The Storks of Marrakech

When first planning a short trip to Morocco, my initial vision was to ride camels in the Sahara, drink tea by moonlight on the endless red sands, gorge myself on lamb and spice, and hope to spot an addax or fennec or even a Barbary macaque wandering about. I had to compromise with a few days in chaotic Marrakech and a journey through the wild Atlas Mountains to see the ruined Kasbahs that remain there. One unexpected treat came early when learning about the storks that nest in the old palaces of Marrakech. These are white storks (Ciconia ciconia), more specifically one of two sub-species of white stork, this particular one breeding from Europe to northern Africa and parts of Asia. A long-distant migrant, the storks of Marrakech were at one point considered as “holy animals” of the city (one source explains that, in the old days, “the Berbers believed the storks to be transformed humans.”). It is still illegal to disturb the storks of Marrakech, and thus I was witness to an age-old sight – large nests spread out all over the ancient buildings of the city, especially on the walls of the Palais El Badii, or El Badi Palace, a ruined 16th century structure straight out of the Arabian Nights. One local informed me that the stork’s daily routine was to feed along a nearby creek in the morning, coming back to roost and rest later in the day. A beautiful bird, I saluted the sighting with a beer or three while lazing away the afternoon at a tourist restaurant along the bustling Jemaa el-Fna. (Fe sahatek!, or “cheers” in Arabic – في صحتك )