They are there again; fresh godwits! Today the meadow bird season 2023 officially started! In a special broadcast, the young bird watcher Lars Buckx performed the opening act. That happened at the little land of Gruijters. Meadow birds that have just returned from their wintering place in Africa gather there every year. And many bird lovers also come to it.
Opening meadow bird season – NH News
Last month, volunteers have completely renovated the Landje van Gruijters and made it suitable for the new season. Johan Stuart of the Landje van Gruijters working group: “Meadow birds like to stand with their feet in the water, especially in the evening. That gives them a safe feeling, but they find tall grass and bushes very annoying, so we “We mow the field around the puddle. In addition, we install a fox grid. This is a low-level electric fence that should keep the foxes away. Otherwise, they will eat the clutches of black-headed gulls and avocets that breed on the island in the middle of the puddle.”
Recreation Noord-Holland is very involved with the meadow birds in the polders of Noord-Holland. Forester Paul de Jong; “Various recreation boards are committed to the meadow birds. The time when as a recreation board you mainly emptied trash cans and maintained cycle paths is far behind us. Nature is one of our objectives. For example, we offer the Koningshoeve farm in Spaarnwoude the opportunity to keep of cows to maintain optimal black-tailed godwit land.”
The birds on the Landje van Gruijters are viewed with binoculars and telephoto lenses. Bird lovers of all kinds come to see the first black-tailed godwits of the year. Lars Buckx was already there last week: “There were no black-tailed godwits to be seen then. Due to the cold north wind, they arrived a little later than usual this year. But they are here!: Lars is one of the birdwatchers in Kennemerland with the most special observations to his name. “As a small child my father took me along to count birds and ring birds. Now I’ve made nature my job and it’s great that spring is starting again!”