The House Bunting reached Jbel Moussa in 2015, and a year later it reached the nearby Ceuta (see the update below). The House Bunting (Emberiza sahari) colonised Tangier since at least a decade ago and now is abundant in many parts of this big city (Amezian et al. 2006). Then it colonised Tétouan since at least […]
Jbel Moussa is known as a good point for observing bird migration crossing the Strait of Gibraltar between Africa and Europe. But it’s also known for its colony of the endangered Barbary macaque (Macaca sylvanus). The macaques inhabit the inaccessible parts of Jbel Moussa, but can easily be observed from the western and southern sides
Barbary macaques and vultures at Jbel Moussa, Morocco Read More »
A Golden Nightjar (Caprimulgus eximius) was observed crossing the road between Dakhla and Aousserd and hit by the observers’ car and died on 3 May 2015 (J. Dyczkowski & R. Smykala). This is the first confirmed record for Morocco and the Western Palearctic. This interesting record confirms once more that the Aousserd region is one of the best birding
Golden Nightjar at Aousserd: first Western Palearctic record Read More »
Large influx of Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus) has been detected in Morocco during the last few days and continues to this date. – On 2 May, Brahim Bakass photographed 2 Red-footed Falcons near Kelaat M’Gouna. – On 10 May, Karim Laïdi and his GOMAC colleagues photographed a male and female at Enjil Plateau, Boulemane Province
Vultures bathing in clean water captured by camera-trap at Jbel Moussa, northern Morocco. These photos show a flock of Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) enjoying their “bathing time” near a water source at Jbel Moussa. The images were captured by a camera-trap set up by our team at a small “pool” built by the local villagers
Vultures bathing captured by camera trap at Jbel Moussa Read More »
A Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis) affected by progressive greying photographed at Dayet Aoua in the Middle Atlas Mountains by Saad Rih. (It’s not a leucistc bird as stated before, see the comment in the update below). Un Grèbe à cou noir touché par le ‘grisonnement progressive’ photographié à Dayet Aoua dans le Moyen Atlas par Saad
Black-necked Grebe affected by progressive greying (not leucism) Read More »
Below is a discussion about the identification of an interesting falcon observed in Morocco, and an update about the taxonomic status of the Barbary Falcon. Barbary Falcon with some Peregrine characteristics This falcon was photographed on the cliffs where the Barbary Falcons are known to breed near Rissani, Morocco, in mid-April 2015 by David Walsh.
Two Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) seen at Annakhil, Marrakech since at least October 2014 by Stephane Abtan. They were seen also in November 2014 (photo 1) and in January 2015. In March, they were observed there again by Benoît Maire and Brahim Bakass. Probably nesting locally. Last February, a breeding colony of this invasive species was found breeding
Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) at Marrakech Read More »
This wheatear with a strange plumage was photographed in Morocco by Chris Smallbones last March and forwarded to us by his colleague Mike Langman. It’s difficult to assign a name to this ‘white-eared wheatear’. It appears that it’s an abnormal individual. But, is it a Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucura) or maybe a hybrid between this
Mystery wheatear (Oenanthe sp.) photographed in Morocco Read More »
During a short stop at the rubbish dump of Fnideq, we discovered a Pied Crow (Corvus albus) among many Northern Ravens (Corvus corax) and Yellow-legged Gulls (Larus michahellis). We should note that the behaviour of the crow we saw was that of a perfectly wild bird. It was very shy as it’s the first to
Pied Crow at Fnideq, northern Morocco (2015-2020) Read More »