Some exciting news broke on Monday the 13th when a Drake Spectacled eider was found on the island of Texel in the Netherlands. Until the 1990s, no one even knew where Spectacled Eiders went to moult or where they spent the winter. Scientists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service attached satellite transmitters to them and tracked the birds by aircraft; they found them congregating in ice-free areas of the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas.
This individual presented a golden opportunity to see one, especially a dragon. It sparked perhaps the largest twitch ever seen in Europe; multiple carloads of British birders were making the short trip across the North Sea. Newspaper article by the finder
Read More>
I was eager to see this bird, so I reached out to Dan Pointon, who was on a family holiday in Saint Lucia at the time. We made plans to team up with Chris Batty and Owen Parsons once he returned. We decided to fly out from Manchester on Sunday evening and come back on Monday evening, provided the bird was still around. Fortunately, the bird stayed in the area until Dan returned to the UK, so we went ahead and booked our flights. Let the twitching begin!
We landed in Amsterdam on Sunday evening, picked up our rental car, and soon arrived at our Airbnb just before midnight. We settled in for the night, preparing for an early start in the morning to catch the ferry to Texel at 7:30 AM.
We all woke up at 6:00 AM, and shortly after, we were on the road, boarding the car ferry to Texel. The drive to Wagegot didn't take long, and after a brief walk to the seawall, we quickly spotted the Spectacled Eider through the scope. Although it was initially quite distant, it eventually flew closer to us and displayed beautifully.
What a bird!
Chris demonstrated the art of no tripod.
There have been five recorded sightings of the Spectacled Eider in the Western Palearctic, with the most recent occurring in 2012. All of these sightings were from the Arctic Circle, specifically in the area between northern Norway and Svalbard.
In addition to the Eider we observed, we also saw Black-necked Grebes and Greater Scaups. Overhead, we watched numerous skeins of Greater White-fronted Geese, Barnacle Geese, and Brent Geese flying by.
Black-necked Grebe
After watching the Eider, we made our way around the island. Birds filled the fields and waterways; it was a brilliant place for birding.
Below is a list of some of the birds we observed on the island.
46 Tundra Bean Geese
White-fronted geese
Great White Egret
Bewick Swan
Smew
Along with other target birds we wanted to see during the day, we headed back to the ferry. After returning to the mainland, we drove to Rosarium Vondelpark in the centre of Amsterdam, where we spotted eight Alexandrine parakeets and two Ring-necked parakeets.
Alexandrine parakeet
While travelling southeast out of Amsterdam, we spotted a black swan.
Black Swan
As we arrived in Hilversum, we drove north towards the Goois Natuurreservaat, our next destination for birdwatching, where we aimed to find the black woodpecker. We spent about an hour at the site and spotted two short-toed treecreepers, a firecrest, two crested tits, and at least 60 bramblings.
Continuing our walk along the forest footpaths, Dan spotted a Black Woodpecker flying toward us. It landed in a tree right in front of us. The bird was visible for quite some time, and after a little while, it took off again, flying over us while calling out. We all enjoyed stunning views of the bird.
Absolute stunner!
Watching the Black woodpecker
While we were watching the Black Woodpecker, news came in that a Pygmy Cormorant was being seen well at Natuurpark Lelystad in Flevoland, which was about a half-hour away. So, we headed back to the car.
After a short drive north, we arrived at the location. Following a brief walk, we soon spotted the Pygmy Cormorant perched in the trees on an island in the middle of the lake.
Another lifer on the list
NNatuurpark Lelystad
Owen is a lazy birder!
This species is surely due to visit our shores soon. With light fading and time running out, we made our way back to the airport.
What 24 hours, such a great trip, top-notch birding, and great company!
Traeth Glaslyn Nature Reserve, Porthmadog
