Like may others before us, we decided to attempt what here on BF has been called “the biggest twitch in history” and on February 11 we flew from Rome to Brussels, then hired a car to reach Den Helder and the island. Alas it was already too late to try our luck with the bespectacled one (maybe it was all for the best, given the sleet and the freezing wind)
The next morning, despite the sleet, after breakfast we ventured onto the embankment where the Eider had been seen most often, on the east coast of Texel. A Belgian birder was already there and gave us the thumbs up. With a bit of luck and having to wipe dry the scope and binoculars every few minutes we managed to find Spectacled Eider and see it decently.
After half an hour, soaked and frozen to the bone, we moved to De Slufter, on the west coast, a national park with coastal dunes and a wetland area and, renowned for the wintering Shore Larks, which G had seen (but I hadn’t) during our twitch at the Snowy Owl 16 years ago. The Belgian birder (If you read this, thanks Herwig!) had also told us that from the car park he had seen a flock of Twite, a species we had dipped badly during our two trips to Scotland. In the field next to the car park, however, we saw “only” Fieldfares, Lapwings, Jackdaws, Golden Plovers and Meadow Pipits.
The Shore Larks, on the other hand were there, a large group of about 150 feeding at the end of the path between the dunes. Also around were Wigeons (the most common duck on Texel), Pintails, Oystercatchers, Curlews, Shelducks, Dunlins, some Ringed Plovers, several Lesser Black-backed and a couple of Greater Black-backed Gulls.
Since it had stopped raining in the meantime, we went back to check on the Eider: birders’ numbers had increased to about 40 the sea was calmer and it was closer. Allowing some decent record shots. Other birds included Common Eider, Goldeneye, Little Grebe, Common, Black-headed and Herring Gull and Cormorants.
Driving between the various hotspots on the island, we passed fields literally covered with geese: Greylag, Barnacle, Tundra Bean, White-fronted and Brent. Also Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Curlews and flocks of Stock Doves, Fieldfares and Redwings, a single Green Sandpiper and a couple of Ruff.
The various ponds hosted Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Pintail, 3 Whooper Swans, Shoveler, Avocet, Redshank, a few Spoonbills, 1 Snipe, Coot and Moorhen. Birds of prey were few and far between: a few Buzzards and Kestrels, 3-4 Hen Harriers, all females, and one Merlin. On the beach south of the ferry landing, in addition to the species already mentioned, a nice flock of Turnstones.
On the second day the wind was even colder and the Eider was further out, so we went back to De Slufter to look for the blasted Twite, which had been seen the previous evening. No such luck, instead we decided to go and have another look at the Shore Larks. The flock was still more or less in the same area of the previous day and we also added to the tally a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Sanderling, real delicacies for us.
We spent the rest of the day driving around the fields and the ponds, and then decided to attempt a last look at the De Slufter car park. As the car came to a stop a small group of finches landed in the grass in front of us, then they set off again only to land again a little further away: finally 23 Twite, a classy end to a fantastic couple of days!
Before a dinner of pannenkoeken (the typical Dutch pancakes) we make one last stop at the excellent Vogelinformatiecentrum in De Cocksdorp, a one-stop shop for birders and a type of retail outlet unknown in our part of the world. Besides the usual stuff and a truly vast choice of optics for all budgets, they also sell a commemorative Spectacled Eider t-shirt.
Great trip, alas too short, with maybe a day or two more we could have scanned the geese more thoroughly to look for the rarer subspecies, and for Pink-footed and explore the southern area of the island where Smew had been reported. Anyway Texel never disappoints!
The next morning, despite the sleet, after breakfast we ventured onto the embankment where the Eider had been seen most often, on the east coast of Texel. A Belgian birder was already there and gave us the thumbs up. With a bit of luck and having to wipe dry the scope and binoculars every few minutes we managed to find Spectacled Eider and see it decently.
After half an hour, soaked and frozen to the bone, we moved to De Slufter, on the west coast, a national park with coastal dunes and a wetland area and, renowned for the wintering Shore Larks, which G had seen (but I hadn’t) during our twitch at the Snowy Owl 16 years ago. The Belgian birder (If you read this, thanks Herwig!) had also told us that from the car park he had seen a flock of Twite, a species we had dipped badly during our two trips to Scotland. In the field next to the car park, however, we saw “only” Fieldfares, Lapwings, Jackdaws, Golden Plovers and Meadow Pipits.
The Shore Larks, on the other hand were there, a large group of about 150 feeding at the end of the path between the dunes. Also around were Wigeons (the most common duck on Texel), Pintails, Oystercatchers, Curlews, Shelducks, Dunlins, some Ringed Plovers, several Lesser Black-backed and a couple of Greater Black-backed Gulls.
Since it had stopped raining in the meantime, we went back to check on the Eider: birders’ numbers had increased to about 40 the sea was calmer and it was closer. Allowing some decent record shots. Other birds included Common Eider, Goldeneye, Little Grebe, Common, Black-headed and Herring Gull and Cormorants.
Driving between the various hotspots on the island, we passed fields literally covered with geese: Greylag, Barnacle, Tundra Bean, White-fronted and Brent. Also Lapwings, Golden Plovers, Curlews and flocks of Stock Doves, Fieldfares and Redwings, a single Green Sandpiper and a couple of Ruff.
The various ponds hosted Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Pochard, Pintail, 3 Whooper Swans, Shoveler, Avocet, Redshank, a few Spoonbills, 1 Snipe, Coot and Moorhen. Birds of prey were few and far between: a few Buzzards and Kestrels, 3-4 Hen Harriers, all females, and one Merlin. On the beach south of the ferry landing, in addition to the species already mentioned, a nice flock of Turnstones.
On the second day the wind was even colder and the Eider was further out, so we went back to De Slufter to look for the blasted Twite, which had been seen the previous evening. No such luck, instead we decided to go and have another look at the Shore Larks. The flock was still more or less in the same area of the previous day and we also added to the tally a Bar-tailed Godwit and a Sanderling, real delicacies for us.
We spent the rest of the day driving around the fields and the ponds, and then decided to attempt a last look at the De Slufter car park. As the car came to a stop a small group of finches landed in the grass in front of us, then they set off again only to land again a little further away: finally 23 Twite, a classy end to a fantastic couple of days!
Before a dinner of pannenkoeken (the typical Dutch pancakes) we make one last stop at the excellent Vogelinformatiecentrum in De Cocksdorp, a one-stop shop for birders and a type of retail outlet unknown in our part of the world. Besides the usual stuff and a truly vast choice of optics for all budgets, they also sell a commemorative Spectacled Eider t-shirt.
Great trip, alas too short, with maybe a day or two more we could have scanned the geese more thoroughly to look for the rarer subspecies, and for Pink-footed and explore the southern area of the island where Smew had been reported. Anyway Texel never disappoints!
