Report of the Private bird excursion Lauwersmeer December 6, 2024

Private Birding Excursion Lauwersmeer December 6th 2024 (by Henk)

Today I have an appointment with two participants from Cardiff in Wales. They would like me to show them the Lauwersmeer area with the associated birds. In the winter season we have some different species of birds than in the spring, and there are beautiful species among them.

The agreement was that I would pick them up at 9 o’clock at their residence in Winsum. However, the first winter storm presented itself with wind force 9 on the Wadden Sea, which was also measured at the measuring point in Lauwersoog. We therefore discussed by telephone and start at 11:30, after noon the wind will also die down a bit and it would remain largely dry.

And so I drive home at 11 o’clock and first see if I could find the Long-eared Owls in Sauwerd in the tree. Between the blowing branches I see one briefly, but think they are deeper between the branches at the back of the tree, more out of the wind. But then you have to walk onto people’s grounds and I don’t do that. So unfortunately we skip this.

Around 11:30 both participants get in, they are really looking forward to it despite the rougher weather. I do too and so we drive towards Lauwersmeer. They would like to see Tundra Bean Geese and there are small numbers on the farmlands here. Most are more in the east of the province and in Drenthe, further inland, there are tens of thousands, while here it is tens to a few hundred perhaps.

At Ulrum we see a group sitting on our right and so we immediately have a desirable species. In front of it are also some Lapwings, a few Turnstones and a Dunlin.

If we follow the small roads towards Lauwersmeer we also pass a very large mixed group of Whooper and Bewick’s Swans. Estimate about 70 Whooper and 10 Bewick’s Swans. Here, too, at some point, Tundra Bean Geese settle on the land next door on bare farmland.

Just behind a construction site hut we are a bit out of the wind and hidden so that the Swans do not behave disturbed and continue to forage quietly. Beautiful sight.

And so we end up back on the road to Lauwersoog (N361) via a tour through the “Westpolder”. We park the car near the barracks and walk towards the bird hide at the Jaap Deensgat. Normally there are a lot of geese here, but now it is very empty. Far away, a Hen Harrier (female) flies in front of the edge of the forest. The water is also very turbulent on this side. There is not even anything on the “Roodkeelplasje”. The participants walk on to the hut and I myself move the car a bit along the parallel road at the information board, so that they can walk to it.

I also walk to the bird hide and there they have already discovered two White-tailed Eagles on the other side, a second wish species. In any case, I see a juvenile myself, which is occasionally attacked by seeing Black Crows from a distance. On the water a.o. Mallard, Gadwall, Northern Shoveler and Common Shelduck, on the side Lapwings and Silver Plover. The dark sky keeps the rain with them for a while, or they just drift away from us so that we still keep it dry.

At the next viewing tower at the “Vlinderbalg” you can see some Mute Swans and Tufted Ducks and a Little Grebe on a puddle on the other side of the road. When we enjoy a cup of coffee with something tasty, a Cetti’s Warbler is also heard.

Then we stop at the “beach Brilduiker” where we indeed see a large group swimming, but very far away past the “beach pavilion”. Beyond that, we take another look at the water, where you can enter the water with a boat. However, we are now just too far away on the other side, but then a number of Goldeneye fly by. Unfortunately no Smews now, but they had already seen them yesterday, now it is mainly females that can be seen, February is a better month.

We drive on to the harbor. It is also raining and the wind is still blowing quite a bit here. Because the wind blows the birds to the coast, there is always a chance of nice sea species, such as divers.

In the harbor itself we only see a Little Grebe first. Not much at sea yet. Next to an electricity house, 4 birdwatchers are staring out of the wind over the sea. Some have been there for a while, and have seen Long-tailed Duck, Black-throated Loon, Red-throated Loon and Slavonian Grebe, among others. We stand there for a few minutes and then a few Little Gulls fly by, with the dark underwing.

We drive on to the end of the pier and on the road the Turnstones run in front of us. In the harbor itself we now see a Red-breasted Merganser (male) diving next to Cormorants. At the end of the pier a number of Purple Sandpipers walk along the waterfront and also a larger number of Turnstones. Looking up the Wadden Sea, one of the participants sees a Common Scoter and an Eider. A number of Little Gulls fly by as well as Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls. The pier that you can normally walk onto is now almost under water, so high is the water pushed up by the wind.

Because we have a few hours less due to the storm, we continue and stop just after the locks to look over the Wadden Sea.  And now a participant sees a Slavonian Grebe bobbing in the sea. When we try to get closer to it, it unfortunately drifts further and further out to sea, so that a photo is not in it.

We drive via the parallel road along the Bantpolder and hope to see the Horned Lark that have been reported here in the last few days. However, there were many Wigeons on the land and many Barnacle Geese.

On the last part of the Bantswei there are many Golden Plovers between the Lapwings and Starlings on land. A group of birds flies over us that we suspect could be Horned Larks, they settle down a bit behind us in the long grass. One participant thought he had recognized one, but unfortunately we cannot determine it with certainty yet. There is a Skylark here too.

We now drive towards Peazens/Moddergat over the “Alddyk” and see large groups of Barnacle and Brant Geese on land. There are also a lot of Curlews here.

When we arrive at Peazens we cross the dike, and what I see is a lot of water, I have never seen it so wet here. Here we make another attempt to see the Horned Larks, which can often be seen here. At the edge of the ponds there are a huge number of Oystercatchers, with everything in between.

We walk a bit up the dike and see a few groups of dozens of Twites flying around. Groups of Turnstones, Purple Sandpipers and Dunlin also fly along the waterfront. I have to say that the wind is still very strong here, which does not always make it easy to look, especially with a telescope.

Further up the dike we find a group of at least 20 Snow Buntings. In the meantime, time is also running out and I suggest walking back a bit and then walking a bit along the salt marsh until you reach the high dike at Moddergat again. A Snipe flies away zigzagging.

Also a good piece for the Horned Larks, but unfortunately not now. What does happen is that one of the participants calls me and that a Black-throated Loon flies by from behind us, great! There are really a lot of birds here, but you have to have more time and less wind. We only meet two people here, normally many more people walk here. But so high tide and that rough sea is also beautiful to see!

And so we walk back to the car and we quickly drive along the Short-eared Owl boulevard, but here the water is also mega high, no mouse survives that here and the Short-eared Owl is therefore not to be seen this time.

And so we drive to the Ezumakeeg when it slowly starts to get darker, I have to show them that, for me the top spot of the Lauwersmeer. There are hundreds of Shovelers and also some Pintails swimming here and in the semi-darkness there is also a Whooper Swan.  A group of Little Gulls also flies by. In the distance, flocks of thousands of Starlings arise that look for their sleeping place at nightfall. A Buzzard flies up from a tree and when we drive out of the Ezumakeeg a Kingfisher flies in front of the car.

And with this last beautiful species, the excursion ends today and I bring the participants back to hub accommodation in Winsum. They thank me and really enjoyed these hours of bird watching, as I experienced it myself. I wish them a good journey back tomorrow and who knows, maybe they will come back in calmer conditions and at a different time of the year.

Species list:

1 Black-throated Diver
2 Slavonian Grebe
3 Little Grebe
4 Great Crested Grebe
5 Great Cormorant
6 Little Egret
7 Great Egret
8 Blue Heron
9 Mute Swan
10 Whooper Swan
11 Bewick’s Swan
12 White-fronted Goose
13 Tundra Bean Goose
14 Greylag Goose
15 Barnacle Goose
16 Brant Goose
17 Shelduck
18 Mallard
19 Gadwall
20 Northern Pintail
21 Shoveler
22 Eurasian Wigeon
23 Eurasian Teal
24 Common Pochard
25 Tufted Duck
26 Common Eider
27 Common Scoter
28 Goldeneye
29 Red-breasted Merganser
30 White-tailed Eagle
31 Hen Harrier
32 Common Buzzard
33 Eurasian Coot
34 Oystercatcher
35 Grey Plover
36 Golden Plover
37 Lapwing
38 Purple Sandpiper
39 Ruddy Turnstone
40 Dunlin
41 Common Redshank
42 Curlew
43 Common Snipe
44 Black-headed Gull
45 Mew Gull
46 Herring Gull
47 Great Black-backed Gull
48 Little Gull
49 Wood Pigeon
50 Kingfisher
51 Skylark
52 Horned Lark ??
53 Blackbird
54 Cetti’s Warbler
55 Magpie
56 Jackdaw
57 Rook
58 Black Crow
59 Starling
60 Twite
61 Snow Bunting