January 8 - 16

 Back working at our school meant less time for birding. As a rule of thumb, winter birding means great progress in the first week and stuggling for species after that until March. I still managed to add some decent species this week:

On the ferry I saw a Razorbill on January 9. It's perhaps up for debate whether or not I can count a bird seen from our ferry connecting my island with the mainland, since it burns fossil fuel, but for the sake of discussion I put it on the list. Discussion followed indeed with Arnold Meijer, suggesting that using a plane would be the same thing. I disagree, but can happily announce that today, January 16 I discovered perhaps the same bird in the bay next to the ferry port (Mokbaai, in English Bay of Mug?). 

On January 12 it proved to be a very nice and sunny afternoon. A Red-throated Diver flew past the watch point close to the village (NIOZ) and in the afternoon, my girlfriend, our dog and I made a long walk trying for species such as Tree Sparrow and Kingfisher. Both were nowhere to be found, but I did find a Little Grebe. This species is not uncommon but this was the nearest location I could think of. A group of fly-by Tundra Bean Geese were also still new for the yearlist. When we were almost back home I heard a White Wagtail calling. I soon picked up the flying bird with my binoculars and it landed on a field between some Egyptian Geese. It proved to be an 'alba' White Wagtail, quite scarce this winter.

On January 13 we travelled to work on our bikes and this resulted in my first bike-species of the year. Three Common Pochards were floating on a small stretch of water associated with a 18th century fortification. Today, January 16 I also connected with them for my walk-only list. Our training run after work resulted in another addition for the yearlist (after Jack Snipe on January 3): we flushed a European Woodcock from a hedge along our route for my 100th species of the year!

Purple Sandpiper - NIOZ-field on January 14

On January 15 I spent an enjoyable morning birding with some old friends by car. The species are naturally not on the yearlist but we saw some good birds despite the thick fog. Nineteen Twite were a treat and one of our island birders, Job ten Horn, found a probable 'blythi' Lesser Whitetroat that we managed to twitch. We also found 2 Black Brants and 1 Pale-bellied Brent Goose, one of our wintering Black Guillemots and more good birds. A fun day that ended with beer in the evening.

Twitch of putative Siberian Lesser Whitethroat

January 16 gave me some time to make a dash for an area not visited before: Horsmeertjes, two freshwater lakes on the southern end of the island. It meant a 9km walk and three targets were easily found in quick succession: Common Pochard, Smew (1 female at 'Horsmeertjes' and amazingly 3 more in 'Mokbaai') and Bearded Reedling. Smew is a rather difficult species on Texel, occurring erraticly and usually only possible in January, February and December. Good to have it on the list. The reedbeds on the southern shore of 'Mokbaai' is home to the only population of this species for the whole island. 

January 5 - 7: Good progress

 January 5 was a day with lots of wind and showers. My plan to make a longer walk for some forest species was cancelled in the middle of a hailstorm 3 minutes after we left the house. But I really wanted to score some new species! So I did a shorter walk along the dike just south of the village. In this area there's always a chance to see auks, rare ducks, white-winged gulls, Snow Buntings, etc. Unfortunately,  I had no such luck but just around the corner lies the "buitenveldje" (see pics below), a field of grass outside the dike and the spot where I rediscovered the island's fourth Greater Sand Plover on November 7. 

With lots of wind a lot of good wader spots are flooded. Today was no exception and I saw a nice group of 35 Grey Plovers, 1 Dunlin, 1 Sanderling, some Oystercatchers, Wigeon and Brent Geese and best of all 16 Purple Sandpipers (#85). This smart little sandpiper is a scarce winter visitor on our island and this spot is one of only two where it can reliably be found. This number is quite high for our standards.

Purple Sandpiper - Buitenveldje, NIOZ

Further birding failed to produce any other addition to the list. In the afternoon I took Manon and the dog (Neeltje) for another walk. One of my fellow birders, Arno Piek had seen Jay and Woodcock in his garden. A quick peek didn't reveal any of these species. We walked on and then I remembered seeing Ruff further on up the road. Scanning the field where I saw the bird prooved that Lapwings and Trunstones were still present. And BINGO, a pale wader was amongst them. We walked over to the field and although the flock remained distant the Ruff (#86) was still there. 

Finishing our find by taking the Van der Sterrweg, we passed the garden of gull researcher Kees Camphuijsen, a very birdy spot where he's had Red-flanked Bluetail and Little Bunting in recent years. It did produce my first Great Spotted Woodpecker of the year (#87) though. I received a text message from Tim Schipper, one of Texel's fine young birders (with my son Koen and Thomas Avila Lutke-Schipholt). He had found a group of 300 Brent Geese with both Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a Black Brant. Those two species are winter visitors on Texel in small numbers but remain mostly on the northern half of our island; a long walk... I didn't have time just now to go for them, but maybe tomorrow?

On January 6 the wind had gone and Texel was bathing in glorious sunshine (making it way too hot in my opinion...). Manon en I decided to make the best of it and take a good walk. First stop (third time this year) was "Mokbaai" and "de Petten" where I hoped to find Black-tailed Godwit. Since I didn't bring my scope and the birds are quite a distance away, I wasn't sure I'd be able to pick one out. Luckily there was some movement in a part of the large group of waders and in the flapping of wings I could make out at least one Blackwit amongst the Curlews and Barwits (#88). Better still, I heard a shrill pipit call in the wet meadow adjacent to "de Petten". The bird was easily found as it was feeding solo and it proved to be a genuine Water Pipit (#89). This is a rare winter visitor with only a few wintering each year, so I was very happy to see it.

Mokbaai - a great spot for waders

We took the shortcut to the mighty forest of "campsite Loodsmansduin" where I hoped to score at least some forest species. In recent years it has produced Black-throated Thrush, Pine Bunting and Olive-backed Pipit during fall. In summer it has breeding Long-eared Owl and Woodlark. In winter it's usually quiet but my hopes were high as usual. 

The mighty forest of Loodsmansduin

In the dunes to our left while sitting on the bench I heard my first Reed Bunting of the year for #90. The campsite has some cabins but otherwise it was nice and quiet (opposed to very busy summer months). Soon I picked up some delicate calls of a Regulus. There were some Goldcrests (#91) and I spent some time checking for the much scarcer Firecrest. A short distance further I found another group of Goldcrestst, Blue and Great Tits, some Robins and a Chiffchaff (#92). Chiffchaff is found more and more regularly as a winter visitor, sometimes even in small flocks but mainly in the forests around De Koog (a much longer hike away).

We decided to check some fields on the westside of the campsite where the Pine Bunting was wintering in 2016-2017. Sometimes Yellowhammers spend the winter here, but this year we haven't been lucky. A lone Reed Bunting was our only Emberiza here. We walked back along the northern edge of the campsite still hoping for Jay or Eurasian Treecreeper. The forest species obviously didn't make it all the way to this campsite. But when a small group of Fieldfare landed on a nice field I picked up a Mistle Thrush among them (#93). This mighty thrush is a scarce breeding bird and migrant and seems to disappear in winter with only very few being seen in December and January. Another bonus bird for the day. After leaving "Loodsmansduin" behind us I checked the shrub along a bicycle lane for Stonechat since I found two wintering birds in this area on Christmas day. They prooved very settled as both birds were still present.

Mistle Thrush - Loodsmansduin

Stonechat - de Kuil

The day was very successful with 7 additions to the yearlist. The only sad part was that the group with three species of Brent Geese had vanished overnight. I'll have to check this area over the next few weeks and hope they will reappear or I'll have to walk some 15km north to the area where they normally stay.

on January 7 I paid a visit to my mother  in "Zelhem", far from my local patch. I didn't do any birding on Texel and saw no new yearbirds. 

January 2 - 4: cleaning up on most local species

 The second day of the year brought many social activities and therefore birding was limited to watching birds from the house and garden. Still I was happy to tick off Brambling, Chaffinch, Skylark, Grey Heron, Great Egret, Sparrowhawk and a superb young male Goshawk dashing through the garden stressing out our rooster.

Total: 67

On January 3 I walked back and forth along the Prins Hendrik Zanddijk with my girlfriend, my mum, my youngest daughter Liselotte and our dog, totalling 7km. For geographical reference see the satellite image below. It's an artificial body of sand meant to defend the low-lying polders behind it. A biking path runs on top of it for some distance and a nice viewingpoint to watch the birds in the inlet. 

Prins Henrik Zanddijk view from south

Satellite image of Prins Hendrik Zanddijk

Birds along the way were plentiful and I added some expected birds but Grey Wagtail was a surprise for sure. Other additions were Lesser Black-backed Gull, Shoveler, Teal, Common Ringed Plover, Bewick's Swan, Moorhen and Goldfinch. Weather was sunny and windy but still much too warm for this time of year. We also found a weakened Dark-bellied Brent Goose. I decided to pick it up later and bring it to a bird shelter on the island. It probably had avian flu and died later that evening. It's kind of disheartening to see and hear how bad this pandemic is raging through bird populations around Europe and beyond. I wonder what the best strategy is, but my feeling is that you shouldn't let sick birds wander around because they can infect other animals.

Brent Goose, probably with avian flu

In the afternoon my girlfriend and I did our second run of the year to improve our fitness for this challenging year. Luckily, we're only novices and our training app takes it easy on us. Our 2.4km was easy and to my disbelief we spooked a Jack Snipe from a roadside ditch not far from my house. 

Total: 76

A walk with my grilfriend and the dog on January 4 gave a nice opportunity for a try to connect with the Black Guillemot that spends its second winter just around the corner from the ferry port. On arrival, the wind of the last few days had subsided which made scanning the sea much easier. A male Eider was new for the yearlist and spotted first by Manon. One minute later she also spotted a bird swimming a little further out and for sure it proofed to be our Black Guillemot. I made some quick phonescope shots for all you lovely readers.

Black Guillemot - Mokbaai

Scanning through a distant group of Wigeons I picked up on I small duck flying through my scopeview. It proved to be a female Long-tailed Duck, a scarce winter visitor in the parts and a welcome addition to the list. We walked on and refound this duck hanging out with the local Goldeneyes, 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and at least 3 Greater Scaups. We decided to walk towards the area "de Petten" (where I saw the Glossy Ibis three days ago). Target was the Greenshank seen here the last few days. On December 25 I even saw two of them. I was stunned when 3 Greenshanks proved to be present. When two of them flew over our heads to start feeding in intertidal mud of "de Mokbaai" I wanted to phonescope them and couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that they had landed next to a Spotted Redshank, also a very scarce winter visitor on Texel. The icing on the cake here were 2 Rock Pipits actually feeding on the rocks covered with seeweed. In this area they are not regularly found.

Greenshank - Mokbaai

Spotted Redshank - Mokbaai

All happy and energized we decided tot walk back on the inland side of the dike. Lots of Snipes took wing and 2 Little Egrets were feeding in a ditch. We also managed to pick up a lot of litter on the way to dispose at home. A good way to make your walk even more nature friendly!

A know this route from the back of my hand and we easily picked up three calling Water Rails on our way home and I was very pleased to see a female Hen Harrier hunting over the fields around our village. This magnificent raptor is slowly but surely disappearing from our lovely island as a breeding bird and I don't see them as often as I used to, also in winter.

Total: 84

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!

The heat is on!

 Weatherwise it's ridiculously warm on Texel on this last day of 2021. At 10°C it doesn't feel like winter at all but we're at new year's eve nonetheless. With my wish to challenge myself every year I aimed for 200 species seen this year within walking distance of my home on Texel. A lot of notable species were seen. Many selffound and some twitched. Best selffinds were Greater Sand Plover, Spotted Crake, Bee-eater, Purple Heron, ad. summer Sabine's Gull and White-winged Black Tern. I also managed to pick up Lesser Grey Shrike, Glossy Ibis, Red-rumped Swallow, Black-winged Stilt and Red-necked Phalarope found by others. This brought me to a total of 209 species with a record BigDay on foot on 8 May with 142 species seen. Additionally, I refound  a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker by bike, bringing the grand total of my ecofriendly yearlist to 210 species.

From the UK, Josh Jones and Birdwatch Magazine launched #LocalBigYear for 2022 with many across the pond already participating. In my Twitterfeed already 5 other topnotch Dutch birders told they would participate; Steven Geurts, Arnold Meijer, Klaas Jan Arkema, Lisette Cuperus and Marc Giiyt are all are on board of this ship, welcome! All will have different strategies and live in different parts of the Netherlands. Some will walk, others will bike more often. I'm very curious at the results and I'll try to make regular updates in this weblog.

For reference I made a 10km circle around my home. I 'll only bird on the island of Texel and may occasionally wander beyond this circle but it gives you some idea of the area.

Happy ecofriendly birding in 2022!

22-09-2011: door het oog van de naald..

..en zo kan het dus gebeuren. Week in week uit, dag en nacht heb je je mobiel aan en bij de hand tot dat ene fatale moment. Dinsdag 20-09 was een gewone werkdag. Mimi was op pad dus in de middagpauze nog even sms-contact en vervolgens mijn mobiel weer in de vertrouwde linker broekzak laten glijden. Na een goede werkdag, het ophalen van de kinderen, het avondeten en het bedritueel pak ik 's avonds mijn mobiel om Jos te bellen over VWG-aangelegenheden. UIT? Mmmmm, vreemd. Aangezet en het eerste wat Jos vraagt is waarom ik niet langsgeweest was. Oh oh. Waar langs? Steppekievit, de eerste voor Texel, was rond 15 uur ontdekt door Texel regular Ronald van Dijk op de Hoge Berg. Na 16 uur was de vogel opgevlogen en uit beeld verdwenen achter de vele tuunwallen. Klote dus, maar nog wel hoop dat de vogel in het gebied was gebleven.

Woensdagochtend 21-09 ging ik nadat de kinderen op school waren afgeleverd naar de oude plek, de weg genaamd Leemkuil. Onderweg geen BAT-je in de rug, dus toch niet helemaal gerust. Gelukkig zag ik auto's staan en de protserige Mercedes van Marc (sorry, Marc) kwam me tegemoed rijden met de verlossende mededeling dat de vogel er zat. En inderdaad in de miezer liep de rakker rustig op een weilandje met wat meeuwen en Kauwen. Prima gezien, adulte vogel. Even een bewijsplaatje gemaakt en vanwege de aanhoudende regen na niet al te lange tijd richting huis gegaan.

Steppekievit Vanellus gragarius - Leemkuil, Hoge Berg, Texel - 21-09-2011 (Vincent Stork)

en het blijft spannend

Vanochtend werd ik eerst opgeschrikt door een BAT van Eric Menkveld betreffende een Citroenkwikstaart bij Zandkes. Gelijk erheen, maar er bleken twee probleempjes. De vogel was uit beeld en Arend had op de display van Eric zijn toestel al een goede foto bekeken en daarop was inderdaad een erg bleek kwikje te zien, maar mogelijk toch geen Citroen.

Terug thuis al wel wat in de tuin gevogeld met de eerste Roodborst van het seizoen, een Fitis en 2 Tapuiten. Dat schoot dus niet echt op. Er werd echter weer gebat. Dit keer een Sperwergrasmus, de eerste van het jaar voor Texel. Snel Fine ingeladen en op naar het Reddingboothuis. Daar stonden de ontdekkers, Pieter Duin en Arend Wassink, in de berm en ze hadden de vogel in beeld. Iet wat in de begroeiing van een Vliertje, maar daar kwam hij snel uit en kon ik hem door de scoop heel aardig bekijken.

In de avond voor nog wat hvp-trek staan posten. Dat leverde 190 Zilverplevieren, 17 Regenwulpen en wat ander grut op. Ook een jagende Boomvalk en een juveniele Wespendief die in Dorpzicht inviel waren leuk.