Merzouga - MaghrebOrnitho

Black-eared Wheatear split and new ‘melanoleuca’ record for Morocco

12 May 2020 / Bird Taxonomy, Birds of Morocco

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe melanoleuca) captured and ringed at Merzouga, south-east Morocco, 8 March 2020 (Marc Illa).

The ‘Black-eared Wheatear’ is split into two separate species by the ‘IOC World Bird List’ based on recent genetic research. The first modern record of the Eastern Black-eared Wheatear has arrived just in time. Le Traquet oreillard est composé de deux taxons, qui sont considérés jusqu’à présent comme des sous-espèces : un taxon nominal occidental […]

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Abundant passage of Isabelline Wheatear in eastern Morocco

7 March 2020 / Bird Migration, Birds of Morocco

Isabelline Wheatear / Traquet isabelle (Oenanthe isabellina), Merzouga, Morocco, 5 March 2020 (Marc Illa)

Until recently, the Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) used to be a rarity in Morocco. In fact, the species was only removed from the list of species that need to be submitted to the Moroccan Rare Birds at the end of 2017. At the end of February, Marc Illa and his colleagues arrived in Morocco in

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Yellow-browed Warbler at Merzouga, Morocco

14 April 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Yellow-browed Warbler / Pouillot à grands sourcils (Phylloscopus inornatus), Merzouga, Morocco, 13 April 2019 (Marc Illa).

A Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) caught and ringed at Merzouga Ringing Station yesterday by Marc Illa and his co-workers. Marc wrote in an email that “The bird had some fat, indicating probably a long flight, so perhaps coming from south of the Sahara (as it has been already documented to happen)”. [For non bird ringers,

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Franklin’s Gull at Merzouga Lake, Morocco

9 April 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Franklin's Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan), Merzouga Lake, Morocco, 8 April 2019 (Marc Illa).

A cracking adult Franklin’s Gull (Leucophaeus pipixcan) photographed at Dayet Srij, a small temporary lake near Merzouga. It was discovered yesterday by Marc Illa, Ivan Maggini and Georg Gruber. This is the 10th record of this North American species for Morocco. It’s also the first one found far inland, all previous records were found on

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Dunn’s Lark at Merzouga, Morocco

28 March 2019 / Birding News, Birds of Morocco

African Dunn’s Lark / Alouette de Dunn (Eremalauda dunni), Merzouga, Morocco, 26 March 2019 (Jeroen De Bruijn).

Dunn’s Lark reappeared at Merzouga almost 7 years later. Dunn’s Lark was discovered at Merzouga in April 2010 by a group of Austrian birders (Ernst Albegger and his colleagues). Breeding of the species was confirmed next month by Martin Barry, Benoît Maire and Alain Mathurin. Almost every birder who visited the area during this spring

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First records of Eastern Subalpine Warbler for Morocco

17 March 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Eastern Subalpine Warbler (Sylvia cantillans albistriata), Merzouga, Morocco (Marc Illa)

The split of the Subalpine Warbler complex (sensu lato) into three different species (i.e. Moltoni’s, Western and Eastern Subalpine Warblers) was proposed a few years ago. However, currently the Moltoni’s Warbler (Sylvia subalpina), which is the most divergent of the three taxa, is the only widely adopted split by different taxonomic authorities. Although the full

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Presumed ‘Cinnamon Teal x Shoveler’ hybrid at Merzouga lake, Morocco

9 March 2019 / Birds of Morocco

Presumed ‘Cinnamon Teal x Northern Shoveler hybrid’, Merzouga Lake, Morocco, 3 March 2019 (Frieder Klöpfer and Laura Lüdtke).

A presumed Cinnamon Teal x Northern Shoveler hybrid (Spatula cyanoptera x S. clypeata) was photographed at Dayet Srij near Merzouga, south-eastern Morocco. The bird was found by Frieder Klöpfer and Laura Lüdtke on 3 March 2019. The desert lake is full of water and birds. About 500 Greater Flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) and several species of

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Sand Cat sighted at Merzouga, Morocco

2 March 2019 / Mammals

Sand cat / chat des sables (Felis margarita margarita), Merzouga, Morocco, 23 Feb. 2019 (photo by MT).

The elusive Sand Cat (Felis margarita) sighted in Merzouga region for the first time in almost three decades. The sand cat was observed and photographed on the evening of 23 February 2019 (photos below). According to the locals, the species has not been observed in the region of Merzouga since the 1990s. Exactly, the last

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Egyptian Nightjars arrive early to the breeding areas

29 February 2016 / 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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