In the morning we walk 2 kilometers along the Qued Sous river. Close enough to the sea to see the tide in the salt marshes, but far enough from the coast not to disturb the king. We see the same kind of water birds as in the Netherlands, but some species are different. The Lesser White Tern breeds in Libya, and winters in Morocco. North of Agadir we see the Northern Hermit Ibis on the coast.
The Northern Hermit Ibis is a very rare species. A few years ago there were only 200 specimens in Morocco, and that was more than in Syria and Turkey. Protection in Morocco has reduced the species to 800 species in Morocco. Of which our guide found a group of 5 specimens.
It is actually a special place. On the beach mussels were farmed by people who seemed to live in poor huts near the beach. One of the ladies in our group speaks a little Arabic, and they told her that they worked in those huts during the day, and went to their houses on the rocks next to the lighthouse at night. They were big new houses. It's not always what it seems!
