White Stork, Rabat, Morocco
White Stork, Rabat, Morocco
During our visit to Morocco we briefly visited the capital city, Rabat. One of the features of our short stay was a visit to the ancient Roman ruins of Sala Colonia. These old ruins were fascinating and the oldest historic buildings my wife and I had ever seen, though that was to change in the coming weeks.
From a birding point of view there were a few birds around but my main interest was in looking at the ruins and listening to our guide. The most prominent birds present were quite a number of White Storks on their nests, always perched on a high vantage spot. White Storks are large birds, measuring over a metre in height and with a wingspan of about two metres. Their prominent red bills and red legs stand out against their mostly white feathers – there is some black on the wings.
This was a new species for me and a delight to see, though it would be a common sight not only in Morocco but in many parts of Africa, Europe and even south western Asia. The massive nests are not easily overlooked either.
White Stork, Rabat, Morocco
White Stork, Rabat, Morocco
Ancient Roman ruins of Sala Colonia, Rabat, Morocco
[…] During our brief visit to Rabat, the capital city of Morocco, we visited the Roman ruins of Sala Colonia. These ancient buildings are impressive and inspiring due to their age; we have nothing like this here in Australia. While I tried to do a little birding here, I was only moderately successful due to my fascination with this place (see Trevor’s Birding). […]
It’s always great to see a completely new bird while on holidays. What a sight these storks must have been.