If you look no further, you will only see sand and water in the Wadden Sea. But for birds and fish, the Wadden Sea is an almost inexhaustible source of food. Worms, lobsters, algae and shells: there are tens of kilos of meat in every square kilometer of mudflats. It’s up to the curlews, knots, shelducks and other animals to fish them out. And they do so in large numbers, especially in winter.
“A meadow full of meat”, the Wadden Sea has been called by a scientist. When we look out over the Wadden Sea with Leon Keller of Staatsbosbeheer near Vatrop on Wieringen, we mainly see birds. “It is now high tide, so the wading birds are clearly visible. They crawl onto the dike when the tide is out,” Leon says. “Soon, at low tide, they will no longer be visible from here, because then they will scrape together further on the mud flats.”
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The Wadden Sea is full of food, a feast for birds – NH News
We see shelducks, knot sandpipers, sandpipers, curlews, avocets and various other types of sandpipers. A peregrine falcon passes by. He tries to chase the birds sitting on the ground so that he can catch one. That kite does not fly and after a few dives the peregrine falcon leaves at the horizon.
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The combination of a salty environment, rough elements and natural pasture management gives special plants and other organisms a chance. Typical plants such as sea aster and sea wormwood grow on the sea ridge. In the grass we come across a beautiful mushroom. “What beautiful things they are”, exclaims Leon. We do have to dive into the app to see what we have in front of us. “It’s a yolk yellow dung fungus!” It is striking that it only grows in a place where a dot of mown grass has been left behind. “This species clearly thrives in fertilized, nitrogen-rich soil.”
When it starts to rain harder, we go up the viewing tower of the Waddenexperience at Den Oever. And then we look for a safe haven. The elements win today.