With a few cows, straight locks and in the distance the highway, the country of Geijsel at first glance seems nothing special. Yet this piece of polder, sandwiched between the A9 and A2, is one of the most famous meadow bird areas in the Netherlands.
Every year, under the smoke of Amsterdam, thousands of birds and ducks land to rest after their long journey from southern Europe or West Africa.
That those thousands of wandering godwits, oystercatchers, lapwing and wigeons choose this small polder every year is due to nature farmer Jan Geijsel. As a pioneer, he put his cow wheads under water almost thirty years ago, resulting in a soggy place for birds with long legs.
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