Below, some highlights of a week in the region of Tata/Goulimime/Tan Tan (Arnoud B. van den Berg)

• Near the well-known site 10 min east of Tissint, Tata, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse were sound-recorded on the side of the river at dusk at 19:10-19:15 on 14 March 2017; on the sound track, I guess four individuals can be heard. (NB: In the general region of Assa and Torkoz, I could not find any Pale Crag Martins.)
• A flock of 600+ Marbled Ducks was present in water reservoirs south of Goulimime on 17 March.
• In the afternoon of 17 March, on the beach south of Akhfennir, first a pair of two adult Kelp Gulls (Cape Gulls) was photographed, and then a single bird which was either an adult or a near-adult (based on bill smudges and wingtip); the pair was always standing and flying together while the single bird did not show any relationship. 18 March: in the morning, the three Kelp Gulls were present again (the pair and the single one separate) on the beach south of Akhfennir, in the afternoon, all three birds frequented the village’s dump. Above, one picture of the pair at the shoreline (one standing) and, below, two of the single bird.
• At Lagune de Khnifiss, six adult Great Black-backed Gullswere seen by telescope just before sunset of 17 March at the rocky hill in the centre; three of them were standing and showing pink legs, two were stretching the wings obviously showing the largish amount of white in the wing tip, clinging the identification. The next day at noon, 18 May, no large gulls were standing here (so, no nesting is going on yet), and only one pair of swimming presumed Great Black-backeds was noted.
• The best birds on 18 March at Lagune de Khnifiss included a Black Stork foraging, a total of seven Ospreysand two Red-throated Pipits (also one on 17/3).