dutch garden

[barn owl]

hi here is my bird list from holland.
chickens lol cos we keep them
sparrow nests here
starling nests here
blackbird
thrush
blue tit nests here
great tit
coal tit
long tailed tit
greenfinch
chaffinch
goldfinch
bullfinch
pied wagtail
pied flycatcher nests here
wren
robin
heron visits pond for fish
mallard
common crow
jackdaw
rook
stork
long eared owl stayed a day roosting
tawny owl
swallow
green woodpecker
lesser spotted woodpecker very common
greater spotted woodpecker
nuthatch very common
treecreeper
collared dove
wood pidgeon
magpie
jay


we also get visits from red squirrel every day, there are no grey here at all.
deer roam free we see them daily, there are still wild boar in holland, blonde buzzards are common, though not in my garden sadly. fox are rare as are badger. rabbits are more rare than hare. flat land helps them. and happily there is no hunting allowed here, guns dogs and even catapults are against the law. no trapping, i was amazed that even what is called road pitza (road kill) is reported by people and a vehicle is dispatched to clean it up. when i lived in wales it was rare to see some birds, here the rare ones seem to be prolific,
love this site,
ralph.

[Jenny]

barnowl - fascinating to read your list. Very envious of your woodpeckers - not seen a green or a lesser spotted for years and lost the greater spotted one visiting my garden - too much building around here and suitable trees being removed. And hares - used to have them in garden down south and such great fun - now hardly seen and the rare ones here are arctic hares. Good to hear about the hunting situation but curious, what happens if a species (say, deer) gets too prolific? Jenny

[barn owl]

hi jenny,
yes as far as woodpeckers go even in wales we only saw the green and not that regular, lesser spot was a rare sight, greater i NEVER saw one in the wild, here the greater spot is not often seen maybe about 3 or 4 times a year the green weekly, but the lesser spot we see every day here on the feeders. as for hare yes we have lots. and the deer i think get culled professionaly. we once had 11 in one of our feilds, sadly i found a young one dead last year during hay season, i think a tractor hit it. it probably just layed still as they do when not with mum. and i know there is a badger set on the outside of the same field we dont tell anyone as i know some people still hunt illegally here. they take deer and badger, mostly its deer for the meat. its a great country but we still get problems sometimes, last year they caught a guy who was killing horses for fun (sick) he killed dozens and even travelled into germany doing it, he killed horses with unborn foals and well i dont say any more about it, it was very bad. but now the last months it seems to be burning farms local to us, there is a large reward i hope they get whoever is doing it, its a bad thing.
but on a nicer note our squirells (red) have built a drey above the house in a pine tree and, it was funny yesterday i was sat drinking tea and enjoying the garden and a pine cone just missed me, i looked up and then another and another, i called my wife and we sat and watched the squirrels both throwing cones at us i counted 18 all getting closer lol. then we went inand watched and it stopped, then one of our cats went and sat there and they threw cones at the cat, i thought it was funny until i had to go out and pick up 2 buckets of cones off the lawn lol. i had one of them come about 10 feet away from me and drink from the pond, i have taken pics of them and of the flycatcher here, quite close up but my camera is only a digital for the pc and isnt very good.
wow can i talk or what lol. thanx for the interest jenny. have a great summer.
regards owl.:)

[Jenny]

Hi barn owl

Just been away for the weekend so not had chance to reply. That's really interesting about the attitudes in Holland towards hunting. Obviously, a lot of stuff is banned here (not just fox hunting) but we still get saddos poisoning birds of prey, trapping badgers, etc.

Only wish they would do something about keeping the deer population under control here. On the island I live on the human population is outnumbered nearly four to one and life is getting dodgey (see posts in the archives about Bambi and deer from me!!). If only the estate owners (most of whom don't live here) would re-introduce deer-stalking we could get some control (and bring down the cost of venison!) but no. They're happy to allow shooting of pheasant and those gorgeous woodcock, though coz that brings in good money! We get a lot of Italians coming over to massacre those! The Forestry Commission will shoot deer that are badly injured or sick, but it's not a cull in the managed meaning of the word. We can shoot mink (they're non native and massive predators of, in particular, ground nesting birds) and an oddity is that we can get paid if we shoot hoodie crows, except nobody knows who to claim from:rolleyes: ! We've another odd law, too. If you kill a deer on the road, you aren't allowed to claim the carcase but the next person along can! If the animal isn't fit to eat, the Council charges you for clearing up the carcase! I did kill a deer about three years ago in a car accident and I couldn't have given a damn about the carcase - I was too upset! Not helped by the insurance company staff making comments like "You killed Bambi!"

Onto pleasanter issues - I really did laugh at your red squirrels antics with the cones - how long did your cat stick the bombardment??? Jenny

[barn owl]

hi jenny,
yes funny about the squirrels, the cat sat under the tree for ages just looking up at them its amazing how fast they are chasing each other all over the tree, they started this drey last year worked on it for a week or so and left, and this year the same even moss lining it and now have moved on again, they call daily but thats for the nuts and to drink from the pond.
regards owl.

[70007]

I dont understand certain attitudes in the UK. If all of the wonderful wildlife that barn owl describes can be common in The Netherlands, then why not here?

A few re-introduced wolves would keep down the deer population, but can you ever imagine the fuss that would cause?

Even the idea of introducing beavers to a few chosen rivers in SW Scotland was cancelled because some people whinged so much about the 'damage' they might do. And yet studies have found they might actually be good for streams and slow down water flow thus creating micro habitats for certain other species.

As for wild boar, well can you imagine the tabloid headlines if they were introduced to (say) the New Forest?

I remember when my Dad bought his first car (1960) and we started going on holidays in it. On a hot summer day, he would have to stop every 60-70 miles because there were so many dead insects on the windscreen, he could hardly see out of it. A damp wash leather was essential.

Now I can drive from Bristol to Norfolk and count the windscreen 'kills' almost on the fingers of one hand. I am convinced that this decline in insect food is the main reason for the sharp drop in certain bird numbers.

[barn owl]

Hi again 70007,
i understand completely what you are saying, lots has changed since i was a young brat knee high to a grasshopper, but its not all paradise here i just point out the Highs of wildlife here,i live in the woods and very rural though there is a village 10 mins walk away and the city is about 20 in the car, it was rare to see some of our furry friends in south wales its a city jungle where i came from, so its a marvel indeed to see deer in my own fields as for boar i have never seen any but my wife says they are in holland but miles away from us, wolves i would worry about a bit lol , actually some locals did not believe i saw a fox one morning when walking but it was about 5 am and i never seen one since. badger i never see ever. they are rare here. so its swings and roundabouts really.saw my first adder here and the bats are big actually i love the names of things here, a bat is called a vleermuis or as they say flying mouse. lol.a badger is a das, a hedgehog a stekelvarken, sounds like stakelfarker lol. a bird is a vogel, g sounds like a k here so a vokel. kinda pretty huh . a horse is a pard so horses are parden, sounds like an appology. a deer is a ree, but sounds like ray. as i said before i see things here which were rare in the uk but, the bugs are bigger and people have died here from tick bites they actually live in the trees and fall on you. thats rare too, grasshoppers are huge as are ants i have seen ants nests right here the size of which i never saw before like someone tipped 3 wheelbarrows of earth in a heap and thats above ground, the ants are 4 times the size of the uk ants. there is no hunting here though i know people take the odd deer and poach the fish, NO rivers NO mountains, bikes have priority which is good and most people even with cars have a bike, there are thousands of miles of bike tracks her and thats the way to spend a day out, you see more. we are under an hour from germany by car so we sometimes go shopping there, DOWNSIDE no british food or very little, no british tv just sky news and discovery and national geographic, that is what i watch to see nature progs. so a forum like this is heaven sent, :)
and in fairness i am not employed so i get lots of time to fish and see nature. to bike and go for walks, its great here 70007 but i havent seen a pub in 3 yrs lol. no family here and i have made a couple of friends (dutch) which is nice. never be downhearted about your life buddy, its ok to count birds all day but having people you can talk to is also a luxury, one which i have lost about 90 per cent of. i love this forum and you are all nice people and i thank you all for making my life better.
anytime you want to jump on a plane i have a caravan in the garden which sleeps at least 4 at a push 6, get over and see the wildlife and take a break, the caravan will be free for any on the forum,
best regards owl, aka (ralph):)

[70007]

anytime you want to jump on a plane i have a caravan in the garden which sleeps at least 4 at a push 6, get over and see the wildlife and take a break, the caravan will be free for any on the forum,
best regards owl, aka (ralph):)


Wow Ralph, that is a very generous offer to us all. Thanks very much. In my case I prefer a train to a plane, not quite so damaging to the environment (or so I am told).

[barn owl]

its an open offer 70007,
anyone who comes cost nothing you buy food we pay electric and gas and water, then you see my wildlife,,,, a free holiday, i give to anyone here who wants a small hol. we have accomodation that sits most and its free,
its here grabb a plane,
regards owl.

[barn owl]

mind you though i cant take 1000 of you at a time lol so i mean the offer goes to you and those i am friendly with.
regards owl.

[70007]

Where abouts do you live? Is it easy to get to by public transport?

[barn owl]

im in drenthe holland so a plane from the uk to amsterdam (schipold airport) then a train which is in same place, the train takes about 4 hrs, u arrive at stn i pick you up, then 15 mins drive to here. dont come august the caravan is in use but, any other time and its great. as i said before just bring money for food etc , dont think its a city it is not its so calm here, sleep and go walkabout and bike. there is a club for drinks 2 mins walk. other than that its just serene and no life other than the wildlife. would recomend one week to start in case you get bored. if you fish as i do then thats a bonus, i have the gear for it. we would welcome you and cook most meals , ( english dinners and curry rice dishes etc) we had a few freinds here and they like it, the caravan is not 4 star but VERY comfortable and, big enough. when the weather is nice its a great place to spend a week of your life.
anytime you want 70007 yer welcome. btw bring oxos lol we cant get em here.
regards owl.

[yoke]

Hi,
Barn Owl, I'm really surprised at the wildlife you're having in your garden; and I don't think you're living in a city, do you?

The council's walls around the house means only birds can come in-and (stray and our house) cats, and we got a colony of House Sparrows, pairs of Great, Coal and Blue Tits; A -sometimes large- number of Chaffinch males and -smaller number of- females.

Green and Gold Finches plus Siskins are usually autumn and winter visitors, yet this year they all decided to come around March instead of last October and stay to nest here.

Our only larger birds are too many Rooks, Hooded Crows and Jack Daws.
Bordering onto a primary school's playground means that these patrol the playground to snatch any left-overs and spills from the kid's lunchboxes.

So our wall is used to watch the kids closely and inbetween they use our birdtable as diner.

Sparrowhawks we don't see; nor any other larger birds.

[barn owl]

Hiya Yoke,
your right we live in a woods, there are other houses around us about 4 that are regular habitats for folk but near us are 6 houses which are only used as holiday homes so they are in use usually only a few weeks in the summer. i only see the postman now and again.
I found holland to be incredible for wildlife, not at all like wales ,
so many different species here that i never saw before. i saw my first ever adder here, the grasshoppers are as big as locust and thats what i thought they were at first,lol. lat week i counted 44 storks ten deer and 5 white egrets, in one day on my way to work. plus the usual herons and buzzards etc. the deer are totally wild and are very shy, if they spot you walking they are gone, but badger and fox seem to be rare here, as are rabbits. though i see lots of hare. we dont get many rooks or jackdaws around here, lots magpies and jays.
but its a great place to live nice and quiet.

[yoke]

Ah, right! Just back from Zeewolde actually, where friends had organised a week's holiday in order to see my mum. it is one of the few places where my wheels don't get in the way of doors, etc.
Arriving at Schiphol was a pain in itself. had to wait more than 1 hour and a half for my wheels to come out of the hold.
not something you can do too often without going mad.
but seeing the Great Cormorants in Oostvaarders Lakes at the edge of the polders was well worth it! Pity that the White Tails (Sea Eagles) did not think it necessary to come down from their nestsite.
I'd followed their nest via the webcams this spring and had hoped for a tiny glimpse.

No luck, all we saw were large trucks on which camera men made an attempt to catch same birds.
buzzards were there too; loads of them!