Les vautours au Maghreb: une situation critique et espoirs pour l’avenir

/ Conservation News
Un couple de Vautour percnoptère (Neophron percnopterus) transporte de la nourriture au nid, Moyen Atlas, Maroc, 26 juin 2014 (Rachid El Khamlichi)

Malgré l’état de conservation défavorable du Vautour percnoptère (Neophron percnopterus) et d’autres espèces de vautours, il est encore possible de sauver ces tant décriés oiseaux. Mais davantage études sont nécessaires, car comme le dit le dicton, “nous ne pouvons pas conserver ce que nous ne savons pas”. ‘The plight of the Egyptian Vulture and hopes for […]

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Northern Bald Ibis at Larache, northern Morocco

/ Birds of Morocco
Northern Bald Ibis - Ibis chauve (Geronticus eremita), Larache, northern Morocco, 1 March 2016 (Imad Yassine)

Two Northern Bald Ibises (Geronticus eremita) were photographed yesterday at Larache, northern Morocco by Moroccan birder Imad Yassine. The birds were not ringed, so they are either from the Moroccan population or from the introduced population in southern Spain (if they have some birds not ringed?). The Moroccan breeding colonies at Tamri and Souss-Massa National

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Egyptian Nightjars arrive early to the breeding areas

/ Birds of Morocco
Egyptian Nightjar / Engoulevent du désert (Caprimulgus aegyptius), near Merzouga, 16 Feb 2014

We received two recent sightings of Egyptian Nightjars (Caprimulgus aegyptius) in this February from two important birding hotspots: Aousserd in Western Sahara and Merzouga in Eastern Sahara. The first bird was seen at Laglat/Derraman near Oued Jenna on 18 Feb. 2016 by Javier Elorriaga and Yeray Seminario (Birding the Strait). In addition to the single Egyptian

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Allen’s Gallinule at Tachektent, Dakhla-Aousserd road

/ Birding News, Birds of Morocco
Allen’s Gallinule / Talève d’Allen (Porphyrio alleni), Tachektent, Oued Dahab, 18 Feb. 2016 (Mohamed Mediani)

Allen’s Gallinule (Porphyrio alleni) found at Tachektent on the Dakhla-Aousserd road yesterday (18 February 2016) by Mohamed Mediani. This is the 11th record for Morocco. The bird photographed by Ali Irizi at Oued Massa on 28 December 2014 and found three days later by Daniel Vrauwdeunt at the same site should be counted as one record in my opinion.

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Swedish Peregrine rescued from poachers at Casablanca, Morocco

/ Conservation News
Peregrine Falcon ‘CX’ in his home city Västerås, Sweden (Anders Nylén).

A 3-year old male Peregrine Falcon ringed in Sweden was captured south of Casablanca by poachers on 18 December 2015. It was released by Karim Rousselon after negotiations with the captors. Un Faucon mâle pèlerin d’origine suédoise de 3 ans capturé par des braconniers le 18/12/2015 au sud de Casablanca. Remis en liberté par Karim

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Desert birds breeding in late autumn and other curiosities

/ Bird Behaviour, Birds of Morocco
Adult male Black-crowned Finch-Lark (Eremopterix nigriceps)

Birding the Sahara is just excellent after rains. A large team composed by several researchers from different fields participated in late November 2015 in an expedition to the areas of Tirs and Adrar Sotouf (west and south-west of Aousserd respectively). The visit was in the framework of a project about the “Inventory of cultural and

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Significant population of Egyptian Vulture found in Morocco

/ Birds of Morocco, Conservation News

Recent observations of the globally endangered Egyptian Vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Morocco become so rare that some authors considered the species on the verge of local extinction as a breeding species. In this context, the observation of 4 birds in spring 2013 and a successful breeding pair near the Tazekka National Park were received with excitement among the

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