Mediterranean gulls, and other early spring birds

This is a Dutch video about a black-tailed godwit.

Today, on, officially, the first day of spring, to a bit of farmland, which is a bit of wetland at this time of the year. It is called Landje van Geijsel.

Every year in February, farmer Geijsel lets the water in for waders and other birds to benefit from. He has built a hide for birdwatching.

Today, the most frequent species are wigeon and black-tailed godwit, both represented by hundreds of individuals.

Also, scores of shovelers, and a few shelducks. At least six gadwalls swimming.

A few common gulls. A lesser black-backed gull. Many more black-headed gulls. With a few rare Mediterranean gulls in between them.

Starlings. Quite some oystercatchers. A few redshanks. Many northern lapwings.

Coots.

In the left corner, a group of scores of curlews.

A few teal, some swimming, some resting.

A few ring-necked plovers.

A male and a female mallard land in the water. Often, they are the most frequent duck species. But today, in this shallow water, these two are the first mallards.

In a big tree close to the wetland is a hole. Ring-necked parakeets nest there.

On our way back: tufted ducks and a great egret. Grey lag geese on a meadow.

Grey-tailed tattler in the Netherlands: here. And here.

July 2010. WWT has begun work on a groundbreaking new project to perfect the process of breeding waders as part of its conservation breeding program: here.