20220603 Leiden

The parents of Costa were so kind to book a tour for their 7 year old fanatic birder. He kept on talking about all his birding experiences. It was so nice to be around such an energetic birder.

On our way we passed a big nest of a White Stork where we could see the heads of the young just sticking out. Our first stop was at a marshland and they were overwhelmed by the number of birds in the first 100 metres into the reserve: Linnets, Sedge Warbler, Stone Chats Lapwings and Swifts flying around.

Costa was studying all the birds I put on the telescope. When we got on the observation platform he was the first to see a pair of Red-crested Pochards. A Little Ringed Plover showed well in the scope and from the reed we could hear the Bluethroat, Sedge Warbler and Reed Buntings which showed well after waiting for a bit.

A Common Buzzard swept in and hovered at eye level next to the platform but quickly got chased away by the Lapwings before it could snatch one of their chicks. Directly after that we spotted a Honey Buzzard in the distance that was coming into our direction. We could compare it nicely with the Buzzard.

We then headed to a nearby forest. Here we saw a Greater Spotted Woodpecker but couldn’t locate his lesser cousin. Costa was also into insects but the breeding pile of Rhinoceros Beetles were attacked by Foxes digging for the fat larvae. The bird activity was getting less but still the Blackcaps and Nightingale kept singing.

Our last stop at the meadows provided sightings of Yellow Wagtails, Skylarks, Common Redshank and Black-tailed Godwits. Costa found the bird of the day for him, an adult Spoonbill walked out of the stream with the crest waving in the wind. A perfect end of the successful morning.