Siberian Stonechat? No, it’s a European with some Siberian’s features

European Stonechats like this bird can look similar to Siberian Stonechat (Saxicola maurus).

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 […]

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Breeding of Glossy Ibis in an urban park at Casablanca

Glossy Ibis - Ibis falcinelle (Plegadis falcinellus), Parc Sindibad, Casablanca (Pierre Beaugé)

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

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The Eurasian Spoonbill at Smir: past, present and future (book article)

Front cover book “La migración intercontinental de la espátula (Platalea leucorodia)”

“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

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Tracked Bonelli’s Eagles reached Africa for the first time

Bonelli’s Eagle ‘Zahara’ passing through the Strait of Gibraltar

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

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Spanish Imperial Eagle recovering space beyond borders

Juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle (Aquila adalberti) seen at Tarifa, Spain about to cross the Strait of Gibraltar to Morocco

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’

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

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 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

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Northern Bald Ibis at Larache, northern 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

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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