January 1, a new year - a new list

 At the crack of dawn I ventured out of an otherwise quiet house. It was mild and dry and a stiff wind was blowing from the southwest and my head was a little foggy. But walking out of our small settlement I quickly picked up species like Robin, Dunnock and Blue Tit. The ferry port was quiet but after reaching the tidal inlet called 'Mokbaai', new yearticks came fast. Best was a female Greater Scaup. Light was still poor so I decided to walk on westwards. Since the tide was still high most birds were concentrated in the western part of the area. Gorgeous Pintails gave outstanding views and totalled at least 100. A Spoonbill was sleeping on the mudflats. 

Male Pintail - Mokbaai

 Two pairs of Pintail - Mokbaai

After reaching my westernmost point I checked the area once more finding Red Knot, Dunlin, Golden Plover, Grey Plover and many other birds. On the inland side of the dike the longstaying Glossy Ibis was present. It can be tricky on some days so I was pleased to tick it off on the first effort in 2022. It was accompanied by 4 Spoonbills and a Little Egret.

Glossy Ibis - de Petten

Little Egret - de Petten

Walking back with better light I checked the rafts of Brent Geese that swam in the 'Mokbaai' but I couldn't find Pale-bellied or Black Brant. Some 15 Common Goldeneyes were present as well and diligent scanning produced new birds like Red-breasted Merganser, Pied Avocet and Common Murre. The wind made it unpleasant for scanning. I tried for the longstaying Black Guillemot but choppy conditions prevented me from finding it. 

The morning run ended with 56 species with Great Tit and Collared Dove being additions in our street and a Redwing in the backyard.

In the afternoon a walk with my grilfriend and our dog resulted in exactly zero additions to the yearlist, a remarkable feat because we tried again for the Black Guillemot and walked a good area for seabirds and e.g. Purple Sandpiper. No luck today, though. I had to check on the kids at home and start cooking but I managed to squeeze out of the house for a short dash and scored heavily with Song Thrush, Coot, Common Snipe and Green Sandpiper. End score: 60 species, which is OK but there's no hurry. Tomorrow another day!