AFRICAN PIED CROWS in North Africa

Following on from records in Algeria and Libya, and recent ship-assisted individuals in Iberia, Chris Batty, Andy Clifton, Peter Gluth, Stuart Piner and Andy Holden discovered three AFRICAN PIED CROWS Corvus albus together in the vicinity of the Esso fuel station 360 kms south of Laayoune on Saturday 13 December. Although widespread over sub-Saharan Africa, the northern limit of this species is in the extreme southern part of Mauretania.

Whilst on this very same trip, the lads also smashed my previous high number of CRICKET WARBLERS in the Western Sahara - recording at least 25 of these beautiful and intriguing birds just NW of Auosswerd on 14 December.

I have my next trip to this fabulous birding destination in January or February 2010 and still have places available if anyone is interested.

It is a 10-14 day trip taking in the usual itinerary and offering the following species -:

Moroccan Cormorant, Glossy Ibis, NORTHERN BALD IBIS, Greater Flamingo, Ruddy Shelduck, Marbled Duck, Ferruginous Duck, White-headed Duck, Black-winged Kite, Long-legged Buzzard, Lesser Kestrel,Barbary Falcon, Lanner Falcon, DOUBLE-SPURRED FRANCOLIN, Barbary Partridge, RED-KNOBBED COOT, Purple Gallinule, Cream-coloured Courser, AFRICAN KELP GULL, Audouin's Gull, AFRICAN ROYAL TERN, Laughing Dove, DESERT EAGLE OWL, AFRICAN MARSH OWL, LILITH'S OWL, Red-necked Nightjar, Little Swift, LEVAILLANT'S GREEN WOODPECKER, Thekla Lark, Long-billed Crested Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Desert & Bar-tailed Desert Lark, AFRICAN DUNN'S LARK, BLACK-CROWNED FINCH LARK, THICK-BILLED LARK, Atlas Horned Lark, DUPONT'S LARK, HOOPOE LARK, BROWN-THROATED SAND MARTIN, Pale Crag Martin, Spanish Wagtail, MOROCCAN PIED WAGTAIL, COMMON BULBUL, MOUSSIER'S REDSTART, Isabelline, African Desert, White-crowned Black, Black & RED-RUMPED WHEATEARS, AFRICAN DESERT WARBLER, AFRICAN SCRUB WARBLER, Moustached Warbler, SAHARAN OLIVACEOUS WARBLER, North African Blue Tit, Desert Grey Shrike, BLACK-CROWNED TCHAGRA, FULVOUS BABBLER, NORTH AFRICAN BLUE-EARED MAGPIE, Alpine Chough, Atlas Raven, Spotless Starling, DESERT SPARROW, North African Chaffinch, Moroccan Crossbill, Trumpeter Finch, AFRICAN CRIMSON-WINGED FINCH and AFRICAN NOUSE BUNTING.