Day trip Birding from Amsterdam (1 Viewer)

im off to Amsterdam for a long weekend, later in the year, and will have a full day that I can use to go Birding

my question is what decent birding sites are suitable for a day visit?

I don't mind an early start but will want to be back in town early evening.

one place i've read about is the island of texel. but is it realistic to get to the far north, get ferry across get to the beaches and get all the way back in one day or would I have to stay

perhaps somewhere closer may be a better shout...

many thanks!

Try the Oostvaadersplaasen it's only a short train journey from Amsterdam Centraal station.

not cheap by any means and it's commercial, but birdingholland does day tours to the whole of the Netherlands and thus also Texel. They have exellent guides and specifically aim at people who want to see certain target species in just a little time:

http://www.birdingholland.com/in-the-spotlight/the-island-of-texel

If you have more time than money, I would recommend to check waarneming.nl for sightings in areas close to Amsterdam. North of Amsterdam, there are several excellent places to visit, especially in autumn or spring (but also winter).

Texel is easy to reach with public transport from Amsterdam and should be good value till the end of October.
Just over two hours from Amsterdam Centraal. Train to Den Helder, bus to the ferry terminal, ferry across and then rent a bike near the ferry terminal on Texel.
Don't go if the weather is bad... The northern end is best which is a long ride, but there are buses as well.

The Oostvaardersplassen are horrid with public transport and not that great for birding nowadays. Well you may see a distant White-tailed Eagle and 100 Great White Egrets (but they are a common sight everywhere).

The IJmuiden area and the dunes west of Overveen (esp. the Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen) can be interesting as well and they are just a stone's throw away from Amsterdam. There are some good sites to see migration (esp. with southeasterly winds) nearby, although The Hague beats these places hands down.

Texel is an outstanding birding location and very doable from Amsterdam on a day trip. I lived there for four years so send me a pm if you need help organising your trip.

Joost

Nohatch said:

Texel is an outstanding birding location and very doable from Amsterdam on a day trip. I lived there for four years so send me a pm if you need help organising your trip.

Joost

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thank you joost, when im booked to go I will take you up on the offer of PMing you to find out more about texel, thanks! :t:

Pris Ris Scott said:

thank you joost, when im booked to go I will take you up on the offer of PMing you to find out more about texel, thanks! :t:

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No worries! Here is a link to the Texel bird news to further entice you (http://www.vwgtexel.nl/waarnemingen/) - Barred Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Wryneck, Citrine Wagtail, Ortolan Bunting and Serin were the main rarities during last week alone.....

Cheers,
J