Trip report - Netherlands
11th December 2019
Dates: 5th to 10th December 2019
Destination: Netherlands
Purpose of trip:
The purpose of my trip was to visit the Netherlands for winter wildlife watching. It was inspired by one of the December “weekends” in the book “52 European Wildlife Weekends” by James Lowen (see more on this below).
My previous visits to the Netherlands were a field trip whilst a student at the University of Reading and part of a 3 week Interrail backpacking trip around Europe, both in the late 1970s when I was young! Much more recently in September 2016, I visited Amsterdam for a very short 2 day/1 night city trip, principally to visit a special exhibition at the Van Gogh Musuem.
Netherlands – background:
The Netherlands, informally known as Holland, is a country in north western Europe with some overseas territories in the Caribbean. In Europe, it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and the North Sea to the north west with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the UK.
The 4 largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. These cities and their surrounding areas comprise the Randstad and, with a population of over 8 million people, this is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. It covers an area of around 3200 square miles and with a population density of 3900 people per square mile it is also one of the most important and densely populated economic areas in Europe.
Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and nominal capital. Amsterdam Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands and the 3rd busiest in Europe. The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe and the busiest in any country outside Asia (Singapore and Shanghai are now busier). The Hague is the seat of the Netherlands government and holds the States General, Cabinet and Supreme Court. It also hosts the International Court of Justice.
Overall, with a population of over 17 million people, all living within a total area of around 16100 square miles of which the land area is 12900 square miles, the Netherlands is the 12th most densely populated country in the world and the 5th most densely populated country in Europe with a density of 1350 per square mile.
The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848 and it is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G10, NATO, OECD and WTO as well as part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. Its mixed-market advanced economy has one of the highest per capita incomes globally and it also ranks among the highest in international indices of press freedom, economic freedom, human development, quality of life and happiness.
Netherlands literally means “lower countries”, referring to its low elevation and flat topography. Only about 50% of its land exceeds 3 feet above sea level and nearly 17% falls below sea level. Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 16th century.
Primary target areas:
I undertook a route around the Netherlands from Amsterdam, my arrival point in the country. My trip commenced with sites to the south of Rotterdam before moving on to sites east and north of Amsterdam before returning to Amsterdam and Hoek van Holland.
The primary target areas for wildlife watching during my trip were:
Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Zuid-Holland is the most populous province in the Netherlands and includes both the urban areas of Rotterdam and The Hague. The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, formed by the confluence of the rivers of the same names, drains through Zuid-Holland in to the North Sea.
In this province, I principally focused on the area of polders of Oudeland van Strijen near the small town of Strijen in the south. This area is located on the Hollands Diep, a river and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers, and it is an important wintering area for large numbers of geese and ducks.
Zeeland
Zeeland is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and large parts are below sea level. The province is also the location of the Delta Works, a series of construction projects (dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees and storm surge barriers) built to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea.
In this province, I principally focused on the area around Brouwershaven and the Brouwersdam.
Flevoland
Flevoland is the youngest province of the Netherlands. It was established in 1986 when the southern and eastern Flevopolders were merged into one provincial entity. It is located in the centre of the country where the former Zuiderzee existed. This was a shallow bay of the North Sea extending about 60 miles inland and at most 30 miles wide and with a coastline of about 200 miles. In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea by the construction of the Afsluitdijk, leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Waddenzee. The salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake now called the IJsselmeer (after the river that drains in to it) and by means of drainage and reclamation schemes in the 1950s and 1960s an area of some 580 square miles was created as polders. The capital city of Flevoland is Lelystad and the most populous city is Almere, both of which were planned and developed on reclaimed land.
In this province, I principally focused on the Almere nature reserves, namely Oostvaardersdijk, Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen.
Oostvaardersdijk is part of the series of dikes that protect the reclaimed polders. Road N701 between Almere and Lelystad runs along the top of the dike and follows the vast majority of the coastline of the Markermeer. It also provides access to Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen.
The Lepelaarplassen is a nature reserve of approximately 500 hectares founded in 1971. It was designated in 2009 as a Natura 2000 site. Lepelaar is the Dutch word for the Spoonbill in English whilst plassen is the Dutch word for place …. Lepelaarplassen is the place of the Spoonbills. Lepelaarplassen is located just to the west of Oostvaardersplassen and consists of a clay swamp with 3 lakes created by sand extraction during the construction of the Oostvaardersdijk. It is an important wetland site for breeding and wintering birds and it also has a population of Beavers.
Following the drainage and reclamation schemes and the creation of the Flevopolder, there were initially plans to turn the area in to an industrial zone. However, because the ground was wet, it was decided to designate an area, the Oostvaardersplassen, where rewilding would allow the development of lakes, marshes, reedbeds, grasslands and woodland. Oost is the Dutch word for east, vaarder means seafarer and plassen means place …. Oostvaardersplassen is the place of the eastern sailors.
Covering an area of around 22 square miles, the Oostvaardersplassen is well known as an experiment in rewilding i.e. large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species.
Although the southern part of the Flevopolder was only created in 1968, its ecological interest and biodiversity resulted in it being declared a Ramsar wetland in 1989. It is also designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The Oostvaardersplassen has become an outstanding area for breeding and wintering birds. Much of the nature reserve is closed to the public to facilitate rewilding and to protect the wildlife. However, there are many nature trails and bird hides that are accessible.
Before the establishment of the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, the dry areas were a nursery for willow trees and in the first year hundreds of seedlings could be found on each square metre. This led to concern that a dense woodland would develop, significantly reducing the value of the habitat for water birds. To avoid this, the nature reserve managers brought in a number of large herbivores to keep the area more open. Before they were driven to extinction, large herbivores in this part of Europe included the Tarpan (wild horse), Wisent (European Bison), Red Deer and Aurochs (wild cattle). The Tarpan and Auroch are extinct but Red Deer, Konik ponies and Heck cattle have been introduced and they are able to act as functional equivalents and occupy a similar ecological niche. These large grazing animals are kept out in the open all year round with supplemental feeding for the winter and early spring and they are allowed to behave as wild animals. The ecosystem developing under their influence is thought to resemble those that would have existed on European river banks and deltas before human disturbance. However, there is some controversy about how natural the ecosystem is since it lacks top predators.
In addition to the nature reserves around Almere and on my way to Friesland, I also focused on Vossemeer to the north east of Lelystad. The Vossemeer is situated at the eastern end of the Ketelmeer, an inlet of the IJsselmeer. The Vossemeerdijk to the east of Ketelhavn provides excellent views of the large numbers of wintering ducks and other birds.
Friesland
Friesland is located in the north of the Netherlands to the north of Flevoland and south of the Waddenzee. The capital city of Friesland is Leeuwarden. The area of the province was once part of the ancient and larger region of Frisia which included modern Friesland and smaller parts of northern Germany. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, Germanic people who speak Frisian languages.
In this province, I principally focused on 3 areas.
Firstly, the agricultural areas on a route via and around the towns and villages of Lemmer, Mirns, Workum, Gaast, Piaam, Sneek, Joure, Akmarijp and Terherne in the west of the province. These are important wintering areas for large numbers of geese and ducks.
Secondly, the Lauwersmeer National Park.
Photo: Lauwersmeer National Park, Friesland
Photo: Lauwersmeer National Park, Friesland
The River Lauwers forms part of the east-west border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen and it flows from south to north in to the Waddenzee. The Lauwersmeer is its estuary which is connected to the sea via a sluice at Lauwersoog. In May 1969, the Lauwerszee was enclosed by dikes and a dam which separated it from the Waddenzee and since then it has been called the Lauwersmeer. The Lauwersmeer gradually became a freshwater lake landscape and new flora and fauna appeared. To protect this new and young nature area, the Lauwersmeer became a national park in November 2003. The Lauwersmeer National Park, bordering the world heritage site of the Waddenzee, is one of the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) of western Europe. It is home to over 100 species of birds that breed in its water, forests and grasslands plus huge flocks of wintering geese and ducks of various species. The Lauwersmeer National Park offers various hiking opportunities as well as stunning views and bird watching hides.
Thirdly, the Waddenzee coast at Holwerd.
Photo: Waddenzee at Holwerd
In addition to these 3 areas, I also planned to try and see the long-staying Pied Crow in the centre of Leeuwarden (the Pied Crow is Africa’s most widespread member of the crow family occurring from sub-Saharan Africa south to the Cape of Good Hope).
Noord-Holland
Noord-Holland is located in the north west of the Netherlands to the west of both Friesland and Flevoland. It is a broad peninsula for the most part situated between the North Sea, the Waddenzee, the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer. More than half of the province consists of reclaimed polder land situated below sea level. The West Frisian islands, including Texel, along the edge of the Waddenzee are also part of the province. The capital city of Noord-Holland is Haarlem but the province's largest city and also the largest city in the Netherlands is Amsterdam.
In this province, I principally focused on 3 areas as I retuned south to Amsterdam.
Firstly, Balgzandpolder, a small wetland area with viewing screens just south of the city of Den Helder which is well known as a reliable site for Spoonbill in winter.
Secondly, De Putten and Pettemerpolder, an important wintering area for large numbers of geese and ducks, on the North Sea coast and north of the village of Camperduin.
Photo: Pettemerpolder
Thirdly, the wetlands of the Markermeer and the Marken peninsula around 15 miles north east of Amsterdam.
Getting there:
I flew from London Southend airport (the nearest airport to my home) to Amsterdam Schiphol airport with Easyjet on 5th December 2019. I did not pay anything for the flight or baggage since I was using the balance of an Easyjet voucher arising from a return flight that I was unable to take in September 2018 due to personal reasons.
London Southend airport is very small and very quiet with exceptionally quick check-in, passport control and security compared with Amsterdam Schiphol airport which is the 3rd busiest airport in Europe.
The schedule was as follows: depart 3:30 p.m. and arrive 5:30 p.m. (local time GMT+1). The flight departed 10 minutes late and arrived 10 minutes early.
The initial part of the flight provided excellent views of some of my local Essex birding sites, notably Wallasea Island RSPB reserve, the Dengie peninsula, the Blackwater estuary and Hamford Water, before moving out over the North Sea.
Having already taken 4 flights during 2019 prior to my flight to Amsterdam plus several flights in previous years, I have made a conscious decision to not fly to or from European destinations in the future due to the impact of flights on carbon emissions and the climate emergency. I will be writing more about this on my website.
Therefore, for my return from the Netherlands, I booked trains and the ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Whilst this proved to be a much slower way to travel home, it was much more enjoyable and relaxing. In addition, the whole check-in, passport control and security is far less challenging than at a typical airport.
After returning my rental car to Amsterdam Schiphol airport, I travelled by train to Schiedam Centrum. There are frequent trains on this route and the journey took around 45 minutes. I booked a ticket in advance via Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The cost of the train was 12.20 euros (£10.40).
From Schiedam Centrum, RET metro line B terminates at Hoek van Holland ferry port. The metro runs every 20 minutes and the journey took around 30 minutes. I bought a ticket at Schiedam Centrum for 4 euros (£3.41).
The ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich is provided by Stena Line using their Stena Hollandica superferry. This is a huge, high quality and well-appointed ship. With average wind speeds of around 30 mph and gusts of over 50 mph forecast on the night of my sailing, I did have some concerns but the ship was incredibly stable.
Photo: Stena Hollandica
The schedule was as follows: depart 10:00 p.m. (local time GMT+1) and arrive 6:30 a.m. The ferry actually departed at 9:45 p.m. and arrived at 5:30 p.m. I booked a ticket in advance during a Stena Line sale and paid £71 which included a single cabin.
Cabins are mandatory for night sailings and single cabins are relatively spacious and include 2 single beds (bunk bed style), an en-suite toilet and shower, free wi-fi and a flat-screen TV which apart from TV programmes also provides a live GPS location map and external camera feeds.
After arriving at Harwich, a train departed for London Liverpool Street at 7:21 a.m. although I left the train at Shenfield before taking another train to Billericay and an onward taxi to home.
More information on “Rail and Sail” travel to/from the Netherlands can be found at Mark Smith’s website, The Man in Seat 61 or at Stena Line.
Getting around:
At Amsterdam Schiphol airport, I rented an Opel Grandland X for 6 days from Hertz booked in advance. This was actually a group rental H SUV rather than a group rental B compact car. The cost of car rental was £103.24 reduced by cashback to £92.92. The SUV proved to be very reliable and reasonably economical for a larger vehicle. The cost of petrol in the Netherlands at an average of 1.65 euros per litre (£1.40) was much higher than the UK at £1.25 per litre so travel was relatively expensive. I found Q8’s unmanned pay at the pump Tango petrol stations to be the cheapest option.
During my trip around the Netherlands, I drove 1250 km (777 miles). The roads are generally of a very good quality even in the rural areas. Within the Randstad, the urban area covering the 4 cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, the roads were exceptionally busy with massive volumes of cars. However, unlike much of the UK, the urban motorway and main road network and intersections seemed to be well planned and for most of the time congestion did not lead to stationary queues. Outside of the Randstad and in the rural areas which I visited during most of my trip, the roads were generally quiet.
Itinerary:
I travelled independently following thorough research and preparing an itinerary before leaving the UK.
5th December 2019: outward flight to Amsterdam > pick up rental car at Amsterdam Schiphol airport > Capelle aan den Ijssel
6th December 2019: Capelle aan den Ijssel > Oudeland van Strijen > Brouwershavn > Brouwersdam > Amsterdam > Almere
7th December 2019: Oostvaardersdijk > Lepelaarplassen > Oostvaardersplassen > Almere
8th December 2019: Almere > Oostvaardersdijk > Lelystad > Dronten > Ketelhavn > Vossemeer > Lemmer > Mims > Workum > Gaast > Piaam > Sneek > Joure > Akmarijp > Terherne > Leeuwarden > Kollum > Kollumerpomp
9th December 2019: Kollumerpomp > Lauwersmeer National Park > Holwerd > Hippolytushoef
10th December 2019: Hippolytushoef > Balgzandpolder > Den Helder > De Putten and Pettemerpolder > Camperduin > Markermeer and Marken > return rental car at Amsterdam Schiphol airport > Schiedam Centrum > Hoek van Holland
10th/11th December 2019: Hoek van Holland > Harwich
Accommodation:
Prior to my trip, I had pre-booked the following accommodation via ebookers.com, expedia.co.uk or booking.com
5th December 2019: Capelle aan den Ijssel – NH Capelle – £47.61 for 1 night
NH Capelle is located in Capelle aan den Ijssel, 35 miles south of Amsterdam Schiphol airport and 5 miles to the east of Rotterdam. It is a value for money large and modern hotel outside of these 2 main cities with free parking plus Capelle aan den Ijssel is an ideal location for visiting sites in Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. There was a very friendly and welcoming English-speaking reception. I stayed for 1 night in a large room with 2 joined single beds, an en-suite bath/shower and WC, a desk and chair, a TV, a fridge and unusually tea and coffee making facilities. There was strong w-fi in the room and throughout the hotel. An on-site bar and restaurant provided a limited but very good menu. Although adjacent to a main road, the hotel was very quiet. The hotel overlooks its own lake which provided my first trip records.
6th and 7th December 2019: Almere – Ibis Styles Almere – £128.28 for 2 nights
Ibis Styles Almere only opened in September 2019 and it is therefore very modern and clean. Almere is an ideal location to visit nearby Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen. There was a very friendly and welcoming English-speaking reception. I stayed for 2 nights in a large room with a double bed, an en-suite shower and WC, a small desk and chair and a large TV. There was strong w-fi in the room and throughout the hotel. The on-site restaurant provided free tea and coffee. The menu, however, was very limited so I had an excellent Thai meal at the Thai Coon on the first night and a somewhat average Greek meal at Yamas on the second night. The hotel is situated in a quiet location just outside Almere city centre and it was also very quiet in itself with very few other guests staying whilst I was there.
8th December 2019: Kollumerpomp – Slaperdijk – £48.41 for 1 night
Slaperdijk is a small private house in a quiet street in the village of Kollumerpomp just to the south of Lauwersmeer National Park. I received a warm welcome from the hosts Yehudi and Miranda. The accommodation itself is an annexe to the main house but with its own private entrance. It was spotlessly clean with lovely décor, a double bed, an en-suite shower and WC, a TV and a kettle and tea and coffee. An adjacent utility room had a fridge, microwave, washing machine and dryer although I did not use these. Breakfast, pre-ordered the night before, was excellent and provided in the kitchen of the main house. No evening meals are provided but, on Yehudi’s recommendation, I had an excellent evening meal at Gasterij Manjefiek, an Italian brasserie in nearby Kollum.
9th December 2019: Hippolytushoef – Hotel West Inn – £41.11 for 1 night
Hotel West Inn is located in the small town of Hippolytushoef, approached via the amazing Afsluitdijk dam and causeway and an ideal overnight stop for visiting sites in Noord-Holland. I received a very friendly English-speaking welcome but there is a limited time slot for check-in since there is no on-site management. Hotel West Inn only comprises 7 rooms and the room that I stayed in was very small with a single bed and a tiny en-suite shower and WC. The sound-proofing was also very poor but fortunately my neighbour was relatively quiet. The large communal lounge area provided free tea and coffee. There is no on-site parking but instead free public parking in the square opposite. No evening meals are provided and unfortunately all the recommended restaurants in Hippolytushoef were closed on the evening of my stay. I therefore had a very good evening meal at Restaurant De Zingende Wielen, a roadside inn on the road to Den Oever.
Research and planning:
Prior to my trip, I had undertaken a significant amount of research and planning and therefore had a detailed itinerary which I largely kept to other than a few variations.
In addition to a few Internet trip reports provided by others, my main source of information was one of the December “weekends” in the book “52 European Wildlife Weekends” by James Lowen. This is an exceptionally useful reference book in its own right and covers wildlife sites throughout Europe. It is highly recommended and it was particularly helpful in planning my itinerary around the Netherlands.
I also used Michelin regional maps 531 and 532 covering north and south Netherlands respectively in addition to my trusty TomTom satnav.
Impressions, experiences and memories:
The overwhelming impression, experience and memory from my trip was the huge numbers of geese wintering throughout much of the Netherlands. I have seen large flocks of geese in north Norfolk, on the Solway Firth in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway and on Islay in the Inner Hebrides but nothing on the scale of what I saw in the Netherlands.
There was a large supporting cast of other birds and the Netherlands proved to be a superb winter birding destination.
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Weather:
The weather was very mixed with some lengthy dry periods when it was cloudy, bright or sunny but also some lengthy periods of light and even heavy rain. The periods of rain were not a great inconvenience since much of my birding was done by scanning and watching from the car in order to avoid disturbance to the flocks of geese and other birds. Daily maximum temperatures ranged from 7°C to 10°C with an early morning low of 3°C.
Wildlife highlights:
During my trip, I was able to record 92 species of birds and 4 species of mammals.
This total included 2 species which I was not able to record with 100% certainty and which I have described as “possible” (namely Rough-legged Buzzard and Penduline Tit) plus 4 “heard only” records (namely Water Rail, Bearded Reedling, Cetti’s Warbler and Eurasian Wren).
This total also included 2 species that I have recorded before in Europe but very rarely in the UK: White Stork and Short-toed Treecreeper.
Trip records
Here is a summary of the bird highlights from my trip.
Geese: I recorded 7 species of geese with the huge flocks of Barnacle Geese and Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese at many sites and a small group of 7 Taiga Bean Geese just outside the Lauwersmeer National Park area being the most notable. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any Red-breasted Geese or Lesser White-fronted Geese amongst the flocks of other geese although both species are recorded in small numbers each winter.
Photo: Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese - Pettemerpolder
Photo: Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese - Pettemerpolder
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Swans: In addition to Mute Swan, I recorded both Bewick’s Swan and Whooper Swan.
Photo: Bewick's Swans - Lauwersmeer National Park
Ducks: I recorded 14 species of ducks, many in substantial numbers, including 2 Red-crested Pochard on Markermeer.
Grebes: I recorded 4 Black-necked Grebes off the Brouwersdam.
Eurasian Spoonbill: I recorded 5 Spoonbills at Balgzandpolder.
Photo: Spoonbills - Balgzandpolder
Waders: I recorded 12 species of waders, many in substantial numbers, both in the polderlands and on the coast of the Waddenzee.
Storks: I recorded 2 White Storks, presumably over-wintering birds, between Joure and Akmarijp in Friesland.
Herons and egrets: In addition to Grey Heron, I recorded 73 Great Egrets at several sites but surprisingly just 2 Little Egrets.
Photo: Great Egret - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Grey Heron - Joure to Akmarijp, Friesland
Birds of prey: I recorded 5 species of birds of prey with Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel being particularly numerous. In addition, I recorded 4 Hen Harriers, 1 Peregrine and 2 Eurasian Sparrowhawks. I also saw a possible Rough-legged Buzzard in the De Putten and Pettemerpolder area.
Photo: Common Buzzard - Oudeland van Strijen
Owls: I recorded just a single Barn Owl on my return from my evening meal in Kollum to my accommodation in Kollumerpomp.
Penduline Tit: I heard a possible individual in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve in Flevoland but it only called once and I was unable to locate it.
Short-toed Treecreeper: I recorded 2 separate individuals at Lepelaarplassen nature reserve in Flevoland and Zwanenwater nature reserve in Noord-Holland
During my trip, I was also able to record the following mammals: Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Red Fox and Atlantic Grey Seal.
Photo: Atlantic Grey Seal - Brouwersdam
Disappointments:
As far as birds are concerned, the main disappointment was not finding the long-staying Pied Crow in Leeuwarden which would have been a “lifer”. This African species was first recorded in Leeuwarden in July 2019 and prior to that at other sites in the Netherlands from July 2019. It is also thought to be the same bird that was recorded at several sites around the UK from June 2018.
In addition, there were several other species that I had expected or hoped to see during my trip but which I failed to record including Red-breasted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Common Crane, Eurasian Bittern, Western Marsh Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Short-eared Owl and Great Grey Shrike.
Photos:
During my trip, I took around 140 photos and the best of these can be found in the European trips gallery.
Destination: Netherlands
Purpose of trip:
The purpose of my trip was to visit the Netherlands for winter wildlife watching. It was inspired by one of the December “weekends” in the book “52 European Wildlife Weekends” by James Lowen (see more on this below).
My previous visits to the Netherlands were a field trip whilst a student at the University of Reading and part of a 3 week Interrail backpacking trip around Europe, both in the late 1970s when I was young! Much more recently in September 2016, I visited Amsterdam for a very short 2 day/1 night city trip, principally to visit a special exhibition at the Van Gogh Musuem.
Netherlands – background:
The Netherlands, informally known as Holland, is a country in north western Europe with some overseas territories in the Caribbean. In Europe, it consists of 12 provinces that border Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and the North Sea to the north west with maritime borders in the North Sea with those countries and the UK.
The 4 largest cities in the Netherlands are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. These cities and their surrounding areas comprise the Randstad and, with a population of over 8 million people, this is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Europe. It covers an area of around 3200 square miles and with a population density of 3900 people per square mile it is also one of the most important and densely populated economic areas in Europe.
Amsterdam is the country's most populous city and nominal capital. Amsterdam Schiphol is the busiest airport in the Netherlands and the 3rd busiest in Europe. The Port of Rotterdam is the busiest seaport in Europe and the busiest in any country outside Asia (Singapore and Shanghai are now busier). The Hague is the seat of the Netherlands government and holds the States General, Cabinet and Supreme Court. It also hosts the International Court of Justice.
Overall, with a population of over 17 million people, all living within a total area of around 16100 square miles of which the land area is 12900 square miles, the Netherlands is the 12th most densely populated country in the world and the 5th most densely populated country in Europe with a density of 1350 per square mile.
The Netherlands has been a parliamentary constitutional monarchy with a unitary structure since 1848 and it is a founding member of the EU, Eurozone, G10, NATO, OECD and WTO as well as part of the Schengen Area and the trilateral Benelux Union. Its mixed-market advanced economy has one of the highest per capita incomes globally and it also ranks among the highest in international indices of press freedom, economic freedom, human development, quality of life and happiness.
Netherlands literally means “lower countries”, referring to its low elevation and flat topography. Only about 50% of its land exceeds 3 feet above sea level and nearly 17% falls below sea level. Most of the areas below sea level, known as polders, are the result of land reclamation that began in the 16th century.
Primary target areas:
I undertook a route around the Netherlands from Amsterdam, my arrival point in the country. My trip commenced with sites to the south of Rotterdam before moving on to sites east and north of Amsterdam before returning to Amsterdam and Hoek van Holland.
The primary target areas for wildlife watching during my trip were:
Zuid-Holland (South Holland)
Zuid-Holland is the most populous province in the Netherlands and includes both the urban areas of Rotterdam and The Hague. The Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta, formed by the confluence of the rivers of the same names, drains through Zuid-Holland in to the North Sea.
In this province, I principally focused on the area of polders of Oudeland van Strijen near the small town of Strijen in the south. This area is located on the Hollands Diep, a river and an estuary of the Rhine and Meuse rivers, and it is an important wintering area for large numbers of geese and ducks.
Zeeland
Zeeland is the westernmost and least populous province of the Netherlands. It consists of a number of islands and peninsulas and large parts are below sea level. The province is also the location of the Delta Works, a series of construction projects (dams, sluices, locks, dykes, levees and storm surge barriers) built to protect a large area of land around the Rhine-Meuse-Scheldt delta from the sea.
In this province, I principally focused on the area around Brouwershaven and the Brouwersdam.
Flevoland
Flevoland is the youngest province of the Netherlands. It was established in 1986 when the southern and eastern Flevopolders were merged into one provincial entity. It is located in the centre of the country where the former Zuiderzee existed. This was a shallow bay of the North Sea extending about 60 miles inland and at most 30 miles wide and with a coastline of about 200 miles. In the 20th century the majority of the Zuiderzee was closed off from the North Sea by the construction of the Afsluitdijk, leaving the mouth of the inlet to become part of the Waddenzee. The salt water inlet changed into a fresh water lake now called the IJsselmeer (after the river that drains in to it) and by means of drainage and reclamation schemes in the 1950s and 1960s an area of some 580 square miles was created as polders. The capital city of Flevoland is Lelystad and the most populous city is Almere, both of which were planned and developed on reclaimed land.
In this province, I principally focused on the Almere nature reserves, namely Oostvaardersdijk, Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen.
Oostvaardersdijk is part of the series of dikes that protect the reclaimed polders. Road N701 between Almere and Lelystad runs along the top of the dike and follows the vast majority of the coastline of the Markermeer. It also provides access to Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen.
The Lepelaarplassen is a nature reserve of approximately 500 hectares founded in 1971. It was designated in 2009 as a Natura 2000 site. Lepelaar is the Dutch word for the Spoonbill in English whilst plassen is the Dutch word for place …. Lepelaarplassen is the place of the Spoonbills. Lepelaarplassen is located just to the west of Oostvaardersplassen and consists of a clay swamp with 3 lakes created by sand extraction during the construction of the Oostvaardersdijk. It is an important wetland site for breeding and wintering birds and it also has a population of Beavers.
Following the drainage and reclamation schemes and the creation of the Flevopolder, there were initially plans to turn the area in to an industrial zone. However, because the ground was wet, it was decided to designate an area, the Oostvaardersplassen, where rewilding would allow the development of lakes, marshes, reedbeds, grasslands and woodland. Oost is the Dutch word for east, vaarder means seafarer and plassen means place …. Oostvaardersplassen is the place of the eastern sailors.
Covering an area of around 22 square miles, the Oostvaardersplassen is well known as an experiment in rewilding i.e. large-scale conservation aimed at restoring and protecting natural processes and core wilderness areas, providing connectivity between such areas and protecting or reintroducing apex predators and keystone species.
Although the southern part of the Flevopolder was only created in 1968, its ecological interest and biodiversity resulted in it being declared a Ramsar wetland in 1989. It is also designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) under the EU Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds. The Oostvaardersplassen has become an outstanding area for breeding and wintering birds. Much of the nature reserve is closed to the public to facilitate rewilding and to protect the wildlife. However, there are many nature trails and bird hides that are accessible.
Before the establishment of the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, the dry areas were a nursery for willow trees and in the first year hundreds of seedlings could be found on each square metre. This led to concern that a dense woodland would develop, significantly reducing the value of the habitat for water birds. To avoid this, the nature reserve managers brought in a number of large herbivores to keep the area more open. Before they were driven to extinction, large herbivores in this part of Europe included the Tarpan (wild horse), Wisent (European Bison), Red Deer and Aurochs (wild cattle). The Tarpan and Auroch are extinct but Red Deer, Konik ponies and Heck cattle have been introduced and they are able to act as functional equivalents and occupy a similar ecological niche. These large grazing animals are kept out in the open all year round with supplemental feeding for the winter and early spring and they are allowed to behave as wild animals. The ecosystem developing under their influence is thought to resemble those that would have existed on European river banks and deltas before human disturbance. However, there is some controversy about how natural the ecosystem is since it lacks top predators.
In addition to the nature reserves around Almere and on my way to Friesland, I also focused on Vossemeer to the north east of Lelystad. The Vossemeer is situated at the eastern end of the Ketelmeer, an inlet of the IJsselmeer. The Vossemeerdijk to the east of Ketelhavn provides excellent views of the large numbers of wintering ducks and other birds.
Friesland
Friesland is located in the north of the Netherlands to the north of Flevoland and south of the Waddenzee. The capital city of Friesland is Leeuwarden. The area of the province was once part of the ancient and larger region of Frisia which included modern Friesland and smaller parts of northern Germany. Frisia is the traditional homeland of the Frisians, Germanic people who speak Frisian languages.
In this province, I principally focused on 3 areas.
Firstly, the agricultural areas on a route via and around the towns and villages of Lemmer, Mirns, Workum, Gaast, Piaam, Sneek, Joure, Akmarijp and Terherne in the west of the province. These are important wintering areas for large numbers of geese and ducks.
Secondly, the Lauwersmeer National Park.
Photo: Lauwersmeer National Park, Friesland
Photo: Lauwersmeer National Park, Friesland
The River Lauwers forms part of the east-west border between the provinces of Friesland and Groningen and it flows from south to north in to the Waddenzee. The Lauwersmeer is its estuary which is connected to the sea via a sluice at Lauwersoog. In May 1969, the Lauwerszee was enclosed by dikes and a dam which separated it from the Waddenzee and since then it has been called the Lauwersmeer. The Lauwersmeer gradually became a freshwater lake landscape and new flora and fauna appeared. To protect this new and young nature area, the Lauwersmeer became a national park in November 2003. The Lauwersmeer National Park, bordering the world heritage site of the Waddenzee, is one of the Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) of western Europe. It is home to over 100 species of birds that breed in its water, forests and grasslands plus huge flocks of wintering geese and ducks of various species. The Lauwersmeer National Park offers various hiking opportunities as well as stunning views and bird watching hides.
Thirdly, the Waddenzee coast at Holwerd.
Photo: Waddenzee at Holwerd
In addition to these 3 areas, I also planned to try and see the long-staying Pied Crow in the centre of Leeuwarden (the Pied Crow is Africa’s most widespread member of the crow family occurring from sub-Saharan Africa south to the Cape of Good Hope).
Noord-Holland
Noord-Holland is located in the north west of the Netherlands to the west of both Friesland and Flevoland. It is a broad peninsula for the most part situated between the North Sea, the Waddenzee, the IJsselmeer and the Markermeer. More than half of the province consists of reclaimed polder land situated below sea level. The West Frisian islands, including Texel, along the edge of the Waddenzee are also part of the province. The capital city of Noord-Holland is Haarlem but the province's largest city and also the largest city in the Netherlands is Amsterdam.
In this province, I principally focused on 3 areas as I retuned south to Amsterdam.
Firstly, Balgzandpolder, a small wetland area with viewing screens just south of the city of Den Helder which is well known as a reliable site for Spoonbill in winter.
Secondly, De Putten and Pettemerpolder, an important wintering area for large numbers of geese and ducks, on the North Sea coast and north of the village of Camperduin.
Photo: Pettemerpolder
Thirdly, the wetlands of the Markermeer and the Marken peninsula around 15 miles north east of Amsterdam.
Getting there:
I flew from London Southend airport (the nearest airport to my home) to Amsterdam Schiphol airport with Easyjet on 5th December 2019. I did not pay anything for the flight or baggage since I was using the balance of an Easyjet voucher arising from a return flight that I was unable to take in September 2018 due to personal reasons.
London Southend airport is very small and very quiet with exceptionally quick check-in, passport control and security compared with Amsterdam Schiphol airport which is the 3rd busiest airport in Europe.
The schedule was as follows: depart 3:30 p.m. and arrive 5:30 p.m. (local time GMT+1). The flight departed 10 minutes late and arrived 10 minutes early.
The initial part of the flight provided excellent views of some of my local Essex birding sites, notably Wallasea Island RSPB reserve, the Dengie peninsula, the Blackwater estuary and Hamford Water, before moving out over the North Sea.
Having already taken 4 flights during 2019 prior to my flight to Amsterdam plus several flights in previous years, I have made a conscious decision to not fly to or from European destinations in the future due to the impact of flights on carbon emissions and the climate emergency. I will be writing more about this on my website.
Therefore, for my return from the Netherlands, I booked trains and the ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich. Whilst this proved to be a much slower way to travel home, it was much more enjoyable and relaxing. In addition, the whole check-in, passport control and security is far less challenging than at a typical airport.
After returning my rental car to Amsterdam Schiphol airport, I travelled by train to Schiedam Centrum. There are frequent trains on this route and the journey took around 45 minutes. I booked a ticket in advance via Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The cost of the train was 12.20 euros (£10.40).
From Schiedam Centrum, RET metro line B terminates at Hoek van Holland ferry port. The metro runs every 20 minutes and the journey took around 30 minutes. I bought a ticket at Schiedam Centrum for 4 euros (£3.41).
The ferry from Hoek van Holland to Harwich is provided by Stena Line using their Stena Hollandica superferry. This is a huge, high quality and well-appointed ship. With average wind speeds of around 30 mph and gusts of over 50 mph forecast on the night of my sailing, I did have some concerns but the ship was incredibly stable.
Photo: Stena Hollandica
The schedule was as follows: depart 10:00 p.m. (local time GMT+1) and arrive 6:30 a.m. The ferry actually departed at 9:45 p.m. and arrived at 5:30 p.m. I booked a ticket in advance during a Stena Line sale and paid £71 which included a single cabin.
Cabins are mandatory for night sailings and single cabins are relatively spacious and include 2 single beds (bunk bed style), an en-suite toilet and shower, free wi-fi and a flat-screen TV which apart from TV programmes also provides a live GPS location map and external camera feeds.
After arriving at Harwich, a train departed for London Liverpool Street at 7:21 a.m. although I left the train at Shenfield before taking another train to Billericay and an onward taxi to home.
More information on “Rail and Sail” travel to/from the Netherlands can be found at Mark Smith’s website, The Man in Seat 61 or at Stena Line.
Getting around:
At Amsterdam Schiphol airport, I rented an Opel Grandland X for 6 days from Hertz booked in advance. This was actually a group rental H SUV rather than a group rental B compact car. The cost of car rental was £103.24 reduced by cashback to £92.92. The SUV proved to be very reliable and reasonably economical for a larger vehicle. The cost of petrol in the Netherlands at an average of 1.65 euros per litre (£1.40) was much higher than the UK at £1.25 per litre so travel was relatively expensive. I found Q8’s unmanned pay at the pump Tango petrol stations to be the cheapest option.
During my trip around the Netherlands, I drove 1250 km (777 miles). The roads are generally of a very good quality even in the rural areas. Within the Randstad, the urban area covering the 4 cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, the roads were exceptionally busy with massive volumes of cars. However, unlike much of the UK, the urban motorway and main road network and intersections seemed to be well planned and for most of the time congestion did not lead to stationary queues. Outside of the Randstad and in the rural areas which I visited during most of my trip, the roads were generally quiet.
Itinerary:
I travelled independently following thorough research and preparing an itinerary before leaving the UK.
5th December 2019: outward flight to Amsterdam > pick up rental car at Amsterdam Schiphol airport > Capelle aan den Ijssel
6th December 2019: Capelle aan den Ijssel > Oudeland van Strijen > Brouwershavn > Brouwersdam > Amsterdam > Almere
7th December 2019: Oostvaardersdijk > Lepelaarplassen > Oostvaardersplassen > Almere
8th December 2019: Almere > Oostvaardersdijk > Lelystad > Dronten > Ketelhavn > Vossemeer > Lemmer > Mims > Workum > Gaast > Piaam > Sneek > Joure > Akmarijp > Terherne > Leeuwarden > Kollum > Kollumerpomp
9th December 2019: Kollumerpomp > Lauwersmeer National Park > Holwerd > Hippolytushoef
10th December 2019: Hippolytushoef > Balgzandpolder > Den Helder > De Putten and Pettemerpolder > Camperduin > Markermeer and Marken > return rental car at Amsterdam Schiphol airport > Schiedam Centrum > Hoek van Holland
10th/11th December 2019: Hoek van Holland > Harwich
Accommodation:
Prior to my trip, I had pre-booked the following accommodation via ebookers.com, expedia.co.uk or booking.com
5th December 2019: Capelle aan den Ijssel – NH Capelle – £47.61 for 1 night
NH Capelle is located in Capelle aan den Ijssel, 35 miles south of Amsterdam Schiphol airport and 5 miles to the east of Rotterdam. It is a value for money large and modern hotel outside of these 2 main cities with free parking plus Capelle aan den Ijssel is an ideal location for visiting sites in Zuid-Holland and Zeeland. There was a very friendly and welcoming English-speaking reception. I stayed for 1 night in a large room with 2 joined single beds, an en-suite bath/shower and WC, a desk and chair, a TV, a fridge and unusually tea and coffee making facilities. There was strong w-fi in the room and throughout the hotel. An on-site bar and restaurant provided a limited but very good menu. Although adjacent to a main road, the hotel was very quiet. The hotel overlooks its own lake which provided my first trip records.
6th and 7th December 2019: Almere – Ibis Styles Almere – £128.28 for 2 nights
Ibis Styles Almere only opened in September 2019 and it is therefore very modern and clean. Almere is an ideal location to visit nearby Lepelaarplassen and Oostvaardersplassen. There was a very friendly and welcoming English-speaking reception. I stayed for 2 nights in a large room with a double bed, an en-suite shower and WC, a small desk and chair and a large TV. There was strong w-fi in the room and throughout the hotel. The on-site restaurant provided free tea and coffee. The menu, however, was very limited so I had an excellent Thai meal at the Thai Coon on the first night and a somewhat average Greek meal at Yamas on the second night. The hotel is situated in a quiet location just outside Almere city centre and it was also very quiet in itself with very few other guests staying whilst I was there.
8th December 2019: Kollumerpomp – Slaperdijk – £48.41 for 1 night
Slaperdijk is a small private house in a quiet street in the village of Kollumerpomp just to the south of Lauwersmeer National Park. I received a warm welcome from the hosts Yehudi and Miranda. The accommodation itself is an annexe to the main house but with its own private entrance. It was spotlessly clean with lovely décor, a double bed, an en-suite shower and WC, a TV and a kettle and tea and coffee. An adjacent utility room had a fridge, microwave, washing machine and dryer although I did not use these. Breakfast, pre-ordered the night before, was excellent and provided in the kitchen of the main house. No evening meals are provided but, on Yehudi’s recommendation, I had an excellent evening meal at Gasterij Manjefiek, an Italian brasserie in nearby Kollum.
9th December 2019: Hippolytushoef – Hotel West Inn – £41.11 for 1 night
Hotel West Inn is located in the small town of Hippolytushoef, approached via the amazing Afsluitdijk dam and causeway and an ideal overnight stop for visiting sites in Noord-Holland. I received a very friendly English-speaking welcome but there is a limited time slot for check-in since there is no on-site management. Hotel West Inn only comprises 7 rooms and the room that I stayed in was very small with a single bed and a tiny en-suite shower and WC. The sound-proofing was also very poor but fortunately my neighbour was relatively quiet. The large communal lounge area provided free tea and coffee. There is no on-site parking but instead free public parking in the square opposite. No evening meals are provided and unfortunately all the recommended restaurants in Hippolytushoef were closed on the evening of my stay. I therefore had a very good evening meal at Restaurant De Zingende Wielen, a roadside inn on the road to Den Oever.
Research and planning:
Prior to my trip, I had undertaken a significant amount of research and planning and therefore had a detailed itinerary which I largely kept to other than a few variations.
In addition to a few Internet trip reports provided by others, my main source of information was one of the December “weekends” in the book “52 European Wildlife Weekends” by James Lowen. This is an exceptionally useful reference book in its own right and covers wildlife sites throughout Europe. It is highly recommended and it was particularly helpful in planning my itinerary around the Netherlands.
I also used Michelin regional maps 531 and 532 covering north and south Netherlands respectively in addition to my trusty TomTom satnav.
Impressions, experiences and memories:
The overwhelming impression, experience and memory from my trip was the huge numbers of geese wintering throughout much of the Netherlands. I have seen large flocks of geese in north Norfolk, on the Solway Firth in Cumbria and Dumfries and Galloway and on Islay in the Inner Hebrides but nothing on the scale of what I saw in the Netherlands.
There was a large supporting cast of other birds and the Netherlands proved to be a superb winter birding destination.
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Photo: Barnacle Geese flock - Workum, Friesland
Weather:
The weather was very mixed with some lengthy dry periods when it was cloudy, bright or sunny but also some lengthy periods of light and even heavy rain. The periods of rain were not a great inconvenience since much of my birding was done by scanning and watching from the car in order to avoid disturbance to the flocks of geese and other birds. Daily maximum temperatures ranged from 7°C to 10°C with an early morning low of 3°C.
Wildlife highlights:
During my trip, I was able to record 92 species of birds and 4 species of mammals.
This total included 2 species which I was not able to record with 100% certainty and which I have described as “possible” (namely Rough-legged Buzzard and Penduline Tit) plus 4 “heard only” records (namely Water Rail, Bearded Reedling, Cetti’s Warbler and Eurasian Wren).
This total also included 2 species that I have recorded before in Europe but very rarely in the UK: White Stork and Short-toed Treecreeper.
Trip records
Here is a summary of the bird highlights from my trip.
Geese: I recorded 7 species of geese with the huge flocks of Barnacle Geese and Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese at many sites and a small group of 7 Taiga Bean Geese just outside the Lauwersmeer National Park area being the most notable. Unfortunately, I was unable to find any Red-breasted Geese or Lesser White-fronted Geese amongst the flocks of other geese although both species are recorded in small numbers each winter.
Photo: Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese - Pettemerpolder
Photo: Greater (Russian) White-fronted Geese - Pettemerpolder
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Barnacle Geese - Oudeland van Strijen
Swans: In addition to Mute Swan, I recorded both Bewick’s Swan and Whooper Swan.
Photo: Bewick's Swans - Lauwersmeer National Park
Ducks: I recorded 14 species of ducks, many in substantial numbers, including 2 Red-crested Pochard on Markermeer.
Grebes: I recorded 4 Black-necked Grebes off the Brouwersdam.
Eurasian Spoonbill: I recorded 5 Spoonbills at Balgzandpolder.
Photo: Spoonbills - Balgzandpolder
Waders: I recorded 12 species of waders, many in substantial numbers, both in the polderlands and on the coast of the Waddenzee.
Storks: I recorded 2 White Storks, presumably over-wintering birds, between Joure and Akmarijp in Friesland.
Herons and egrets: In addition to Grey Heron, I recorded 73 Great Egrets at several sites but surprisingly just 2 Little Egrets.
Photo: Great Egret - Oudeland van Strijen
Photo: Grey Heron - Joure to Akmarijp, Friesland
Birds of prey: I recorded 5 species of birds of prey with Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel being particularly numerous. In addition, I recorded 4 Hen Harriers, 1 Peregrine and 2 Eurasian Sparrowhawks. I also saw a possible Rough-legged Buzzard in the De Putten and Pettemerpolder area.
Photo: Common Buzzard - Oudeland van Strijen
Owls: I recorded just a single Barn Owl on my return from my evening meal in Kollum to my accommodation in Kollumerpomp.
Penduline Tit: I heard a possible individual in the Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve in Flevoland but it only called once and I was unable to locate it.
Short-toed Treecreeper: I recorded 2 separate individuals at Lepelaarplassen nature reserve in Flevoland and Zwanenwater nature reserve in Noord-Holland
During my trip, I was also able to record the following mammals: Roe Deer, Brown Hare, Red Fox and Atlantic Grey Seal.
Photo: Atlantic Grey Seal - Brouwersdam
Disappointments:
As far as birds are concerned, the main disappointment was not finding the long-staying Pied Crow in Leeuwarden which would have been a “lifer”. This African species was first recorded in Leeuwarden in July 2019 and prior to that at other sites in the Netherlands from July 2019. It is also thought to be the same bird that was recorded at several sites around the UK from June 2018.
In addition, there were several other species that I had expected or hoped to see during my trip but which I failed to record including Red-breasted Goose, Lesser White-fronted Goose, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Common Scoter, Long-tailed Duck, Common Crane, Eurasian Bittern, Western Marsh Harrier, White-tailed Eagle, Short-eared Owl and Great Grey Shrike.
Photos:
During my trip, I took around 140 photos and the best of these can be found in the European trips gallery.