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Mauritania

Ruppell's Griffon Vulture Gyps rueppellii ŠRoss Warner http://rosswarner.com

You will notice that there is no introduction to this section yet.

I would like to fill this gap with an introduction from a local birder [or someone who is a frequent visitor] for every on of the geographical pages. The many thousands of birders now regularly using these pages prefer to read something written by someone who can see the place from an insider's point of view. They know the best spots, not just the ones that first time overseas visitors usually visit or that are on the normal birding trip itineraries.

Each introduction carries the e-mail address of the contributor so that birders can get in touch with them if, for example, they are planning a trip [unless the contributor is unable to do this].

Please get in touch if you feel you can contribute an introduction to this page - you don't have to be an expert; I'm not!

numbers

Number of bird species:572

useful reading

The Birds of the Banc d'Arguin

Paul Isenmann La Fondation Internationale du Banc d'Arguin 2006
ISBN: 164892
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: None yet!
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

clubs

African Bird Club

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Mauritania/introduction.html
Relatively few birders have been to Mauritania and ornithological surveys have been largely restricted to the coastal zone. With the Sahara Desert covering over 60% of the country and the resulting travel difficulties, this is hardly surprising. However, Mauritania has some of the most important coastal wetlands in Africa and with a species list of over 500, the intrepid birdwatcher will be well rewarded...

West African Ornithological Society

http://malimbus.free.fr/Country%20pages/Mauritan.htm
The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the regions ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the regions ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.

reserves

Banc d`Arguin National Park

http://whc.unesco.org/sites/506.htm
Fringing the Atlantic coast, the park is made up of sand dunes, coastal swamps, small islands and shallow coastal waters. The austerity of the desert and the biodiversity of the marine zone result in a land and seascape of exceptional contrasting natural value. A wide variety of migrating birds spend the winter there.

Diaouling Strict Nature Reserve

http://www.unep-wcmc.org/sites/pa/0701p.htm
The lower delta of the River Senegal is an important collecting and breeding ground for waterfowl. Together with the Senegalese part of the delta, where the Parc National des Oiseaux du Djoudj is situated, this area provides an important feeding and watering site for numerous Palearctic migrants. Fewer birds breed or gather on the Mauritanian part of the delta, owing to a poorer supply of fresh water, but it provides feeding grounds for birds breeding on the opposite bank. In this respect, the proposed nature reserve will be an important complement to Djoudj which has insufficient feeding grounds. The mangrove swamp supports breeding colonies of Purple Heron...

Diawling National Park

http://perso.wanadoo.fr/christophe.jaunet/ste/diawling.htm
Until the sixties the lower delta of the Senegal river was an area of extraordinary ecological richness. Consisting of a mosaic of dunes, floodplains and estuarine zones with mangroves, the area was known for its rich birdlife (Naurois 1969) and important fisheries (Reizer 1971). Several tens of thousand of people, practising a variety of activities, found a livelihood there. Since then the environmental quality has deteriorated, first by the diminishing floods and rainfall, later by the alterations brought about by the large-scale hydraulic engineering works under the authority of the OMVS, Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal, a trilateral organisation grouping Mali, Senegal and Mauritania.

IBAs

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Mauritania/ibas.html
The Saharan-Sindian biome covers much of the north and centre of the country whilst the southern third of the country falls within the Sahel biome. 14 species belonging to each of these biomes has been recorded. In addition, small elements of the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome are found in the extreme south of the country and 12 species of this biome have been recorded. The most important site ornithologically is the Banc dArguin which periodically supports the largest concentration of migratory waders in Africa, more than 2 million birds...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

2004 [February] - Ignacio Yúfera

http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/mauritania/maur1/maur-feb-04.htm
Mauritania is a little known and seldom-visited country with very little infrastructure, but it is very safe to travel, it offers some spectacular scenery and, above all for the birdwatching traveller, has the Banc d`Arguin National Park, an area of great importance for wintering and breeding seabirds and shorebirds...

tour operators

Green Tours

http://www.greentours.co.uk/holidays/mauritania.asp
If youve ever wanted to experience true desert, to be right in the heart of the mighty Sahara, to experience mile after mile of immense untouched sand dunes, then now is your chance... ...Focus - Mammals, Birds and Reptiles. Desert Landscapes and Cultural Sites...

Biodiversity in Mauritania

http://bch-cbd.naturalsciences.be/mauritania/mr-eng/serbioen.htm
Mauritania has several National Parks and Nature Reserves. Banc d`Arguin is probably the most famous. It has been put on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1989.

Checklist

http://www.bsc-eoc.org/avibase/avibase.jsp?lang=EN&pg=checklist®ion=mr&list=clements

Mauritania Information

http://www.worldinfozone.com/country.php?country=Mauritania
Mauritania is a bird watcher`s paradise: starlings, weaver birds, pelicans, cormorants, herons, terns and ducks are among the birds which can be seen. A variety species of birds can be found in the Banc d`Arguin National Park...

artists