20220410 - Leiden

Early in the morning I (Menno) meet Marianne and Richard in the lobby of the hotel. It’s a cold spring morning so hand warmers and gloves are necessary.

We arrive at the parking lot of the dunes and are welcomed by singing Chiffchaffs, Great Tit, Dunnock and European Robin. A Buzzard flies by while we walk into the dunes where we briefly see a Ring Ouzel before it dives into cover of the Seathorn bushes.

Due to the cold and wind it feels like it’s freezing and that affects the bird activity. Only after the sun comes behind the clouds do the smaller birds become active. A superb male Bluethroat starts his display flight and we manage to get some good views and shots.

On the lake shorelines it’s very busy with Little Ringed Plovers defending their territory boundaries. On the water itself a pair of Tufted Duck and Red-crested Pochards are preening themself to look even more prettier in the morning light.

In a more bushier area the explosive song of the Cetti’s Warbler fills the air and a male Bullfinch flies overhead, sadly it lands just out of sight.

The dunes are loaded with the arrival of Chiffchaff and Willow Warblers and now that the sun is out they’re all singing out loud.

On the larger lake we see some more ducks like Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Eurasian Teal and Gadwall. A Great-Crested Grebe swims by and is calling to its partner.

After we warmed up with some coffee we headed to the meadows. We use the car as a hide and that allows us to take some nice close up photos of a Moorhen and a Lapwing next to the car.

In the field we spot Oystercatchers, Black-tailed Godwits and hear a Redshank calling so do some White and Yellow Wagtails. The Skylarks are singing in the air and drop in between the flowering Tulips.

On our way to the hotel we stop to photograph some Barnacle Geese and whilst we do that a pair of Lesser Black-backed Gulls snatch the first hatchlings of a family of Coots for breakfast.

At the doorstep of the hotel we notice a Carrion Crow eating something. It turns out to be the remains of a Woodcock that has been caught by the local Peregrine. We end the tour with almost 60 species of birds.