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Raptors news from Morocco (1 Viewer)

A

Acrocephalus

Well-known member
Morocco
I have mentioned before in this forum some news (mostly sad) about raptors and especially vultures. Positive news should be mentioned also, but most threads I started have negative titles. So I will start this new thread with a neutral title, and will post here any relevant news (both good and bad) about this group of birds.

Today’s story is positive.

A Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) ringed and wing-tagged by the Portuguese NGO ‘Quercus - Associação Nacional de Conservação da Natureza’, after being admitted to a rehabilitation centre in central Portugal and was released on 17 September 2013.

After about two months (on 25 November 2013), the bird was recovered by agents of the Moroccan forestry administration (= HCEFLCD) near Zagora in southeastern Morocco, with symptoms of fatigue. It was released two months later, after receiving the necessary care.

Two pictures of the vulture posted in the Aves de Marruecos blog (in Spanish)

p.s. People here in Morocco generally criticise the forestry administration for lack of actions in some problems. But we should encourage these agents when there is some positive actions, especially we know that their resources are limited.
 
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Too true, it's easy to criticise organisations without realising their financial limitations or how badly their staff are paid. One of the problems is what I believe Gerald Durrell termed "paper protection", the laws are passed but there is nobody or no will to enforce them.
 
Wing-tagging Griffon Vultures

First ever wing-tagging of Griffon Vultures started last spring in northern Morocco. The activity was carried out and self-financed by this team (Rachid El Khamlichi, Mohammed Karim El Haoua and I).

We started with an injured vulture recovered by a young man south of Tangier. The story of its recovery at Tétoaun and then its release into the wild at Jbel Moussa, northern Morocco. After the first one (MA1), we wing-tagged 4 more Griffon Vultures, two of them were brought to us by the staff the Forestry Administration (HCEFLCD). The last two (MA4 and MA5) were captured at a carcase at Jbel Moussa.

We already received the first sighting of our wing-tagged vultures outside Jbel Moussa: MA4 was found dead at Tarifa island, southern Spain (not quite good sighting but crossing the Strait is part of their life).
 
Movement of Griffon Vultures at Jbel Moussa

For those who understand Spanish and French here is Rachid's report summarising his monitoring of Griffon Vultures movement (and other vulture species) at Jbel Moussa during spring 2015:

El Khamlichi, R. et al. 2015. La importancia del Yebel Musa, Marruecos, en la conservación de especies amenazadas de Buitres durante sus movimientos por el área del Estrecho de Gibraltar. (Le Jbel Moussa, Maroc, une zone d’importance pour la conservation des Vautours migrant par le Détroit de Gibraltar). Go-South Bull. 12: 61–77.
 
Spanish Imperial Eagles

Spanish Imperial Eagles (Aquila adalberti) visiting Morocco. All of the 6 eagles GPS-tracked by the Doñana Biological Station and the Government of Andalusia this year have visited Morocco. One of them has already returned to Spain, while the others are still in southern Morocco. With the increasing population in Andalusia, more of these young eagles are expected to visit Morocco during their dispersion movements.
 
The problem used to be the spacing between the wire and birds of this size being prone to touching two at the same time!

In this sort of landscape the pylons are a great place to pose your bottom and very attractive as well.

I suprised that there isn't some form of perch which could be a simple solution... (could - if it works). In Spain there are platforms - certainly around the steppes.
 
It's not good indeed Jon. It's the combination of several factors, like the design of the pylons, the landscape as 'rosbifs' wrote (less places for perching) and the availability of food resources (concentration of eagles). The eagles do mainly two activities in this area, they are either hunting or perching. All the Bonelli's Eagles that Ali Irizi photographed were doing one or the other activity. And that's too much a risk.

In Spain, fortunately they discovered this years ago (since early 1980s), and they created the solutions.
For this see this excellent book (PDF size= 10 Mo). There are examples from other countries, but the book concentrate on Spain and especially Andalusia where the author has worked.

Ferrer, M. 2012. Birds and power lines – From conflict to solution. ENDESA S.A. and Fundación Migres, Sevilla.
 
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Are you the only Moroccan birdwatcher?
I've been there three times and have yet to meet a local who takes any interest in birdwatching.
 
pratincol said:
Are you the only Moroccan birdwatcher?
I've been there three times and have yet to meet a local who takes any interest in birdwatching.
Click to expand...

No, there is an active and growing birding community in Morocco made up by Moroccan amateur birders, some Europeans, some bird guides, some Forestry agents and some professional ornithologists. They are based in different regions, from north to south to east. If you check MRBC reports or in the blog in the signature you will see several records submitted by Moroccan birders. We are not in hundreds, but there are chances to encounter one or a group at some key sites and at the right time.
 
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