Morocco October 2017

Trip report for 4 days in Morocco October 2017

Full PDF report and images can be found here : Morocco

Species on list 75

Barbary Partridge [sp] (Alectoris barbara)
Little Grebe [sp] (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
White Stork [sp] (Ciconia ciconia)
Northern Bald Ibis (Geronticus eremita)
Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)
Grey Heron [sp] (Ardea cinerea)
Great Egret [sp] (Ardea alba)
Little Egret [sp] (Egretta garzetta)
Golden Eagle [sp] (Aquila chrysaetos)
Bonelli's Eagle [sp] (Aquila fasciata)
Long-legged Buzzard [sp] (Buteo rufinus)
Eurasian Coot [sp] (Fulica atra)
Common Ringed Plover [sp] (Charadrius hiaticula)
Kentish Plover [sp] (Charadrius alexandrinus)
Common Redshank [sp] (Tringa totanus)
Sanderling [sp] (Calidris alba)
Dunlin [sp] (Calidris alpina)
Audouin's Gull (Ichthyaetus audouinii)
Yellow-legged Gull [sp] (Larus michahellis)
Lesser Black-backed Gull [sp] (Larus fuscus)
Common Wood Pigeon [sp] (Columba palumbus)
Eurasian Collared Dove [sp] (Streptopelia decaocto)
Laughing Dove [sp] (Spilopelia senegalensis)
Little Owl [sp] (Athene noctua)
Great Spotted Woodpecker [sp] (Dendrocopos major)
Levaillant's Woodpecker (Picus vaillantii)
Common Kestrel [sp] (Falco tinnunculus)
Barbary Falcon [sp] (Falco pelegrinoides)
Black-crowned Tchagra [sp] (Tchagra senegalus)
Southern Grey Shrike [sp] (Lanius meridionalis)
Eurasian Magpie (African) (Pica pica mauritanica)
Red-billed Chough [sp] (Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax)
Northern Raven [sp] (Corvus corax)
African Blue Tit [sp] (Cyanistes teneriffae)
Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey)
Desert Lark [sp] (Ammomanes deserti)
Thekla Lark [sp] (Galerida theklae)
Maghreb Lark [sp] (Galerida macrorhyncha)
Horned Lark (Atlas) (Eremophila alpestris atlas)
Temminck's Lark (Eremophila bilopha)
Common Bulbul [sp] (Pycnonotus barbatus)
Barn Swallow [sp] (Hirundo rustica)
Eurasian Crag Martin (Ptyonoprogne rupestris)
Eurasian Reed Warbler [sp] (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)
Zitting Cisticola [sp] (Cisticola juncidis)
Eurasian Blackcap [sp] (Sylvia atricapilla)
Common Whitethroat [sp] (Sylvia communis)
Tristram's Warbler [sp] (Sylvia deserticola)
Spectacled Warbler [sp] (Sylvia conspicillata)
Sardinian Warbler [sp] (Sylvia melanocephala)
Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor)
Common Blackbird [sp] (Turdus merula)
European Pied Flycatcher [sp] (Ficedula hypoleuca)
Black Redstart [sp] (Phoenicurus ochruros)
Moussier's Redstart (Phoenicurus moussieri)
Blue Rock Thrush [sp] (Monticola solitarius)
European Stonechat [sp] (Saxicola rubicola)
Northern Wheatear [sp] (Oenanthe oenanthe)
Red-rumped Wheatear (Oenanthe moesta)
Black Wheatear [sp] (Oenanthe leucura)
White-crowned Wheatear [sp] (Oenanthe leucopyga)
Mourning Wheatear (Maghreb) (Oenanthe lugens
halophila)
House Sparrow [sp] (Passer domesticus)
Rock Sparrow [sp] (Petronia petronia)
Western Yellow Wagtail [sp] (Motacilla flava)
White Wagtail (Pied) (Motacilla alba yarrellii)
White Wagtail (Moroccan) (Motacilla alba subpersonata)
Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)
Common Chaffinch (Common) [group] (Fringilla coelebs
[coelebs-group])
Common Chaffinch (African) (Fringilla coelebs africana)
African Crimson-winged Finch (Rhodopechys alienus)
European Greenfinch [sp] (Chloris chloris)
Common Linnet [sp] (Linaria cannabina)
European Goldfinch [sp] (Carduelis carduelis)
Cirl Bunting (Emberiza cirlus)
House Bunting [sp] (Emberiza sahari)

Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of 

Sri Lanka

Very honoured and extremely pleased to be featured with several images in this new publication by Gehan de Silva Wijeyerante

It's a lovely pictorial of the birds of Sri Lanka,  a birding paradise with 34 endemics.   The island itself is a gem,  lovely people beautiful scenery and fabulous food.

Check out some of my images from Sri Lanka here :  Birds of Sri Lanka

I am happy to organise tours for small groups of photographers,  see details on my web page at 

Mike Barth Photography

Storm Aileen

Had a great day at Liverpool Bay yesterday (13.09.17). Storm Aileen assisted in getting me 3 lifers, all seabirds ! Grey Phalarope, Common Scoter and best of all Leach's Storm Petrel. The latter on migration from the northern reaches of the Atlantic to the Southern Oceans. How these little birds have the energy to do that totally amazes me. The Phalarope is also a bird that spends most of it's time at sea but can get blown inshore during storms.  Standing on the sand spits of Liverpool Bay, in 40mph winds and blustery showers watching these little birds head out to sea into the wind was just spectacular.

The Leach's Storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) breeds on inaccessible islands in the colder northern areas of the Atlantic and Pacific. It nests in colonies close to the sea in well concealed areas such as rock crevices, shallow burrows or even logs. It lays a single white egg which often has a faint ring of spots at the large end. This storm petrel is strictly nocturnal at the breeding sites to avoid predation by gulls and skuas, and will even avoid coming to land on clear moonlit nights. The largest colony of Leach's storm petrels can be found on Baccalieu Island of eastern Canada, an ecological reserve with more than 3 million pairs of the bird. It is strictly pelagic outside the breeding season, and this, together with its remote breeding sites, makes Leach's petrel a difficult bird to see from land. Only in storms might this species be pushed into headlands which is what happened in the UK this week and with this particular bird. 100s seen in UK waters this week.

Visit my website : Mike Barth Photography

Close encounter with a Bonelli's Eagle !

Had a great experience with a pair of Bonelli's Eagles during my last UAE Bird Watching tour in February this year (2017).  We basically surprised each other as we came through from under a tin roof,  the birds had been hawking very low over the building unbeknown to us.  As we appeared the two birds were flying directly at us,  it took them a few seconds to realise we were there and immediately swerved off and away from us.  It was a great "close encounter" having only ever seen these birds at some distance.

Check out my tours and printing service here :  Mike Barth Photography