The wide Dutch horizon is interrupted only by the occasional windmill. Photo: James Lidster
Birders whose experience of the Western Palearctic is largely limited to Britain and Ireland will be amazed at the abundance and variety of birds found in this small country so close to the United Kingdom. Tens of thousands of Black Terns gather in The Netherlands each summer, and flocks of Ruffs and Curlew Sandpipers can number in the thousands.
Our short late summer tour is timed to coincide with the southward migration of over 25 species of shorebirds, perhaps including Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpipers, Red-necked Phalarope, and Temminck’s Stint—along with the real chance of a rarity or two. We’ll also be looking for a host of local specialties including Montagu’s and Marsh Harriers, Honey Buzzard, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns, Spotted Crake, Bluethroat, Red-backed Shrike, and Penduline Tit.
Our birding days will take us across the classic landscapes of the low countries, beneath long horizons broken only by scattered windmills, past honey-colored reed beds, quiet lakes, and endless dikes and canals, all under the immense skies that create the country’s amazing sense of space.
The tour begins and ends at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where abundant and convenient international connections allow participants to take advantage of time before or after the tour to visit other destinations on their own.
Day 1: The tour begins at Schiphol Airport. After the group assembles, we’ll head north into the low-lying polders of Noord-Holland. This area is famous for its flowers and tulips—sadly long past at the time of our visit. Instead, we’ll hope to find fields that have been deliberately flooded at the end of the flower-growing season, a habitat that can be very popular with shorebirds and terns; if we’re lucky, we could see Gull-billed Tern and an assortment of shorebirds ranging from Green Sandpiper to Ruff. From the first week of August on there’s a good chance of a rarity—perhaps an Aquatic Warbler or a Marsh Sandpiper—and if one is in the vicinity, we’ll arrange our day accordingly. Otherwise we’ll visit a huge Black Tern roost, numbering many thousands of birds, and maybe see our first Common Eiders or Marsh Harriers. Night near Flevoland.
Day 2: After breakfast we’ll drive along the Afsluitdijk, a huge dam that forms the the northern edge of the IJsselmeer. The IJsselmeer was created in 1932 when the Zuiderzee was closed by the 20 mile-long dam as part of a major hydraulic engineering project; years later, land was reclaimed from the IJsselmeer to form the province of Flevoland. Once over the Afsluitdijk, we’ll continue our search for new shorebirds: we can expect over 25 species in this short tour. Depending on the tide, we’ll stop to look through the flocks of Bar-tailed Godwits, Black-bellied Plovers, Curlew Sandpipers, Red Knot, and Dunlin. Our destination for the evening will be the Lauwersmeer; if time allows, we may search for White-tailed Eagle, Montagu’s Harrier, or Red-backed Shrike, all of which breed in the area. Night near Flevoland.
Day 3: We’ll spend the entire day exploring the Lauwersmeer and a small lagoon called Ezumakeeg, one of the best sites for shorebirds in The Netherlands. At this time of year we can expect to see hundreds of Ruff, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Temminck’s and Little Stints, Ringed and Little Ringed Plovers, Avocets, and Wood, Green, Common, and Curlew Sandpipers; we have a chance at scarcer species such as Pectoral, Marsh, and Broad-billed Sandpipers or Red-necked Phalarope. The reedy edges are home to Bearded Tit and to Reed and Sedge Warblers, and careful scanning should produce Water Rail and Bluethroat—and maybe even a Great Bittern, Spotted Crake, or Penduline Tit.
The nearby fishing harbor of Lauwersoog may hold Common, Sandwich, and Arctic Terns along with Common Eider. Throughout the day, we have a good chance of seeing Marsh and Montagu’s Harriers, Caspian and Black Terns, Eurasian Spoonbill, Ruddy Shelduck, Garganey, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine, and flocks of Blue-headed (Yelllow) and White Wagtails. The Netherlands is famous for geese in the winter, but many pairs of Barnacle Geese now breed in the country, and the numbers of Graylag Geese are constantly increasing— good news if you’re a White-tailed Eagle looking for a decent dinner! Many of the songbirds will be silent by now, but we should still see at least 10 species of Old World warblers. Night in Drenthe.
Day 4: After another visit to Ezumakeeg or the Lauwersmeer, we’ll journey inland to an area of mixed heath, forest, and bog that can sometimes be good for Common Crane and in the last few years has been a regular site for a vagrant Short-toed Snake Eagle. To find both of those species would be exceptional, of course, but we can hope for the search to turn up Honey Buzzard and Eurasian Hobby. Other species we may encounter include Black and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers, Woodlark, Tree Pipit, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Firecrest, and Hawfinch. In the evening we may be lucky enough to find a late Eurasian Nightjar. Night in Drenthe.
Day 5: If time allows, we’ll enjoy some more birding close to our hotel, perhaps featuring a family of White Storks or a Great Egret, before we return to Schiphol, where the tour concludes.
Updated: 17 May 2011
Notes
Limited to seven participants with one leader.
* Tour invoices paid by check carry a modest discount. Details here.
* This tour is organized by our British company, Sunbird. Please review the explanation of our Sunbird pricing here.