Today, to Eempolder nature reserve.
First, to Zuiderheide. In higher trees around the heathland, chiffchaff and chaffinch songs. In lower trees, willow warbler.
Singing high above the heath, a skylark. After singing for minutes, the skylark goes down. A bit later, a buzzard flies there.
Skylarks have dialects – And don’t take kindly to strangers: here.
To the east of Eemnes village, a meadow. With two bird species, characteristic for Dutch meadows which are at least a bit “bird friendly”: lapwing and oystercatcher. Also, wood pigeons. A barn swallow flying over the grass.
Pied wagtail on the road. In the Eemnesservaart canal, mute swans; a Canada goose and a domestic goose together; mallards; two great crested grebes; coots; moorhens.
A kestrel, hovering.
Three great cormorants.
Then, the first one of many black-tailed godwits. This is a characteristic species for really bird friendly meadows and nature areas. Every spring, they return from Africa; many of them to breed in this area near the mouth of the Eem river.
Two male shoveler ducks. A house martin flies past.
In a meadow, redshanks. A curlew flying.
A male reed bunting singing.
Avocets looking for food in shallow water.
Shelducks.
Flowers of dandelion, alehoof, and shepherd’s purse.
We did not see the black-winged stilts depicted in this video here today. But we did hear the background sound of the video, the persistent black-tailed godwit calls.
At the end of a sandbank in the water, a common tern. Swimming in front of it, gadwall ducks; shovelers; and teal.
On our way back, the Zuiderheide again. We did not hear the skylark sing this time. But we did see a meadow pipit on a bush. On another bush, a bit later, a stonechat.
Mute swans nest at bottom of Sir Peter Scott’s statue at Barnes WWT: here.
Dear Kitty. Some blog 