From her kitchen, Boukje Toussain spends half an hour counting all the birds that land in her garden. “House sparrows, great tits and a large spotted woodpecker are also there,” says the bird lover.
On Friday morning, Toussain is paying close attention to which guests come by. She counts all kinds of different species in the half hour she is counting. “On average I see about twenty to thirty species.”
Toussain, who lives in Emmen, has a number of special guests in addition to the usual sparrows, crows and blue tits. “There is a fieldfare in the weeping willow, they come all the way from Scandinavia. Earlier this morning I spotted a goldfinch, you don’t see that much in the garden either,” she says enthusiastically.
Counting is a great job. Toussain makes a list and peats for each species she sees how many there are. “I first write down a number of species that I know are in the garden. Then I wait to see how many come at the same time and then I peat them,” she explains her system. For people who don’t have the patience to do the math first, you can also fill in everything directly on a list on the website.
