Tuesday, December 08, 2009

Morocco species lists

Click here for the full account of the trip.

Birds (98 species)
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea - c.200 on Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Shoveler Anas clypeata - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris - 30-40 Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Pochard Aythya ferina - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Barbary Partridge Alectoris barbara - 1 around highest trees near Oukaimeden
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides - 4 at Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis - In towns with running rivers; up to 100 in Goulmima
Little Egret Egretta garzetta - singles in a few places
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Black Stork Ciconia nigra - 2 at Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus - small flock at Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus - One hunting SE of Marrakech
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus - 1 near adult just below Oukaimeden
Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus - 4 at Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus - singles in many places
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus - singles in desert areas and 3 in Boumalne Tip area, a dozen or more in all
Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos - 1 immature flew over Boumalne Tip heading for the Anti Atlas
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus - fairly common in and around towns
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus erlangeri - 5 in total, mainly singles but 2 together west of Erfoud
Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides - 1 juvenile hunting finches at Oukaimeden
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus - 3 at Rissani
Common Coot Fulica atra - c.100 Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus - 2 on running river west of Erfoud
Phalarope sp. Phalaropus sp. - 5 on Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus - Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Crowned Sandgrouse Pterocles coronatus - c.30 over calling at Dayet Srij (Lake Merzouga)
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis - c.40 on Tagdilt Steppe
Rock Dove / Feral Pigeon Columba livia - scattered in and around towns with presumed wild birds at Oukaimeden
Woodpigeon Columba palumbus - 2 in High Atlas valley
Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto - fairly common in towns
Laughing Dove Stigmatopelia senegalensis - small numbers around Erg Chebbi hotels and palm groves near Erfoud and Rissani
Little Owl Athene noctua - 1 in El Keela M'Gouna at night
Levaillant's Woodpecker Picus vaillantii - 1 female feeding by the road in High Atlas valley
Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major - 1 calling near Restaurant Soleil in High Atlas valley
Greater Hoopoe-Lark Alaemon alaudipes - fairly common in desert areas
Thick-billed Lark Ramphocoris clotbey - 3 at Boumalne Tip
Bar-tailed Lark Ammomanes cinctura - fairly common north of Merzouga and 3 at Boumalne Tip
Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti - small numbers in most desert areas; birds in eastern sandier desert paler than those in stony desert further west
Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens - 5+ at Boumalne Tip
Crested Lark Galerida cristata - Small numbers in desert areas; at least 2 races involved
Thekla Lark Galerida theklae - a few in rocky desert areas especially near edge of foothills
Skylark Alauda arvensis - several at Boumalne Tip
Atlas Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris atlas - 1 at Oukaimeden
Temminck's Lark Eremophila bilopha - fairly common on Tagdilt Steppe
Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris - common around damper oueds and rocky gorges
Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula - c.20 feeding over the pool at Rissani and 1 SE of Erfoud
Swallow Hirundo rustica - 1 at km43 east of Goulmima
Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis - 1 at Oukaimeden
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea - 1 in High Atlas valley
White Wagtail Motacilla alba - ubiquitous; in all habitats from dry desert to towns and valleys; most assumed to be alba but distinctive call from those at Dayet Srij probably indicated subpersonata
Garden Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus - fairly common in and around palm grove and vegetated valleys
Dipper Cinclus cinclus - 2 at Oukaimeden
Wren Troglodytes troglodytes - at top of High Atlas valley
Robin Erithacus rubecula - at top of High Atlas valley
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros - several at Oukaimeden; singles in cultivated areas near towns
Moussier’s Redstart Phoenicurus moussieri - a pair at km43 east of Goulmina
Stonechat Saxicola torquatus - small numbers scattered throughout scrubby desert areas
Red-rumped Wheatear Oenanthe moesta - common on Iknounen road and small numbers in surrounding desert areas
Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti - small numbers in deserts wsouth of Erfoud
Maghreb Wheatear Oenanthe halophila - 1 male by road 2km west of Riad Timadrouin
White-crowned Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucopyga - very common outside of the mountains; 1-200 seen throughout
Black Wheatear Oenanthe leucura - several in High Atlas foothills and adjacent rocky desert
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius - small numbers in rocky places and outskirts of towns
Ring Ouzel Turdus torquatus - 30 of the torquatus race on hillside in High Atlas above last settlement before Oukaimeden
Blackbird Turdus merula - Erfoud town, Todra Gorge and High Atlas
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus - Several at Oukaimeden, including some singing
Cetti’s Warbler Cettia cetti - 1 at pool in Rissani
Scrub Warbler Scotocerca inquieta - up to 5, possibly a family party, at km43 east of Goulmima
Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla - several in Todra Gorge
African Desert Warbler Sylvia deserti - 1 at fossil digging on Kasbar Said road from Erfoud, another possible north of Kasbar Said and good views of a singing male in south of the Kasbar
Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata - 2 at the fossil diggings on the Kasbar Said road and 2 at km43 east of Goulmima
Tristram's Warbler Sylvia deserticola - 2 in tamarisks at the north end of the Erg Chebbi hotels
Sardinian Warbler Sylvia melanocephala - 2 at south end of shortcut to Goulmima and several along High Atlas valley
Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita - fairly common and widespread
Firecrest Regulus ignicapilla - several at top of High Atlas valley
Ultramarine Tit Cyanistes (teneriffae) ultramarinus - at Oukaimeden and along the High Atlas valley
Great Tit Parus major - Oukaimeden
Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis elegans - regular in deserts and suburbs
Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus - many at Oukaimeden
Red Billed Chough Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax - many at Oukaimeden
Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis - up to 16 in the deserts north of Merzouga but large numbers only seen early morning
Raven Corvus corax - 2 in High Atlas north of Oukaimeden
Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor - common in and around Marrakech
House Sparrow Passer domesticus - very common around habitation throughout
Desert Sparrow Passer simplex - a pair at Cafe Caravan with up to 6 seen in the area by another birder
Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia - c.30 at Oukaimeden
Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs - European race common at Oukaimeden, singles of African race seen around Ait Mannsour and in lower part of High Atlas valley
Serin Serinus serinus - Todra Gorge, High Atlas valley and Oukaimeden
Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis - around Ait Mannsour on Tizi n Tichka pass
Linnet Carduelis cannabina - c.200 at Oukaimeden
African Crimson-winged Finch Rhodopechys alienus - c.300 at Oukaimeden, near bottom of long ski lift at dawn then later dispersed higher along the track
Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus - 50 at pool on Kasbar Said road from Erfoud; 12 on northern edge of Merzouga town
Rock Bunting Emberiza cia - 1 at highest settlement below Oukaimeden
House Bunting Emberiza sahari - quite unobtrousive but present in most towns and at Boumalne Tip; one inside airport departure lounge after dark
Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra - singles at Boumalne Tip and along Route d l'Ourika south of Marrakech

Mammals
Fat Sand Rat Psammomys obesus - many at Boumalne Tip
Gundi Ctenodactylus gundi/vali - at Boumalne Tip
Jird Meriones (Pallasiomys) sp. - one or two in desert areas
Red Fox Vulpes vulpes - 1 on cliffs west of rissani

Amphibians
African Green Toad Bufo boulengeri - Damp wadi west of Rissani

Lepidoptera
Painted Lady Vanessa cardui - very common
Moroccan Orange-tip Anthocharis belia - 1 at Boumalne
Clouded Yellow Colias croceus - several
Also unidentfied Apollo and Fritillary species in mountains

1 comment:

Parag said...

That's a very vast list of species.Would love to see some of them one day.
Morocco tourism