most important of which …
Breeding of Griffon Vulture at Jbel Moussa, Morocco Read More »
Three species new to Algeria were discovered 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 in the …
New to Algeria: African Crake, Red-tailed Shrike and Little Bunting Read More »
Movements of two satellite-tracked Marbled Ducks (Marmaronetta angustirostris) from Spain to North Africa. One of them, made a spectacular round-trip in 24 hours. As part of the ‘Marbled Duck reintroduction project’ in the Valencian Community (SE Spain), 21 birds were fitted with GPS-trackers and released into El Hondo Natural Park (Some birds are of wild …