Some mammal notes from the Aousserd region made by Prof. Abdeljebbar Qninba of the University Mohammed V-Rabat and the Association Nature Initiative (A.N.I.). These observations were made between 18 March and 6 April 2016 in the framework of the project on the “Inventory of Cultural and Natural Heritage of the Aousserd Province” run by the
Mammal notes from the Aousserd region, southern Morocco Read More »
Even in the Mediterranean region, some European Stonechats can look very similar to Siberian Stonechats. A much whiter Stonechat was briefly seen in northern Morocco while walking through dense shrubs on 4 April 2016. We both spotted the bird because of its whitish appearance, and all the following characteristics were seen in the field: Much
Siberian Stonechat? No, it’s a European with some Siberian’s features Read More »
Breeding range expansion of the Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) continues in Morocco. After the reproduction of the species at Smir marshes in 2011 and two years later at Merja Fouarat, a new breeding colony is established at Casablanca. The latter colony is found at Parc Sindibad (amusement park located inside the city) by Pierre Beaugé. In
Breeding of Glossy Ibis in an urban park at Casablanca Read More »
“La migración intercontinental de la espátula (Platalea leucorodia)” is the title of the first monograph on the Eurasian Spoonbill published in Spanish. It was edited by the ‘Limes Platalea project’ of the ‘Sociedad Gaditana de Historia Natural’ and published last autumn in Cadiz, Andalusia. Despite the title, the book included articles about different aspects (migration, wintering
The Eurasian Spoonbill at Smir: past, present and future (book article) Read More »
The recent migration of two young Bonelli’s Eagles across the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco shows an unknown dispersive movement in this species. This confirms once again the importance of North Africa to the Iberian raptors. The Bonelli’s Eagle (Aquila fasciata) is usually resident across its breeding range. However, some immature birds sometimes make large dispersive
Tracked Bonelli’s Eagles reached Africa for the first time Read More »
The first proven breeding of Black-headed Gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) in Africa was found at an islet of Barrage Al-Massira in 2002 (Radi et al. 2004; Thévenot et al. 2004). Soon after, the species started to colonise other wetlands in Morocco and some sites in Algeria and Tunisia as well. The following sites are where the
Breeding expansion of Black-headed Gull in Morocco Read More »
Tracking Spanish Imperial Eagles showed the scale of their movements in Morocco and Africa in general. In 2015, six young satellite-tracked Spanish Imperial Eagles (Aquila adalberti) visited North Africa from Andalusia, southern Spain. A recent article by researchers from the Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC) and the Government of Andalusia explored the subject of these eagles’
Spanish Imperial Eagle recovering space beyond borders Read More »
Malgré l’état de conservation défavorable du Vautour percnoptère (Neophron percnopterus) et d’autres espèces de vautours, il est encore possible de sauver ces oiseaux tant décriés. Mais davantage d’études sont nécessaires car, comme le dit le dicton, « nous ne pouvons pas conserver ce que nous ne connaissons pas ». ‘The plight of the Egyptian Vulture
Les vautours au Maghreb: une situation critique et espoirs pour l’avenir Read More »
A Pied Crow was photographed at Oulad Driss palm grove – located some 7 km east of Mhamid in eastern Sahara, on 1 November 2015 (Thomas S. Lahlafi). Brahim Bakass, who reported the news, said he will try to see the bird next day but without success (Brahim is a birder and bird guide who
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