Discovering and Birding Morocco

• A Chaouen : Une Hirondelle rustique et 4 Hirondelles de fenêtre à Chaouen le 30 janvier.
• Au Barrage d'Ichtal : 25 Grèbes huppés, 60 Grands Cormorans, 2 Aigrettes garzettes, 4-5 Hérons cendrés, x100 Canards colverts, c.100 Canards souchets, Perdrix gambra, 300 Foulques macroules, 10 Goélands leucophées, Alouette des champs, Hirondelle de rochers, Crave à bec rouge et 15 Grands Corbeaux.
• Près de Talembote à l'entrée du Parc Naturel de Talassemtane, Gorges de Parda, site d'Achkour : Epervier d'Europe, Perdrix gambra, Pigeon biset, Hirondelle de rochers, Bergeronnette des ruisseaux, Rougequeue noir et Fauvettes à tête noire.
• A Oued Laou : quelques Fous de Bassan, Huîtrier pie, Labbe parasite, Goélands leucophées assez communs, quelques Mouettes rieuses et Sternes caugek, Etourneaux unicolores assez communs.

Observations complémentaires du 1 et 2 février à Oued Laou dans le Haut Rif : un ou deux Grands Gravelots et Chevaliers guignettes, un Chevalier aboyeur, un Goéland railleur, c50 Mouettes mélanocéphales, c30 Goélands d'Audouin, Chevêches d'Athéna, Pigeons bisets, Hirondelles de rochers, Monticole bleu (J. Franchimont & F. Touati Malih).

• Au barrage de Ouezzane : 6 Grèbes castagneux, 6 Grands Cormorans, un Héron gardeboeuf, 2 Aigrettes garzettes, 2 Hérons cendrés, un Fuligule milouin, un couple de Busards des roseaux en voie d'installation, 145 Foulques macroules, un Chevalier culblanc, nombreux Pigeons ramiers, un Martin-pêcheur d'Europe, une cinquantaine d'Hirondelles rustiques, quelques Bergeronnettes grises, Grives musiciennes, Fauvettes mélanocéphales et Pouillots véloces, Rougegorges assez communs, un couple de Grands Corbeaux et nombreux Pinsons des arbres.
• Dans une forêt de cyprès sur les hauteurs de Zoumi : une Buse féroce, un couple de Fauvettes pitchou, quelques Geais des chênes, un couple de Grands Corbeaux et quelques Tarins des aulnes (J. Franchimont & F. Touati Malih).

• 13th November 2006: Multiple Orphean Warblers within the maquis around the village of Taghrat above the gorges.
• 15th November 2006: 2 male Orphean warblers seen around the roadside vegetation at Askri. Also a single male Orphean warbler dead on the road.  
• 18th, 19th, 21st, 22nd November 2007: At least one pair of Orphean warblers present within the olive groves next to the hotel Tifrit. Both male and female birds were seen clearly enough to eliminate Sardinian Warbler which was also present.
• I have not visited paradise valley during December and January, and so cannot comment on their presence during these months.' (R. Moss).
  
  

• Sooty Tern. Observed beyond the mouth of the Souss Estuary over the sea on Friday 25th November 2005. A large tern flying over the mouth of the river and eventually out over the sea, and towards the north, away from the sun. It is a strange bird, as large as a sandwich tern but away from the glare of the sun it shows a uniform dark brown/black upper surface and crown. The wings are large and pointedly long. It fly's like some monstrous sea swallow.
• A dark slate grey Egret - Western Reef Heron/Egret or a dark form of little Egret? Oued Igzoulane, at the crossing of the N1, north of Tamri on 9 May 2006. A medium sized heron, straight back and neck. A uniform slate/grape grey colour with a yellow bill. The heron was beside a sizeable stretch of water within the riverbed, which was standing not flowing. An odd sighting away from the coast, but there must have been recent significant local rainfall. This day was market by significant maritime mist and cloud covering the whole coast from Sidi Ifni up to Essaouira.
• Late Eleonora's Falcon sightings at Essaouira: 2 at sunset flying out over the sea to the island on 31 Oct 2004; 1 flying northwards along the shore past the ruined Portuguese fort, and on to the Oued Ksob on 1st Nov 2004
• The lagoon above the beach at Sidi Ifni, 17 January 2007: Calandra Lark, Crested Lark, Sardinian Warbler, Chiffchaff, Stonechat, Fan Tailed Warbler, Spanish Sparrow, Common Sandpiper, Cattle Egret, Swallows moving north all day in groups of 1-4. At the old airport 6 Crag Martins and 1 Pallid Swift.
• Paradise Valley / Assif Tamrhakh: 'Probably the most interesting addition to the avifauna that you list for this site is the presence of Double Spurred Francolin within the Assif Tamrhakh upstream from the gorges:
  • 5 in a flock on 12 November 2006. These were in the Assif Tamrhakh where the track crosses the riverbed to Ait Chelh village, east of Tifrit. Locally this section of the tributary of the Assif Tamrhakh above the gorges is called Assif Ait Chelh. There was a stagnant pool of water beside the track within the riverbed which supported good vegetation and was supporting good birdlife, notably noisy common bulbuls. These in turn attracted a Sparrowhawk. The Double Spurred Francolin appeared in the late afternoon flying a short distance down the valley in a parrot like bluster of "kwarr" shouts. Upon going to ground nearby they could not be relocated.
  • 7 in a flock on the 13 November 2006. These were located just upriver from the palm groves at the head of the gorges in paradise valley (Assif Tamrhakh). The site is located near significant pools of water beneath the village of Taghrat. The flock of francolins flew noisily from one side of the steep valley to the other. Their brown streaked back and wings were clearly seen.
  • One at the palm groves in Tifrit on 6 June 2007. The bird flew near vertically downwards to the valley floor below the palm grove. It passed downwards in front of us with a pulsing manner of flight consisting of a frenzy of whirring wings, followed by the wings held stiff in free fall flight. This bird was seen in the evening.  
• Other species seen at this site include Crag Martin: these have been observed above the gorges within the Assif Tamrhakh, in the sky above Tifrit, and above the Cascades hotel in Immouzzer. All sightings were in the month of November. On the 8 November 2004 near to the hotel Cascades, we also observed crag martins flying in front of the cliffs, just to the north east of the cascades. We observed them from a path beside the irrigation "fallaj" that climbs down the cliff face from the hotel grounds. They flew as close as several meters to us, while flying up to holes in the rock face above us. They would offer a "tweet" as they approached and sometimes entered a hole, although I did not hear the calls of any young.
• Also seen within the gardens of the hotel Cascades at Immouzzer on the 5 June 2007 were a single Golden Oriole and a nesting pair of Olivaceous Warbler. A pair of Bonelli's Eagle also soared up from the Tinkert valley floor, below the hotel, to disappear behind the ridge of pine forest above the hotel and road. According to Mohammed… a Black Headed Bush Shrike wintered in the gardens until April 2007. A pair of Bonelli's Eagle were also present over Tifrit on 16th November 2006. They cruised over the Tamrhakh valley to the North. Other raptors seen at this location are Sparrowhawk at Tifrit, Ait Chelh, and Immouzzer. A pair of Barbary Falcon was also seen at Immouzzer on 23 November 2005. Tawny owl has also been seen in Tifrit, and heard in Immouzzer.
• Also seen at Tifrit: Robin, Song Thrush, Olivaceous Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Orphean Warbler, Subalpine Warbler, Jay; Chiffchaff and Blackcap are common winter visitors, and Chiffchaff can be present in huge numbers. 20 were seen flying about a single palm tree beside the pool at the hotel Cascades in Immouzzer on the 22 November 2007. Orphean Warbler is also common around Paradise Valley in the winter.
• At Askri I have observed 10 Cirl Bunting on 20 November 2007 and 2 male Crossbill on 15 November 2006 (R. Moss).
  
  

• A la Sebkha bou Areg : 279 Podiceps cristatus, 31 Podiceps nigricollis, 58 Tachybaptus ruficollis, 413 Phalacrocorax carbo, 128 Ardea cinerea, 2 Casmerodius albus, 58 Egretta garzetta, 191 Bubulcus ibis, 6 Platalea lucorodia, 11 Plegadis falcinellus, 650 Phenicopterus roseus, 183 Anas platyrhynchos, 42 Anas penelope, 104 Anas acuta, 1 Mergus serrator, 1 Pandion haliaetus, 4 Circus aeruginosus, 1 Rallus acuaticus, 13 Gallinula chloropus, 632 Fulica atra, 87 Himantopus himantopus, 53 Charadrius hiaticula, 68 Charadrius dubius, 255 Charadrius alexandrinus, 16 Pluvialis apricaria, 79 Pluvialis squatarola, 51 Arenaria interpres, 159 Calidris alpina, 255 Calidris minuta, 5 Calidris canutus, 109 Calidris alba, 114 Tringa totanus, 8 Tringa erythropus, 27 Tringa nebularia, 14 Actitis hypoleucos, 38 Numenius arquata, 13 Limosa limosa, 10 Gallinago gallinago, 242 Burhinus oedicnemus, 283 Larus audouinii, 94 Larus genei, 340 Larus ridibundus, 51 Larus melanocephalus, 500+ Larus michaellis, 103 Larus fuscus, 8 Sterna caspia, 2 Sterna bengalensis, 107 Sterna sandvicensis, 8 Streptopelia decaocto, 23 Galerida cristata, 100+ Anthus pratensis, 6 Anthus spinoletta, 83 alba et 5 subpersonata Motacilla alba, 5 Lanius meridionalis algeriensis, 21 Cisticola juncidis, 46 Phylloscopus collybita, 28 Saxicola torquatus, 10 Phoenicurus ochruros, 6 Erithacus rubecula, et 8 Turdus philomelos.
• Au barrage Arabet : 28 Podiceps cristatus, 2 Podiceps nigricollis, 11 Tachybaptus ruficollis, 23 Phalacrocorax carbo, 18 Ardea cinerea, 1 Casmerodius albus, 5 Egretta garzetta, 1000+ Bubulcus ibis au dortoir, 4 Aythya fuligula, 65 Aythya ferina, 1 Oxyura leucocephala, 1 Circus aeruginosus, 8 Gallinula chloropus, 61 Fulica atra, 3 Charadrius hiaticula, 13 Charadrius dubius, 25 Charadrius alexandrinus, 2 Alcedo atthis, 4 Galerida cristata, 22 Anthus pratensis, 2 Anthus spinoletta, 31 alba et 2 subpersonata Motacilla alba. (D.J. Abad & R.R. Espinar).

• Khniffis Lagoon. 30/12//07. Count of area visible from car park, excluding the distant lagoon mouth and extensive lagoons to south: Great Cormorant - c100; Little Egret - c20; Grey Heron - c30; Spoonbill - 10, incl. Dutch-ringed juvenile; Great Flamingo - c1600 (also 1000+ in southern lagoons); Ruddy Shelduck – 3; Oystercatcher - c200; Black-winged Stilt - c200; Little Ringed Plover 2+; Ringed Plover - c300; Golden Plover – 1; Grey Plover - c200; Red Knot - c200; Sanderling - c210; Little Stint - c150, plus c200 probables in flight in distance; Dunlin - c1500 Bar-tailed Godwit - c2000; Whimbrel – 3; Curlew - c500; Redshank - c500; Greenshank – 5; Common Sandpiper – 5; Turnstone - c100; Caspian Tern – 4; Sandwich Tern - c200
• Oued Saquiat al Hamra at Laayoune. 31/12/07. The Oued was flooded on both sides of the main road in Laayoune (N1). The lagoon was being enriched by sewage run-off from housing along the southern shore. The count refers to the area within the town limits, apart from the Coots and gulls which were on the reservoir beyond the dam to the east: Black Stork - 2 circling overhead; Greater Flamingo – 600; Ruddy Shelduck - 12 over to West; Moorhen – 50; Eurasian Coot - c500 (distant views only as they fed on reservoir to East of Laayoune, in shallows along with c1000 Black-headed Gulls); Avocet – 140; Black-winged Stilt – 900; Little ringed Plover – 100; Ringed Plover – 150; Kentish Plover 1; Northern Lapwing – 1; Sanderling -5; Dunlin – 400; Little Stint – 200; Common Sandpiper – 3; Redshank – 400; Ruff – 6; Black-headed Gull - c1000.