Hi all
Thought i'd start a thread that might be of use to some of the small Dutch contingent on the forum, or even other birders who may be considering a visit to this part of the Netherlands.
Noord Holland is, in my opinion (I'm expecting atleast Xenospiza to respond to this one), the most glorious province in the Netherlands ! A superb selection of habitats, miles of sandy beaches and some nice towns and villages (Not to mention the 'big one' - Amsterdam), all make for a very pleasant place to be living. I won't be mentioning the 'bit' of Noord Holland south of Amsterdam and the Noord Zee Kanaal, as i rarely visit this area and know buggar all about it. Sorry if you live here !
As i have said, the range of habitats is excellent. The west coast has a 50 km long strip of dunes and forest/heath. For the dunes think Winterton, Norfolk, but on a massive scale. For the forest and heath behind this, think parts of Breckland.The north coast meets the Waddenzee,with its extensive mudflats and accompanying waders. The east coast borders the Ijsselmeer, a truly huge area of water cut off from the sea by the impressive Afsluitdijk. Inland is a varied farming landscape of grazing (Cattle and sheep), crops and bulb fields. The bulb fields come into their own in late summer and autumn, when many of these normally unproductive fields (Bird wise), are flooded with shallow water as a form of pest control. They then become a mecca for waders, wildfowl and gulls etc. As an extra bonus, Noord Holland includes Texel, the most productive (Rarity wise) of the islands.
I live in Alkmaar, which is reasonably central. Although i visit quite a few sites regularly, my patch is Kleimeer/Geestmerambacht. Kleimeer is a nature reserve with a mixture of old reed, cut reed and grazing. Geestmerambacht is a recreational area right next to it, with a very large lake surrounded by woodland and open areas. They provide a nice mixture of habitats and hold a good selection of breeding birds including Bluethroat, Savi's Warbler, Long-eared Owl and Marsh Harrier.
Highlights for Noord Holland so far this year have included Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Slender-billed Gulls, American Golden Plover, flypast White-billed Diver, Pallid Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, Sardinian Warbler, Rustic Buntings and of course the dodgey Green Heron with the 'impossible' plumage. I have managed, through laziness, incompetence and bad luck, to not see one of these birds. So thats a 100% record so far this year, a pretty impressive achievement by anyones standards !
Highlights on the patch this year, other than the usual stuff, have been few and far between. April produced a cracking male Firecrest, very nice to see but not exactly headline news. At the end of april i found a Cetti's Warbler. This is quite a good bird in my neck of the woods, so did cause some local interest. Most recently, a Spotted Crake was reported calling at Kleimeer, so i was determined to be on site yesterday morning before sunrise. Rather predictably, i didn't manage that, but i was on the patch by 05.00. Cold and miserable with strong winds and the constant threat of rain, it wasn't overly promising. After 45 minutes of freezing my **** off though, the bird did actually call, for a grand total of approx. 4 seconds. A truly memorable birding experience, comparable perhaps with dipping Paddyfield Warbler in industrial Teeside one grey day back in the mid 90's.
Most recent scandal (Potentially) in the local birding scene - In the last couple of days a late report of a Spotless Starling in mid-may, in my home town. Outrageous !!! No details from the local email group as yet, but suspicions of suppression or lunacy (Or possibly both). I personally am leaning towards the lunacy vote, based on the fact that Spotless Starling is by and large non-migratory and also that i didn't get to see it.
Well thats the start of the Noord Holland thread. I await a flood of posts with Noord Holland related info. with baited breath (What happened to Joost from Den Helder ?).
Dave
Thought i'd start a thread that might be of use to some of the small Dutch contingent on the forum, or even other birders who may be considering a visit to this part of the Netherlands.
Noord Holland is, in my opinion (I'm expecting atleast Xenospiza to respond to this one), the most glorious province in the Netherlands ! A superb selection of habitats, miles of sandy beaches and some nice towns and villages (Not to mention the 'big one' - Amsterdam), all make for a very pleasant place to be living. I won't be mentioning the 'bit' of Noord Holland south of Amsterdam and the Noord Zee Kanaal, as i rarely visit this area and know buggar all about it. Sorry if you live here !
As i have said, the range of habitats is excellent. The west coast has a 50 km long strip of dunes and forest/heath. For the dunes think Winterton, Norfolk, but on a massive scale. For the forest and heath behind this, think parts of Breckland.The north coast meets the Waddenzee,with its extensive mudflats and accompanying waders. The east coast borders the Ijsselmeer, a truly huge area of water cut off from the sea by the impressive Afsluitdijk. Inland is a varied farming landscape of grazing (Cattle and sheep), crops and bulb fields. The bulb fields come into their own in late summer and autumn, when many of these normally unproductive fields (Bird wise), are flooded with shallow water as a form of pest control. They then become a mecca for waders, wildfowl and gulls etc. As an extra bonus, Noord Holland includes Texel, the most productive (Rarity wise) of the islands.
I live in Alkmaar, which is reasonably central. Although i visit quite a few sites regularly, my patch is Kleimeer/Geestmerambacht. Kleimeer is a nature reserve with a mixture of old reed, cut reed and grazing. Geestmerambacht is a recreational area right next to it, with a very large lake surrounded by woodland and open areas. They provide a nice mixture of habitats and hold a good selection of breeding birds including Bluethroat, Savi's Warbler, Long-eared Owl and Marsh Harrier.
Highlights for Noord Holland so far this year have included Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Slender-billed Gulls, American Golden Plover, flypast White-billed Diver, Pallid Harrier, Citrine Wagtail, Sardinian Warbler, Rustic Buntings and of course the dodgey Green Heron with the 'impossible' plumage. I have managed, through laziness, incompetence and bad luck, to not see one of these birds. So thats a 100% record so far this year, a pretty impressive achievement by anyones standards !
Highlights on the patch this year, other than the usual stuff, have been few and far between. April produced a cracking male Firecrest, very nice to see but not exactly headline news. At the end of april i found a Cetti's Warbler. This is quite a good bird in my neck of the woods, so did cause some local interest. Most recently, a Spotted Crake was reported calling at Kleimeer, so i was determined to be on site yesterday morning before sunrise. Rather predictably, i didn't manage that, but i was on the patch by 05.00. Cold and miserable with strong winds and the constant threat of rain, it wasn't overly promising. After 45 minutes of freezing my **** off though, the bird did actually call, for a grand total of approx. 4 seconds. A truly memorable birding experience, comparable perhaps with dipping Paddyfield Warbler in industrial Teeside one grey day back in the mid 90's.
Most recent scandal (Potentially) in the local birding scene - In the last couple of days a late report of a Spotless Starling in mid-may, in my home town. Outrageous !!! No details from the local email group as yet, but suspicions of suppression or lunacy (Or possibly both). I personally am leaning towards the lunacy vote, based on the fact that Spotless Starling is by and large non-migratory and also that i didn't get to see it.
Well thats the start of the Noord Holland thread. I await a flood of posts with Noord Holland related info. with baited breath (What happened to Joost from Den Helder ?).
Dave
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I'll try to catch up!
