It is a nature reserve unknown to many people, which they pass on their way to the Afsluitdijk. But the Robbenoordbos, just south of Den Oever, has a lot to offer. Different types of forest, swamp, water, special plants, insects and birds: it is all there. As always in nature, the most beautiful treasures can be found for those who take the time and look around a bit. And listen! We encountered a very special bird: a cross between a pochard and the white-eyed duck.
A kingfisher darts past, just over the water. Forest ranger Leon Kelder was already alert, because the kingfisher often announces its arrival in advance with a loud “Beep!!!” Cellar: “There it goes! There! There! There!” The cameraman follows Leon’s finger, who follows the course of the ditch through the bushes from which we are a few meters away. Unfortunately… the bird was too fast to be filmed. But after a while we got a nice picture of him.
Even for a seasoned forester like Leon, who has been working for Staatsbosbeheer in the Kop van Noord-Holland for years, seeing a kingfisher is always a joy. “There on that branch, there it is! Wow, how beautiful! There it goes again, look at that color!” The kingfisher always gives us a look at its dazzling blue plumage.
winter guest
A kingfisher in the woods? Yes, because the Robbenoordbos has many ditches and canals. We are sailing on the Hoge Kwelsloot when we see a strange duck. At first we think it’s a pochard. That is a diving duck that sometimes stays here as a winter guest. First we see a female and a little later also a male. But then Leon starts to doubt. “Is that a pochard or am I cuckoo?” We look even more closely through a telephoto lens. “It’s a white-eyed duck! That’s special!” White-eyed ducks are only observed a few times a year, during the winter in the Netherlands. It is very rare that a white-eyed duck breeds in the Netherlands. But it gets even crazier.
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Both Leon and I continue to have doubts and at home we dive into the books. About the same time we text each other: “It’s a hybrid!” As it turns out: white-eyed ducks are known to sometimes do it with other ducks in their family: the Aythyas (pochards). That is why the duck we observed has a bit of the color distribution of the pochard, but has other characteristics of a white-eyed duck, such as that white eye. A special find in a special forest.