Absolutely one of my favorite seabirds. In the Netherlands, this is the most common eider species. Steller’s, Spectacled, and King Eiders are rare vagrants here. Sadly, over the past 12 years, this species has been declining rapidly — about 5% per year across the entire Wadden Sea. (Image by Sovon)

We still know little about how bird migration patterns unfold across urban areas. I had a rare opportunity to observe from 100 metres up. The view was breathtaking, with visibility stretching over 20+ km. We spotted woodlarks, merlins, buzzards, peregrines and grey wagtails, and much more! #birding

Meanwhile, billions in CAP money are spent on devastating ecosystems and destroying farm resilience. And environmental lows are being dismantled. Compensations are little more than pissing in the wind while ever worse disasters are actively promoted.

What a week of birding on Texel! Deep in western Europe but it felt like a taste of Alaska — first tracking down a rare Bonaparte’s Gull, and then an unreal Spectacled Eider at less than 10 meters’ distance! A species that’s hard to find even in Alaska. Absolutely unforgettable!! #birding #birds

At sunrise on the migration watchpoint this morning: a stunning and rare Black-winged Kite appeared, its pale grey wings glowing in the first light. Moments later, four majestic Cranes flew close overhead, their calls echoing in the quiet dawn sky. Pure autumn migration magic. #birding #migration

🔥Wildfire tragedy in Portugal The Cinereous Vultures (𝐴𝑒𝑔𝑦𝑝𝑖𝑢𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑎𝑐ℎ𝑢𝑠) need our help. A massive wildfire destroyed not only their nests, but also the breeding and acclimatisation centre in Douro International Nature Park in the North of Portugal. #birds #wildfire 📸Yves Adams

Tested these binoculars today. @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social and Zeiss have teamed up to collect and donate used binoculars for Africa. Thanks to this initiative, local conservationists and bird monitors can continue their vital work protecting birds and habitats. #BirdConservation #Birding

This weekend I finally managed to get outside again after weeks of being indoors. To my relief, I haven’t lost the touch. I came across a White-winged Tern and, as if that wasn’t enough, I joined a group of local birders just in time to witness a Short-toed Snake Eagle putting on a show! #lovelife

Just like a photographer edits images, a bioacoustician refines sound. See the difference: in the raw yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) recording, wind and noise distract. In the edited version, its clear, melodic song emerges—ideal for science and listening plessure. #bioacoustics #birding

This has to stop. A rare Scops Owl in the Netherlands is exciting, but shining flashlights just for a photo is harmful. It disrupts natural behavior and causes physiological stress. Isn’t listening to the almost electronic and haunting sound enough? Observe with care and respect the owl. #birding

My recording of the bluethroat (Luscinia svecica). It's closely related to the nightingale (L. megarhynchos), and shares its reputation for a melodic song. Males display the vivid blue patch on their throat while singing, often incorporating imitations of other bird species into their performance.

A few days ago, I recorded the European Nightjar’s hypnotic churring call with my MixPre-3 II and Telinga parabolic mic. You can also hear the sharp wing claps — made as the bird brings its wings together above its back in flight. This mysterious nocturnal bird faces local declines. #bioacoustics

Behold this natural masterpiece — a visual echo of the willow warbler’s song. A soft cascade of silvery notes, spiraling downward like leaves on a breeze. Gentle, melancholic — as if the forest itself were remembering, and letting go with a sigh. Listen here: macaulaylibrary.org/asset/635356...

Settling in for a quiet evening with some good work related reads. BirdLife, Vogels (Dutch magazine), and our new 10 year strategic plan @vogelbeschermingnl.bsky.social - plenty to reflect on. Just the right mix of global urgency and local hope. @birdlifeeurope.bsky.social #birding

You can now upload soundscapes to eBird! Upload your wetland ambiances full of birdsong. @xeno-canto.bsky.social has supported this since 2013 — now eBird joins in. It’s a great way to capture the acoustic atmosphere. Valuable for researchers. When does @observation.org join? #bioacoustics #bird

The European pied flycatcher has been back from the Sahel for two weeks. This species is appearing in a lot of places in the east of the Netherlands after months of absence. I was lucky enough to find the singing post of this male so I could record and photograph this bird undisturbed. #bioacoustics

Spring migration is in full swing! The last two weeks I was lucky enough to find some amazing species. 2 Caspian Terns, Black-winged Kite, several Cattle Egrets and Ospreys. And in terms of sound, the Nightingales have started again and I had a Stone Curlew over my house with NocMic. #birding

No longer repping Zeiss — I’ve made the switch to Kite Optics! I’m now using their new APC 60 ED scope with image stabilization, and it’s a joy! Even better? Profits from Kite go straight to BirdLife International. So every stable view is a small win for the birds too. #KiteOptics #BirdLife #APC60ED

What an unexpected treat this morning! It had been 13 years since I last saw a twite in my region. A northern species rarely seen so far inland. Sadly, the nominate subspecies flavirostris is in decline. Exact causes remain unclear. But changes in agricultural practices likely play a role. #birding

Had a crazy day on the north coast of the Netherlands. Despite the very strong wind. Purple sandpiper, black-legged kittiwake, snow buntings, long-tailed duck, rough-legged buzzard, knots, whooper swans and Bewick’s swans. Just a few more months to enjoy these winter guests. #birding

Best wishes and a happy new year to you! This year I hope to provide you with lots of bird sounds, beautiful photos & knowledge. Enjoy the birds you are watching and ask yourself: what do you I personally do to protect these birds? Or are you only enjoying their presence? Be the change they need!

Winter birding is tough with strong winds and freezing temperatures but worth it! Our group of seven saw red-throated diver, black-throated diver, black-eared grebe, red-necked grebe, a lot of common goldeneyes, smews, little egret and tundra en whooper swans! Great views! #birding #seabirdsunday

My regional annual list now stands at 205 bird species. This morning I recorded a Hume's Leaf Warbler! A tiny bird from the mountains of Central Asia. Its call is a soft two component, high-pitched 'tsu-viis'. On a sonogram, it can be recognized as a H/M shape. Listen 🎶 #Birding #Bioacoustics

In my youth I never saw common cranes (Grus grus) in the Netherlands. When the first breeding pairs arrived I saw this magnificent species in spring and summer but today I see them foraging all year round. Part of the population stays behind because the winters are simply too mild. #birding #crane

... apart from specimens, a few movies exist and at least one sound recording: xeno-canto.org/collection/s...

As birders we are fortunate to be presented with new books every year. Most of these are about identification by sight. Books about sounds are unfortunately still rare. All the more reason to buy: Identifying Migratory Birds by Sound in Britain and Europe by Stanislas Wroza (Helm, 2024). #birding

Finally! After a 6 month long house renovation I am finally back online with #BirdNET. Lovely to have a look in the morning and evening to see what has flown calling over my house. This spring I had some rarities: 7 night #herons, 2 little #bittern and 20+ common #quails recordings. #bioacoustics

Tits are vocal acrobats! Individuals build up large repertoires, with individual variation. Complex? Now include geographical variation, variation related to habitat and imitations of other species. Today I saw a great tit imitating the alarm call of a blackbird. Not bad at all! #bioacoustics

This morning I was woken up by 4 screaming magpies. Not the most beautiful sound in the world but a reason to get out of bed and take a look in the garden. There she was, a female sparrowhawk with a male blackbird in her claws. Despite the magpie's bullying, this lady took the time to enjoy her meal

Yes! Finally an update on the sounds of the most awesome bird in the world! Read the third study on crossbills: Fast cultural evolution of Crossbill calls in the Palaearctic. Focusing on the rapid cultural evolution of crossbill call types across the Palearctic region. #bioacoustics #birding

This morning I just sat for an hour to enjoy these floating pillows (eiders). In my experience, seaducks show more social interaction with their own kind throughout the year than their freshwater dependent cousins. I wonder what the evolutionary advantage is. #birding #seabirds #eider

Last Saturday I enjoyed some great lectures at the national day of @vogelbeschermingnl.bsky.social and @sovonvogels.bsky.social in the Netherlands. Especially the lecture about locating great #bittern territories by means of #bioacoustics was amazing! Next step: recognizing individual birds?

We don't think about it much, but our options to learn bird sounds now are unprecedented! In my childhood (80s), learning bird sounds was difficult. We learned almost everything outside and during the winter days we practiced with cassette tapes & LPs from grandpa. #bioacoustics #birding #birdsong

One of my projects within @birdlifeglobal.bsky.social is #bioacoustics. Yesterday we hung microphones to measure the recovery of biodiversity for urban avifauna using #BirdNet-Pi Net. This network allows continuous monitoring across wide areas. Critical for species conservation and climate research.

Last summer I made this recording of the red-backed shrike (Lanius collurio). Shrikes are excellent singers and imitators, although not often heard. The male's song is a gentle potpourri, which includes imitations of other birds and thus resembling a (garden / icterine) warbler song. #bioacoustics

I'm not usually into hashtag actions but why not... Hereby my photo of a European shag. Taken on one of my trips as a guide on Farne Island. #SuperSeabirdSunday #Seabirds #birding

Today I found this flying nomadic predator. This dainty #owl is the short-eared owl (Asio flammeus). Did you know that distances between sequential breeding areas of individual owls can be +4000 km apart. Someday I hope to make a sound recording of this species. But it's rarely heard vocalizing.

Last night I was lucky to record the ‘Devil’s cackles’ call of the Eurasian Eagle Owl. These are excitement calls the owls use throughout the year. I wasn't near the nest so something else in the woods may have made the world's biggest owl a little nervous. A scary call if you don't know what it is!

Merlin is a great piece of software. In EU, however, the algorithm often gets it wrong. @naturalis.bsky.social and @xeno-canto.bsky.social made AvesEcho. Specialised in EU birds. It is open source and integrated into Xeno-canto. Competition is good. Ultimately all models benefit! #bioacoustics

I usually write about the science of bird song and keep the spiritual side to myself. But when Psyche asked me to write about "listening deeply to birdsong," I went to my favorite coffee shop and poured out 2000 words on meditation and bird song. psyche.co/ideas/learn-...

Around this time, the European Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) starts to sing again. Start your search in suitable habitat just before sunset. And stay in the dark for an hour to listen. The tawny owl (Strix aluco) also calls, so pay close attention. Goodluck and share on xeno-canto.org! #Bioacoustics #bird

News that we already knew is official as of today. The slender-billed curlew is extinct! Let that news sink in for a moment..... After the disappearance of the Eskimo Curlew, we have lost another species for eternity. And then to think that the Eurasian curlew has also been in decline for years.

Last summer, after waiting for 12 years, I finally had the chance to record the sound of a corn crake again. A crackling song that I used to hear regularly when I was younger. Often when I cycled through the grass and grain fields. In those same fields, only corn grow today. I miss those days...

One of those species that continues to amaze me every year. Male common redstarts (Phoenicurus phoenicurus) are so damn beautiful. I find the contrast between the colors magnificent. Unfortunately, these birds are only in the Netherlands for a short time each year.

I had some time to spend. Great looks at hen harrier, first winter Caspian gull, meadow pipit and an adult red-breasted goose. That damn goose was very difficult to find among all the other species of geese. Winter is knocking on the door. Waiting for smew, whooper swan and rough-legged buzzard.