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Netherlands at Christmas (1 Viewer)

S

Spoonbill

Member
Dear All

We are planning a birding trip in the Netherlands for 4-5 days between Christmas & New Year this year and would appreciate any advice you could offer.

We would prefer to stay in one place but will be bringing over our car. We thought somewhere near Flevoland would be good but are open to other suggestions!!

1) Can you suggest a good base that isn’t too dead at that time of year.

2) Do you have any favourite or unmissable reserves or sites you could recommend?

3) Are there any good general guides to birding in the Netherlands? One that has been suggested to us is Where to Watch Birds in Holland, Belgium & Northern France by Van Den Berg& Lafontaine but we think it could be out of date?

Thanks very much
:h?:
Spoonie

P.S. Hope I have posted this is the right place - just getting to grips with the multitude of forums on here!
 
Dear Spoonie,
I've just drafted you a long reply but then lost it. I'd get hold of the book you quote - it's based on 1995 but is not out of date - everywhere I've visited following guidance in this book has been execellent. I've just come back from Texel - one of the Wadden Islands where birding was excellent. The hotel was cheap and very good quality, and all the Dutch people I met were pleasant and friendly - I do speak a little Dutch and they apreciate that, BUT don't be put off if you don't.

I suppose a Dutchman would call Spoonie "lepelaartje", i.e. a small spoonbill!, and amazingly, although it was October I saw and photogerpahed a Spoonbill at de Mokbaai on Texel. I also saw an amazingly large number of Common Coots on the Ijsselmeer near to Volendam.

I've been for 28 holidays to the Netherlands in the last 20 years. My favourite birding spots are Oostvardesplassen in Flevoland, Lauwersmeer in Friesland, Alde Feanen in Friesland, Zeeland generally, other bits of Friesland on the Ijseeelmeer coast, and Zuid Holland. The Wadden Islands are also excellent, but the latest in the year I've gone is late November to Ameland. I will go to Schiermonnikoog, which is a national nature reserve, soon. I also love Drenthe Province, and Utrecht province by the river Lek. Gelderland is alos good.

Advice - get the book. Have a good read, and then decide. Hopefully the Dutch members of the site will respond. I love the Netherlands so much that my choice of sites may be biased.

I have correpsonded with one Dutch member and will endeavouir to look his details up and let you have them.

Scholekster, i.e. the Dutch for Oystercatcher, otherwise Clive
 
Karl J ( formerly Carlos GY) what a good link to previos postings. Why did I think you were based in Grimsby? - were you or was it the GY - as I presume is on fishing vessels from the port of Grimsby? Sorry this has little to do with birding in the Netherlands - I come from Lincolnshire - the Fens being much like the lowlands of the Netherlands, to which I have great affinity.

Clive.
 
It must have been the GY the fishing mark for Grimsby. I admire anyone who cycles in Norfolk, especially north Norfolk - it's not as flat as it might appear. I cycled around from Blakeney and found it too hilly - I was then about 49 and unfit. That wa about 10 years ago. I'm still unfit and no longer cycle.

Apologies for getting this thread off on a tangent, it's back to Dutch birding. Reading the previous thread it seems that Oostvardesplassen might be the base, but do also consider Zeeland and north western Overijsasel - such as De Wiede and Werrebeen - sorry the spelling might not be right - it's from memory. And then there's Friesland.

Clive
 
Thank you Karl & Scholekster

I will get the book & study the links. Getting quite excited about going - we usually go to Suffolk between Xmas & New Year so this will make a change. It could be the start of a new tradition!

One other question...approx how long does it take to drive from Calais to Flevoland?

Spoonie

P.S. And Clive you are right I am a small bird!
 
No idea, but longer than it'd take if you got the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland & then drove there
 
Hi, Spoonie,
According to the ANWB website, www.anwb.nl, it's 390.7 kilometres and would take about 3 hours 42 minutes - - longer if there's traffic jams.

The ANWB is the Dutch AA. If you go to their Routeplanner - from the first screen, choose for the departure point (Van) Land - Frankrijk from the drop down list, then Categorie - Ferry and type in Calais, on the other side (Naar) choose Categorie - Station (railway station) and type in Lelystad, and then you have a choice of the quickest route or the shortest route - it defaults to quickest. Then click on OK.

It then asks you to pick a location from the list on the Calais side, and lists 3 ferries - Leave it at its choice, which is Calais/gare maritime. If you choose car ferry it includes the time to get across the Channel!.
Then OK it again, and it shows both a map of the route and the route. The route is in Dutch but easy to follow - it occurs to me that the AA routeplanner might cover western Europe also.

You then have the options to either Print the map and/or the route; or obtain travel information about that route via SMS - not much use until you go, and if your Dutch isn't good not much use at all.

As I live in the north of England I have never driven from Calais to anywhere - I tend to go from Europoort (Rotterdam), but hope this helps.

Lelystad is a modern town, as is Almere - becuase they are on newly reclaimed land. I tend to stay in small hotels, but have never stayed in Flevoland. One of the Dutch members may be able to advise.

If you need any advice translating the route let me know.

Clive
 
Hi Clive

Wow, that was comprehensive! We already have 2 x detailed maps of Holland but this will help us get there as efficiently as possible.
Have been investigating hotels - there don't seem to be too many in Lelystad but have found an interesting B&B nearby. I'm sure we will find somewhere!

Cheers B :)
Spoonie
 
Hi Spoonie,
If you go to www.vvvflevoland.nl, click on the British flag, then choose Staying Overnight, and in the sub-menu B&B there's a few B&B's illustrated. At the bottom of the list iis a heading "More B&B's" - if you click on the "more" at the end of the paragraph then there's many B&B's listed by location with brief details. Most of it is in English, but I noticed "Gesloten" with certain dates, which means "shut" on one entry.

Enjoy your holiday. Rupicola who's posted some new posts today comes from Flevoland and may be able to advise you further.

Clive
 
Spoonbill said:
Thank you Karl & Scholekster

I will get the book & study the links. Getting quite excited about going - we usually go to Suffolk between Xmas & New Year so this will make a change. It could be the start of a new tradition!

One other question...approx how long does it take to drive from Calais to Flevoland?

Spoonie

P.S. And Clive you are right I am a small bird!
Click to expand...

Hi,
I have travelled from London to Flevoland to visit a Dutch friend going via both Harwich and Calais. Personally I would go via Calais, it involves more driving but much less ferry and I think can be quicker. You also have more options for stopping on route if you want to.

Keith
 
Last edited:
Hello again,
I have just checked using AA Autoroute and it gives three and a half hours journey time from Calais to Lelystad. I think it took me a little over four hours the last time I did it more or less non stop.

Keith
 
So here i come, an original dutchie ;)

I must say, i visited the oostvaardersplassen one week ago and i was stunned! That place is awesome and i think around christmas it must be full of waterfowl. Check out my checklist in the birding today topic.

It depends on what kind of birds you are looking for, and what kind of area. If you are looking for water, then ofcourse the oostvaardersplassen are good, or any of the isles. The Weerribben are more of a marsh area with lots of reed vegetation. The Veluwe is the biggest dutch forest reserve. If you really want to travel, go up to the Lauwersmeer, for stunning birds.

If you have plans to bird around Flevoland, let me know, i'd be willing to join you if appreciated :D
 
Hallo original dutchie
Agree with you about Oostvaarderse plassen. Can you tell me more about Lauwersmeer and where I can get more info about it?
I love your Christmas card and subscribe to it fully.
Shalom
 
I went walking around waterland (near amsterdam) a few days ago. I saw brambling, chafinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, bittern, gadwall, teal, mallard, heron, kestrel, coot, moorhen, great crested grebe, scoter, greylag, white fronted and pink footed geese. However there was also egyptian goose (a pair) and ruddy shelduck (5 birds together). None ringed and all very wary. I presume that these are resident feral birds per the dutch list? ie Category C1: "Naturalized introduced species".

Also I had what i presume was one white stork (flying) from the bus on the way out - do some birds overwinter?
 
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