Castles Made of Sand - Jimi Hendrix Part I

While Moth counts have expectedly dwindled after Friday’s bonanza, over the past 3 days what might be considered a Winter ‘highlight’ amounted to a single

SATELLITE

whereas the total of Mammal species recorded here over the last 2 weeks is unprecedented, the list totalling:- Red Fox, Rabbit, Roe Deer, Wood Mouse, Grey Squirrel, Otter, Short-tailed Field Vole (still thriving underneath the caravan), Mole (as represented by fresh early Bronze Age earthworks popping up all over the place on a daily basis), Brown Rat and Badger.

Additionally we also received a most welcome and interesting document from John Gifford concerning another of our favourites

AUDOUIN’S GULL 

Now reported as breeding, for the first time, along the French Atlantic coastline and bringing back memories of our only encounter with such in Morocco in 2006. Ostensibly not a ‘birding’ trip at all, but some would sure come our way, but a long desire to follow in the footsteps of my all time hero

James Marshall (JIMI) Hendrix.

Don't You Know Were Riding on the Marrakech Express - Crosby, Stills and Nash.

In 1967 he is said to have taken the path from Rabat to Essauira, sticking pretty much to the coast, except for a diverssion to Marrakech which was the track to be followed except for my starting point being Casablanca. It is also recorded that he found much inspiration for the album

AXIS BOLD AS LOVE

but more particularly the track Castles Made of Sand which is said to document his all to short life.

Lush Vegetation with a backdrop of the

ATLAS MOUNTAINS
and

AUDOUIN'S GULLs

prolific but distant at 2 or 3 coastal location with a tidy flock of

BALD IBIS

at one estuary.

A bit of a lottery as far as the few small hotels in Essauira were concerned

as each claiming to be

the one in which Jimi stayed this being the one that most caught my eye

and also assuring me that it was his bed I would be sleeping, just best to go with the flow and get the best out of it, but at least there were authentic

HOUSE BUNTINGs
on the windowsill and images of

My Man

on the bulkheads.

Part II to follow as 'n' when!