The European shag is one of the rarest breeding birds (and one of the rarest native birds in general) in Morocco having known a decline of 90% of its population over the last few years. The local breeding subspecies, P. aristotelis riggenbachi, is a Moroccan endemic and is thus a very endangered taxon (with some studies saying it would meet critically endangered criteria if it was elevated to species level). The last reliable spot for this latter in the whole of Morocco (and thus the world) is the coastal cliffs between Tamri and Imsouane, which are also known to be the nesting site for the biggest wild colony of Northern bald ibises in the world.
Said spot isn't too far from where I live (about 70km north) and is a few km up north from one of my main birding spots so I thought I would go there for the first time yesterday to try my luck and hopefully see a shag, which would be a Moroccan lifer (though I definitely was pessimistic over my chances). Surely enough, after walking through the dunes to the last breeding colony know,n I stumbled upon one of them lying on a rocky outcrop in the ocean, a mere hundred meters in front of me.
What a sighting! Certainly one of my biggest finds to date (as it is one of the few taxa I've found myself that needs to be registered by the local rare bird committee) and I'm glad I could see one of these cormorants before they, sadly but probably, disappear from the country.
20/06/2021 (Cliffs between Tamri and Imsouane, Morocco)
BIRDS:
155 - European shag, Phalacrocorax aristotelis ssp. riggenbachi
156 - Northern raven, Corvus corax
A pair of ravens on the road were also a definitely welcome addition as it was probably the most common species I was still missing for the year. Many peregrine falcons (including one of the brookei ssp.) as well as two species of wheatears (Black-eared and Black) on the road and at the shag spot were not additions but still very fun nonetheless.
The Saharan part of Morocco is one of the regions I've most wanted to visit since I've become a birder. As such, I was ecstatic to learn that an impromptu visit to the Dakhla region (one of the best regions for birding in the whole country) was planned for the last days of June.
Due to lack of time (and it being a family trip), I knew I wouldn't be able to visit the now famous and probably best birding spot of the area, the Aousserd road, where all the Sahellian specialties are seen: Golden nightjar, Cricket longtail, Dunn's lark, Sudan golden sparrow, Black-crowned sparrow-lark etc..
Nonetheless, I still had enough time to plan visits to get as much desert specialties (something I've been lacking for years as I've never birded in the Sahara) and maybe even try for the elusive Namaqua dove, one of the rarest breeding birds in the country, known from only one location: a tomato farm in the middle of the desert.
Well, I think it went quite well...
27/06/2021 (Aéroport de Laâyoune, Morocco)
BIRDS:
158 - Cream-coloured courser, Cursorius cursor
28/06/2021 (Baie de Dakhla, Morocco)
BIRDS:
159 - Caspian tern, Hydroprogne caspia
160 - West African tern, Thalasseus albididorsalis
161 - White-breasted cormorant, Phalacrocorax lucidus
MAMMALS:
2 - Common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus
INVERTS:
35 - West African fiddler crab, Afruca tangeri
(Route N1, vers el Argoub)
162 - Greater hoopoe-lark, Alaemon alaudipes
163 - Red-rumped wheatear, Oenanthe moesta
29/06/2021 (Gleib Jediane, Morocco)
BIRDS:
164 - Bar-tailed lark, Ammomanes cinctura
(Ferme de Mijk, Morocco)
165 - Namaqua dove, Oena capensis
(Sebkhat Imlili, Morocco)
166 - Brown-necked raven, Corvus ruficollis
167 - Desert wheatear, Oenanthe deserti
The major highlight and rarest species of the trip, as mentioned above, is obviously the Namaqua dove of which I got excellent views of one individual and poor views of a possible second, maybe young, one. Definitely, one of my best species in Morocco!
However, all the other species are amazing as well and nearly all desert species (barring things like courser) were lifers for me. Greater hoopoe-lark is especially notable as it was one of the species I wanted to see most due to its uniqueness, and I have to say it doesn't disappoint (and luckily it seems to be a very common species in that corner of the world).
Apart from birds, a group of Common bottlenose dolphin, a lifer for me, gave some great views as they were fishing right in front of our hotel room, followed by Caspian and West African crested terns feeding on the bits that came to the surface. West African fiddler crabs were also everywhere, to our delight.
