After the barn swallow (boerenzwaluw) and sand martin (oeverzwaluw) now the house martin (huiszwaluw) has also returned! A sizeable group was foraging above the lake. This is probably the roundest one I've ever seen. #birds

After the barn swallow (boerenzwaluw) and sand martin (oeverzwaluw) now the house martin (huiszwaluw) has also returned! A sizeable group was foraging above the lake. This is probably the roundest one I've ever seen. #birds

Always great to have the common terns (visdief) back! Here you can see one of their hunting methods: gliding above the water surface and picking off insects. #birds

A nice sight of spring this morning along the Grote Grindgat shoreline: barn swallows (boerenzwaluw) were gathering sand with their tiny beaks, dipping it in the lake's water to make it usable for nest building, and flying off with the resulting mouthful of mud. #birds

Went out to the local park to find a wood warbler (fluiter). Took some work as it was initially mostly silent and hidden in the canopy, but eventually it became more cooperative. Wood warblers are early this year - I normally see them in May. #birds

A common buzzard (buizerd) accidentally flew through a carrion crow's (zwarte kraai) territory. The fearless crow was having none of it and chased it away. #birds

A common buzzard (buizerd) accidentally flew through a carrion crow's (zwarte kraai) territory. The fearless crow was having none of it and chased it away. #birds

A red kite (rode wouw) on the hunt. #birds

A red kite (rode wouw) on the hunt. #birds

Weer een bedroevend voorbeeld van hoe de BBB ieder "probleem" wil oplossen met vernietiging. Foto's van de sint Jacobsvlinder, een van de mooiste nachtvlinders die hier voorkomt, die het waardevolle jacobskruiskruid als een van de waardplanten heeft. nos.nl/artikel/2610...

An immature (2cy) Caspian gull (Pontische meeuw) not far from my house. This is one of three very similar gull species which all occur here: yellow-legged (geelpootmeeuw), herring (zilvermeeuw) and Caspian and which are hard to tell apart, but regular practice makes doing so much easier! #birds

One of the local little owls (steenuil) amidst an explosion of flowers. #birds

One of the local little owls (steenuil) amidst an explosion of flowers. #birds

It's easy to overlook common birds, but like the starling (spreeuw) they can be extraordinary if you pay attention. This one was singing in the grass, its iridescent plumage a feast to the eyes. #birds

Saw my first ring ouzel (beflijster) of the year yesterday. It flew right over me before I even had my camera out, landed in some bushes where I managed to get a few quick shots, before disappearing due to a procession of dog walkers. Rare visitors here, so most years I don't see one. #birds

The meadow pipit (graspieper) that thought it was a rock pipit (oeverpieper). (Dit grapje werkt alleen in het Engels, sorry) #birds

A group of common linnets (kneu) was foraging and singing along the lake yesterday. This one turned its back on me, which obscured its fancy red breast from view but revealed the fine detail of black-and-white lines on its wings. #birds

Saw both my first barn swallow (boerenzwaluw) and osprey (visarend) of the year yesterday! The swallow looked soft and fluffy, the osprey was far away, in front of an ominous sky and harassed by a local crow. (Most ospreys here return in april, and I'd never seen one in march before!) #birds

An older photo of mine: a meadow pipit (graspieper) climbs along the leaves of giant hogweed (reuzenberenklauw) plants to collect dinner for the kids back at home. It was a suitable location for it: it had caught all those insects on one plant in under 30 seconds! #birds

An older photo of mine: a meadow pipit (graspieper) climbs along the leaves of giant hogweed (reuzenberenklauw) plants to collect dinner for the kids back at home. It was a suitable location for it: it had caught all those insects on one plant in under 30 seconds! #birds

Our local winter visitor, the great grey shrike (klapekster), was still at the fens today and I saw why. It caught what I presume was a viviparous lizard (levendbarende hagedis) which had already lost its tail in an earlier attempt on its life. Unfortunately it wasn't so lucky this time. #birds

Our local winter visitor, the great grey shrike (klapekster), was still at the fens today and I saw why. It caught what I presume was a viviparous lizard (levendbarende hagedis) which had already lost its tail in an earlier attempt on its life. Unfortunately it wasn't so lucky this time. #birds

Little owls (steenuil) don't really like flying much, so you can sometimes catch them hopping about, like this one did on an extending support beam of the shed where it lives. Very cute to watch. #birds

Little owls (steenuil) don't really like flying much, so you can sometimes catch them hopping about, like this one did on an extending support beam of the shed where it lives. Very cute to watch. #birds

It's hard to believe now but until 1998, sightings of the middle spotted woodpecker (middelste bonte specht) were judged by the Dutch rarities commission. It first bred near Nijmegen in 2007 and is now ubiquitous (2000+ breeding pairs nationally). I saw this one in the local Goffert park. #birds

Red squirrels (rode eekhoorn) are quite shy so it was funny to see one racing towards me across a log. Of course, it simply hadn't seen me yet and once it spotted me it quickly hid in the bushes. #mammals

After taking this photograph I realised that I normally see blue tits (pimpelmees) from the front, facing their yellow chest. But seen like this they look even more appealing, with the remarkable blue colour of their wings and tail standing out much more! #birds

Not sure any goose can beat the red-breasted goose (roodhalsgans) for fanciness! This individual spends part of the winter in a group of greater white-fronted geese (kolgans) in de Ooijpolder near Nijmegen. It's hard to find when it's resting, but luckily it was up and about. #birds #vogelskijken

The local river Waal currently exceeds its usual boundaries, and much of the adjacent floodplain is under water. On wednesday this white wagtail (witte kwikstaart) was inspecting the situation from the top of a fence post in what used to be a field. #birds

The local river Waal currently exceeds its usual boundaries, and much of the adjacent floodplain is under water. On wednesday this white wagtail (witte kwikstaart) was inspecting the situation from the top of a fence post in what used to be a field. #birds

Encountered a group of migrating common cranes (kraanvogel) by chance today. We're on the edge of their migratory route, which means it's always down to luck and the weather whether you see them or not, making it a real highlight! #birds

It's been a while since I saw one of these: snow buntings (sneeuwgors). These extremely cute birds are winter visitors along the Dutch coast, where they forage on the beaches in small groups. If you sit still and wait they can sometimes get very close, as they're not that shy. #birds

After three or so months this great grey shrike (klapekster) - a winter visitor - is still present on the local fens. It was observing the world around it from a variety of perches, then swooping down to catch large insects and rodents from in between the heather. #birds

I accidentally annoyed this tawny owl (bosuil) yesterday. It noticed me as I observed it from the path, and assumed a more vertical shape, which means it's alert, so I didn't linger any longer. It was about 5 or 6 metres up in a tree along a lane in a busy town park. #birds

I accidentally annoyed this tawny owl (bosuil) yesterday. It noticed me as I observed it from the path, and assumed a more vertical shape, which means it's alert, so I didn't linger any longer. It was about 5 or 6 metres up in a tree along a lane in a busy town park. #birds

More housebound than I'd like at present so here's a coastal image from October: glasswort (zeekraal) turned red on the Schiermonnikoog coast, with wading birds like oystercatchers resting on the mud flats, turned a bright white by the reflection of the sun. #birds

More housebound than I'd like at present so here's a coastal image from October: glasswort (zeekraal) turned red on the Schiermonnikoog coast, with wading birds like oystercatchers resting on the mud flats, turned a bright white by the reflection of the sun. #birds

It was nice to see a group of five long-tailed tits (staartmees) arrive in my garden this afternoon - they've only started visiting recently! Four swarmed the feeder while a fifth kept watch from a distance. #tuinvogeltelling #birds

In de week dat ASML een winst van 10 miljard bekendmaakt en ING een winst van 6 miljard haalt het nieuwe kabinet de miljarden bij… de mensen. Column! Vandaag zonder betaalmuur www.groene.nl/artikel/opto...

A common sandpiper (oeverloper) about a week ago. A small, easy to miss wading bird that allowed me to come pretty close as it was foraging along the shoreline of a local lake. #birds

On my walk yesterday a kingfisher (ijsvogel) suddenly flew past at quite close range. I was lucky to respond fast enough and got a sharp photograph when he was about to pass me, just as he blinked with his nictitating membrane (knipvlies). #birds

On my walk yesterday a kingfisher (ijsvogel) suddenly flew past at quite close range. I was lucky to respond fast enough and got a sharp photograph when he was about to pass me, just as he blinked with his nictitating membrane (knipvlies). #birds

A group of four twite (frater) has ventured further south than they normally would. These birds only visit the Netherlands in winter, when they tend to stay along the northern coast, so where I live these are considered a rarity. They've now made their home on an unappealing island. #birds

Meadow pipits (graspieper) were foraging in a group along the snowy Beuningse plas on this very cold day, when a common kestrel (torenvalk) saw an opportunity and snatched one. Small lumps of ice were still stuck to the pipit's long claws. #birds

An image from an earlier winter, but appropriate considering the current weather conditions here. A woodlark I discovered not far from my then-house, foraging for food on a snowy field back in february 2021. It had puffed itself up a bit against the cold. #birds

The local overwintering robin (roodborst), its belly wet from the snow, visiting my bird feeder. #birds

The local overwintering robin (roodborst), its belly wet from the snow, visiting my bird feeder. #birds

This little owl (steenuil), the bird of the year of the @vogelbeschermingnl.bsky.social, cautiously looks out into the new year. As a kid I always wanted to see this bird (and never did). Luckily I now see them regularly, and they never disappoint. Here's to many more birds for 2026! #birds

Some photographs from the past year, one per month, all taken in the Netherlands. I'm not highlighting the rarest birds here, or lifers, just some observations and views that were memorable! Photos have alt text with more info. The year in #birds, part 1