Beskrivelse: Kabylerspætemejsen var i mange år en eksklusiv art, for de få WP-listere som trodsede udfordringerne af bureaukrati, røvere og terrorister, og rejste til det nordlige Algeriet.
Efter at den amerikanske toplister Peter Kaestner beskrev sit besøg i 2017 på Ebird, og den relativt lette logistik, som var involveret, fik jeg også blod på tanden, og besøgte området i påsken 2019.
Mange har siden benyttet den lokale fugleguide Karim Haddad, men Foret de Bouafroune kan også besøges på egen hånd. Med udgangspunkt i trafikknudepunktet El Oulma, hyrede jeg en taxi til at køre mig til landsbyen Djimla (cirka 1.5-2 timer hver vej) og vente op til 4 timer på mig ved udkanten af skoven lige syd for Djimla, mens jeg birdede bjergskoven - alt til en pris på cirka 300 DKK.
Da kikkerter er forbudte i Algeriet (regnes som krigsmateriel), men kameraer er tilladte (selv med store linser !), er det en anderledes oplevelse at se fuglene, men Kabylerspætmejsen er ikke ualmindelig her.
Fototeknisk info
Kameramodel: DMC-FZ1000 Blænde: 4 Brændvidde: 146 ISO: 125 Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode Dimensioner: 1600x1073
Titel: Algerian photographic expedition by 2 belgian birders
Beskrivelse: I found a bird after 3 days of extensive research in the Tamentout forest at the spot of Pierre-André Crochet, seen for a few second before disappearing. The place look also like save but some days the militair tell that is a unsave place to go because of several time there is some trouble by terrorism also.
If you want to go to Kabylie, don't forget that it not a easy place to birding.
PS: our bins are confisced in the Algerian border !
Titel: Algreian photographic expedition by 2 belgian birders
Beskrivelse: We found a new place in the Tamentout forest in Petite Kabylie in the side of Djimla. The place look like save but some local tell that several time there is some trouble by terrorism also.
If you want to go to Kabylie, don't forget that it not a easy place to birding.
PS: our bins are confisced in the Algerian border !
Titel: Dangerous birding in one of the highest terrorism spot in WP !
Beskrivelse: David Monticelli and me, Vincent Legrand, planned to follow the way of the belgian finder (J-P Ledant 1975) of this endemic nuthatch in Algeria.
With the great help of friend of Pierre-André Crochet, and himself, we used a local guide and driver for a week. We found our first 2 males in the top of Djebel Babor.
After taken the best pictures in the world of this species we plan to published some paper about it.
Since Vincent cites me in his comment, I feel I must answer here.
Djebel Babor is still absolutely unsafe. The truth is that nobody knows really who is hiding there, but all sources agree on one point: nobody goes there any more, and local authorities as well as inhabitants all agree that sensible people should not go there at all. Deadly attacks are still commonplace in this region of Algeria, even if they don't make it usually to the European press.
Some spots inhabited by the nuthatch are safe enough to be visited with minimal precautions (travelling with a local contact and following his advices). Vincent and David found the species during the same trip is some perfectly ok places such as Tamentout forest. But please do not visit the Babor area for the moment, this is simply totally unreasonable...
Dear Klaus,
you should not cancell any plan to go in Algeria soon, and see Algerian Nuthatch. There are populations in four forest areas. The best known (Babor) is, as I said, best avoided for the time being. Other forests such as Tamentout (where I saw the species in 2007 and where Vincent and David found it again this year) are perfectly ok to visit provided you don't behave stupidely (no camping, no night driving, and have a local companion).
Vincent or myself can provide info to anyone willing to see the species. It should not be too difficult although it's better to keep a few days for it...
Algeria is a truly superb country, with very friendly people, and great birding. I enjoyed my two recent trips there, and I know Vincent and David feel exactly the same about their own trip. So don't hesitate to go there.
Well done!
I was one of the last there in Djebel Babor in the eighties, 1983! We drove all the way from the Netherlands (c 15.000 km total). What a strange country Algeria was compared to Marocco, people totally ignored us, which was quite a relief after two weeks in Marocco.
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Titel: Algerian photographic expedition by belgian birders
Beskrivelse: We try to go to Djebel Babor because we mist the species in Tamentout forest after 2 intensive days of research.
Don't try to go there because we found a new place in Tamentout forest but closer to Djimla. This place is more "save".
This picture show new criter of identification, it's good for next draw.
Broad supercillium and dark spot in the vent.
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