Birdwatching in Oued Massa

As you know, Oued Massa (south of Agadir) is one of the most exciting areas for birds in the whole of Morocco and has been a biological reserve since 1980 and part of the Souss-Massa National Parc since 1991. The Oued Massa flows from the centre of the country westwards but widens here to form a small land locked lagoon, separated from the sea by sand dunes.

A short visit to Massa valley on the 22nd of April has produced the following observations: 

Black-headed Tchagra (Tchagra senegalus) 

Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe hispanica) 

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) 

Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) 

Little Owl (Athene noctua) 

Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) 

Marble Teal (Marmaronetta angustirostris) 

List of birds observed during the trip : Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Marble teal	Marmaronetta angustirostris
Little grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
Great cormorant	Maroccanus sp
Little heron	butorides striatus
Night heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
Grey heron	Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
Glossy Ibis (displaying individuals recorded)	Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia
Short-toed Eagle	Circaetus gallicus
Marsh harrier	Circus aeruginosus
Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
Barbary Falcon	Falco pelegrinoides
Moorhen	Gallinula chloropu
Common coot	Fulica atra
Redshank	Tringa totanus
Common Wood Pigeon	Columba palumbus
palm dove	Streptopelia senegalensis
Little Owl	Athene noctua
Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis
Hoopoe	Upupa epops
European Bee-eater	Merops apiaster
Plain Martin	Riparia paludicola
Red-rumped Swallow	Cecropis daurica
Nightingale	Luscinia megarhynchos
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin	Erythropygia galactotes
Moussier's Redstart	Phoenicurus moussieri
Black-eared Wheatear	Oenanthe hispanica
European Stonechat	Saxicola rubicola
Zitting Cisticola	Cisticola juncidis
Western Orphean warbler	Sylvia hortensis
Sardinian warbler	Sylvia melanocephala
Reed warbler (+ singing males)	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Western Olivaceous Warbler	Hippolais opaca
Chaffinch	Fringilla coeleb
Goldfinch (breeding in the Eucalyptus)	Carduelis carduelis
European Serin	Serinus serinus
European Greenfinch,	Carduelis chloris
Southern Grey Shrike,	Lanius meridionalis
Black-headed Tchagra	Tchagra senegalus
Spotless Starling (breeding in the palm groves)	Sturnus unicolor
House Bunting	Emberiza sahari

Good luck and happy birding! ....

by Imad Cherkaoui and Abdelhak Elbanak