Marrakech

After a delayed flight from Gatwick, our arrival in Marrakech left little time for birding on the way to the hotel, but by 7.30 pm we were in the restaurant enjoying our first taste of Moroccan food - buffet style and quite good.   Soup followed by various salads and rice with fish, chicken curry and lamb pieces.   Desert was a creme caramel, a strange dome of some confection and many small cakes of indeterminate flavour.   I had the Moroccan equivalent of a microscopic Bakewell tart (one bite and it was gone) followed by the best thing by far - fresh orange slices with cinnamon - they were sweet and delicious.

After dinner we had an introduction into Moroccan  lifestyles as we took a stroll around the outside of a local park, playing tawny owl in the hope of attracting some interest.

Whilst we didn't get any reaction at all from an owl, I did however get some heckling by a group of chaps who were relieving themselves against a wall along the main road - delightful - and I didn't even have my camera handy!

Thank goodness I am travelling with a group who provided excellent protection in the shape of Chris (from Wise Birding), Lee, Andrew, Darryl, Pete, and Neil.