Bingo!

Dotterels in evening light at Anjumerpolder. Pininfarina could not have drawn the design of these birds, wow! Meanwhile Ezumakeeg is full of Swifts again, they are back.

(last ones are digiscopes)

another amazing garden bird

After last week's Little Owl today was again a big surprise; a Grasshopper Warbler was hiding in the back garden! It took some patience to have better views of this extreme skulker but eventually it showed, just next to the house!

I have build a nestbox for the owl and broke a whole in the wall (but haven't checked since). And the Swallows have returned again!

More spring/Lauwersmeer soon

at last, spring!!

We had to wait long for it but finally migration has really started. Only last week the first Swallows arrived here in the north but today there were 100's migrating along the coast. Also good numbers of Meadow Pipit and it was good to see the Yellow Wagtails had returned between the sheep.

On the ground there was also many action and the few bushes that remain on Eemshaven held many Robin, thrushes (including 5 Ring Ouzel) and both species of redstart. I have actually never seen such a high density of Robins!

Yesterday an early Caspian Tern was at Ezumakeeg but the best records were at home; 2 loudly calling Mediteranean Gulls migrated over the garden yesterday and today I was even more surprised to find a Little Owl inside the barn! This is a very rare species here, and I feel obliged to drill a hole in the wall and put a nestbox. Enough to do next week!

Black ice and Bananabills

Look for long-staying Yellow-billed Loons when roads are covered with ice. Today one was well-twitched at Grevelingen, in the same conditions as the previous twitchable which was as long ago as winter 1995-'96. The time that public transport was actually public transport, although the busses did not leave the garages on that day. I do not remember exactly how we got from the railstation to the Reeuwijkse Plassen but is was a combination of taxi, walking and sliding. The impressive bird showed really close sometimes and we could enjoy it's diving behaviour, slowly submerging like a submarine.

From the archives; December 1995 Reeuwijk (Nikon F801, Novoflex 600mm, Kodachrome64 and cheap slide-scanner).

Lauwersoog from above

A weekend with more flying than birding. I saw White-tailed Eagle and Bittern in Lauwersmeer but not close enough for a picture. More aerials on www.wykel.blogspot.com

Lauwersoog is an excellent spot for seawatching when winds are from Nortwest to North, I have seen Storm Petrel, many Leaches', Manx Shearwater, many many Sabines Gulls, all species of skua and Puffin from the harbour. Sardinian Warbler was here in november 1993 and Daurian Shrike in december 1996.

Vismigratierivier!

With some proud I can present the image of a project I have been working on last months; the "Fish-migration River". The idea is to make a gradual connection between the salt Waddensea and freshwater IJsselmeer to facilitate the migration of various species of fish, and present breeding, resting and foraging habitat for birds. The Afsluitdijk is great for safety against flooding but has blocked the migration of many species of fish from the sea to IJsselmeer and Rhine. Full details (in dutch) here; http://www.rijkewaddenzee.nl/nieuws/nieuws/haalbaarheidsstudie-vismigratierivier-afsluitdijk-overhandigd

Meanwhile winter is here, with a thick snow cover. Birds are having a hard time and it feels really good to provide various kinds of birdfood every evening. I only need to wait for the weekend to see in daylight which birds are actually eating it:-)
Some weeks ago a Sparrowhawk did an unsuccesfull try to catch a sparrow and I had close views as it was sitting just next to the window. I looked rather fustrated as all the birds were hiding in deep cover.

The Greenfinches are still there, they really like the sunflower-seeds!

And some winter images from the archives, I am sure it is a good representative of Lauwersmeer last days.

Happy new year!

Sorry for the irregular posting but it is winter, days are shorts (and time also:-). The garden is still attracting many birds including a Woodcock which unfortunately did not return after I unintentionally flushed it, and yesterday a Peregrine flew over. Some weeks ago we had a spectacular view of 4 together over the office in Leeuwarden, my biggest "flock" ever!

And some pictures of some oldskool winter birding around the Afsluitdijk. Highlights were a Black Brant, 2 Long-tailed Ducks, Velvet Scoter and many Smew, 2 Bitterns (one at Den Oever, flushed by a walker, and one between Kornwerderzand and Zurich fighting the strong winds) and a surprising Waxwing somewhere in Harlingen. It does not happen very often that you find where you were looking for!

Best wishes for 2013!