‘Top birding sites in the Netherlands’, a talk by Roger White
Roger reminded us that there is much more to the Netherlands than windmills, canals and bulb fields. He would introduce us to the country’s diverse terrain and some of the best birding sites and birdlife. Possibly the best-known ornithological spectacle is the thousands of geese which winter on the large area of flat polders, reclaimed from the sea. There are huge numbers of barnacle geese, greylags and white-fronted geese. Lesser white-fronts still occur regularly and there are also bean geese.
Starting in the north, the coast of Friesland and the adjacent islands is very good for waders such as ringed plover, dunlin, curlew sandpiper, little stint, avocet, redshank and bar-tailed godwit but it is essential to be there at high tide. Lauwersmeer, a large bay on the north coast of Friesland with a barrier across its mouth is a National Park with an excellent visitor centre. There is wader habitat on the west side but also wooded areas and reeds. One pair of white-tailed eagles regularly breeds here and in the canals are marsh, Savi’s and icterine warblers. Golden oriole also breeds. In the large reed beds are bittern, marsh harrier and bearded tits.
The northern meadowlands of Friesland are the main breeding habitat for the black-tailed godwits. Numbers have fallen somewhat because early mowing destroys nests or young but there are still 30,000 to 35,000 pairs. Some agricultural land is left rough and here Montagu’s harrier nest. Their nests are often protected by a little wire cage. There are also short-eared owls and corncrakes. In the northeast of the country, east of Groningen is the Ems estuary and the farmland here is a good area to look for winter raptors. An area of former agricultural land in the north has been rewilded and the lakes here have the only breeding population of whiskered terns in north-west Europe. There are also nesting black terns which make use of man-made platforms some with protective cages. In the provinces of Friesland and Drenthe is the superb Drents-Friese Wold National Park with scattered trees, open land, small lagoons and bits of woodland. Here can be found woodlarks and honey buzzards. Wet and dry heath at Fochteloerveen is good for butterflies, snakes and lizards. Short-toed eagles have visited and it is hoped that they will breed. Cranes are now established here.
Next Roger turned to the Eastern Provinces. An area of extensive old peat workings near the German border is now a mixture of open land and woodland. The latter has lesser-spotted woodpeckers and the open areas are the best place in the Netherlands to see the red-backed shrike. Numbers crashed between 1975 and 2005 but have increased a little since. In the woodland, black, great-spotted, middle-spotted and green woodpeckers are also found. The middle-spotted is increasing in the Netherlands and spreading west. Quarries provide breeding sites for eagle owls. In Gelderland is the Hoge Veluwe National Park where nightjars breed. The nearby Veluwezoom National Park is a good site for honey buzzards. Purple heron occur and re-introduced white storks now nest.
Texel is the most southerly of the West Frisian Islands. There are sandy beaches along the west coast and then a wide area of vegetated dunes with the highest population of nightingales in the Netherlands. A spoonbill colony is located by an area flooded by the sea at high tides. In North Texel is Renvogelveld, a man-made wetland in a major migration hotspot. It is a good site for waders and also for yellow-browed warblers and short-toed treecreepers. Terns and waders breed on shell-islands. An area in the middle of Texel is being rewilded. The farmers have been given land elsewhere in compensation and it is hoped that ruff will return as a breeding species.
The province of Flevoland is largely on land reclaimed in the 1950s and 1960s. Here is the Oostvaardersplassen, a nature reserve adjacent to Markermeer. It has a varied habitat and there is a big cormorant colony and many wintering duck. The wet woodland is good for bluethroats which are very conspicuous when singing at the start of the breeding season.
Zeeland in the Delta was the region most affected by the catastrophic storm tide in 1953. New barriers were built and this is now a good wintering area for grebes, waders, brent geese, snow bunting and rough-legged buzzard. Biesbosch National Park is being rewilded. Beavers are being re-introduced and smew winter.
Summing up, Roger highly recommended visiting the Netherlands. There is a wide variety of habitat, lots of special birds, very good facilities, it is easy to reach and to get around and English is widely spoken.
We thank Roger for a most interesting and enjoyable talk. I know that a number of us are now keen to visit or re-visit the Netherlands.
Helen Baker
Postscript: Roger White has published a book “A Birdwatching Guide to the Netherlands” which includes much of the material shown in his talk. This book has recently been reprinted, and is available from NHBS.
