‘On the 12th March… we spent some time looking through the gull flocks on the rough ground on the west side of Dakhla as well as those on the beach north of the lighthouse.

Amongst the large flock of Gulls on the beach north of the lighthouse we spent some time watching a presumed 1st summer European Shag towards one end of the large flock. Clearly smaller and smaller-billed than a Cormorant, the short steepen forehead and flat crown to  nape and neck were mostly dark brown but the chin and upper throat was paler or off-white, the mantle, back and scapulars were more like an adult with glossy black centres and fairly broad black fringes. The tail was similarly blackish and more that of an adult; the breast and belly were dull brownish and the small or slender bill was mainly horn brown’ (Peter Clement)

The 3rd record of Shag near Dakhla (the previous ones on 4 March 2010 and 10 January 2013), and they are the southernmost along the Atlantic coast to date – there are no records to the South, including Mauritania (Go-South)