City birding is just not with out its challenges. For these of us silly sufficient to go for a Large 12 months in a metropolis the highway is lengthy and winding. Which may be a bit over-dramatic – in Rotterdam the straight-lined public transport can get me to most birding spots and I can’t dwell any longer on the bodily discomfort wanted to succeed in the rest. No, it’s the city atmosphere, the bricks and mortar, the asphalt and the concrete that make it onerous. There’s nature, however it’s going to predominantly are available in stamp-sized parcels: city birding is an exercise for the philatelornithologist.
Let’s take a look on the just lately acquired stamps for my assortment. You will have already been studying about De Tempel.
There are a lot of extra stamp-sized pure areas to spotlight: Eiland van Brienenoord, Oranjeplassen and Polder Schieveen would be the choose for in the present day.
Beginning with the latter. Most polder panorama has disappeared from round Rotterdam whereas the town has been increasing relentlessly during the last 5 a long time. Throughout the municipality’s limits there is just one place left and it has been become a reserve – simply to be on the secure facet. Regardless of its small measurement, Schieveen will likely be visited all through the Large 12 months. Nowhere else can we tick the polder specialists. The primary go to in February resulted in some good additions for the 12 months record: Eurasian Spoonbill, Eurasian Curlew, and Northern Lapwing. Tons of of Greylag Geese, Higher White-fronted Geese (pictured beneath) and Eurasian Wigeon accomplished the spectacle.
The Oranjeplassen (see headline image) are conveniently near metro station Steendijkpolder, adopted by a brief stroll by way of a inexperienced neighbourhood with loads songbirds. An early arrival is crucial, not solely due to the birds’ normal choice for the wee hours but in addition to keep away from the “locals” for whom that is their again backyard. It actually does get busy after espresso time! The lake may be watched from the little seashore (east) and all alongside the metro monitor (southwest), alongside a dike (east) and from the bicycle path to the north. This path additionally supplies entry to a disguise. A telescope is crucial to see all of it, however even with out, there’s sufficient waterfowl round for a number of hours’ price of birding. I noticed 32 species in a few hours, amongst them Higher White-fronted Goose, Little Grebe and two drake Frequent Merganser.
Final however not least. I visited the Brienenoord island 3 times in a single week as a result of a vagrant Serin had been reported. Eiland van Brienenoord is an eBird hotspot and for good purpose. The namesake bridge over the Nieuwe Maas river may put you off – arguably the busiest motorway within the nation – is that this place actually price it? Nevertheless, the river is among the few remaining European tidal rivers which creates an fascinating dynamic with mudflats (waders anybody?) and flooded willow woodlands. The small island may be completely explored in a matter of hours, however that exploration may yield 30 to 50 fowl species, Eurasian Beaver, Beech Marten and plenty of different bio-diversity individuals. There’s a tram cease close to the Feijenoord stadium (greatest soccer/soccer membership ever) however I took the bicycle. I continued biking on the island correct and distracted by many birds I subconsciously ignored some indicators. In fact, I ended up being confronted by two forest rangers. My flagrant transgression was forgiven – I believe these gents thought I used to be clinically insane after my clarification of the Large 12 months objective – and I used to be given some good intelligence for later this 12 months. Positive averted, lesson learnt. Please cycle to the island, park the bike and stroll. My distraction consisted of 6 Lengthy-tailed Tits and the fantastic would have been Euro 11.67 per tit. No person needs to pay that a lot cash to have a look at… you recognize what, I’ll cease proper right here.
Large 12 months Rotterdam, 1 March 2025, 77 species, 123 to go.
