Holland 2016 - 6 Around Wageningen

I thoroughly missed having my usual birding gear. Here I know my way, I can find what I want to see, even in summer, when the birding is slow. Wageningen is great.

Little Owl (Athene noctua, Steenuil)

Home of the owl is a farm along the dyke. The geese in the yard are serving as watchdogs. They can be so noisy!

The big rivers have winter dykes and summer dykes. The land in between, the part that often floods in spring, is rich in flowers. I used to know many names,..

This young man on the right would know.

 Vingerhoedskruid

Rabbits and rabbits and more rabbits...

Holland 2016 - 5 The Weerribben

Giethoorn and nature reserve the Weerribben are best visited by boat. Great for a social event!

In the wetlands: Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea, Purperreiger)

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica, Blauwborst)

Reed Bunting (Emberiza schoeniclus, Rietgors)

And to everybody's joy a very friendly family of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor, Knobbelzwaan)

  

Far away in one of the water fields was a  Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus, Fuut) carrying babies on its back.

Every country has children who like catching water creatures during the holidays

Holland 2016 - 4 Staphorst

The many interesting aspects of this small town include local residents wearing traditional dress, picturesc clean and neat farmhouses and the resident Storks.

Locals on the way to church don't like to have their picture taken.

But this lady didn't mind

White Stork, (Ciconia ciconia, Ooievaar) 

Jay (Garrulus glandarius, Gaai)

 Here too flocks of geese roam the fields, annoying the farmers.

Peacock butterfly (Dagpauwoog) on Lavender

Holland 2016 - 3

One of the most common birds in this part of Europe: Blackbird (Merel, Turdus merula) can be seen in any garden. In July parents are busy feeding their young.

Like other black colored birds their feathers get a blue-greenish glow in the sunlight.

Another common Thrush: Song Thrush (Zanglijster, Turdus philomelus)

gathering nesting materials.

Holland 2016 - 2

From the rivers to the parks. Geese and ducks by the hundreds...

City Park in Kampen. Below 3 Barnacle Geese (Branta leucopsis, Brandganzen)

An odd collection in Staphorst: among wild and domestic ducks, one female Ruddy Shelduck (Tadorna ferruginea, Casarca)

fem Mandarin Duck (Aix Galericulata, Mandarijn eend)

At first I thought all 3 were female Mandarin Ducks. Up close the one in the middle looked quite different: Wood Duck (Aix sponsa, Caroline eend)

 escapees?

Below some of the old buildings in the city Amersfoort 

There were many Jackdaws (Corvus monedula, Kauw) roaming the streets and gardens, acting like real city birds.

 I don't remember them coming to the towns so much. The seemed to have replaced the Starlings (Sturnus vulgarus, Spreeuw)