Menno van Duijn

On Saturday 3rd of October I was guiding Michael, a bird photographer based in Trinidad who was on a business trip and had a stopover at Amsterdam. Before his flight in the afternoon we visited the pier of IJmuiden and managed to see some lifers for him.

On Wednesday, September 30, 2026, Bart Briefjes discovered two White-throated Sparrows on the Maasvlakte. Unfortunately, my schedule didn't really allow me to go see the birds; I wouldn't have been able to make it until Friday.

As a seabird fanatic, seeing Great Shearwater was high on the list. To do so the first attempt was in 2002 to join the ferry between Portsmouth (UK) and Bilbao (ES). Since then I saw them on other pelagics and with every storm in the Netherlands I was always hoping to be lucky to get it on my Dutch list.

At the end of April 2026, we did a road trip across Southeast Turkey, a region renowned for its rich landscapes and incredible birdlife. Near the top of our target list was a true local specialty: the White-throated Robin (Irania gutturalis).

When the fields were covered in snow, many Meadow Pipits and Skylarks searched for something edible along the shores of the Wadden Sea.

Saturday, 24 January, turned into one of those birding days where everything seems to fall into place. I was guiding Tony from Scotland on a Birding Netherlands trip. The original plan had been to look for the Spectacled Eider that had been taken into care, but we decided to go ahead anyway and see what the country had to offer.

On January 13th 2025 a Spectacled Eider was found at the IJzeren Kaap Texel where it remained till June 11th 2025. It returned at this same site on October 7th after apparently have molted it's primary molt out at the Wadden Sea.

Last winter, we travelled to the Arctic coast of Norway—right when seabirds return to claim their nesting spots for the coming breeding season. Arriving early is everything up here; if they don’t secure a spot in time, the competition will.

In October a selection of Autumn storms pushed some ocean wanderers close to shore. I visited the harbour entrance of Rotterdam, the Maasvlakte where a Sabine's Gull had been reported (will follow later) but once this gull moved away I spend some more time with the Little Gulls that were also foraging in the surf, a dark cloud casted a nice dark reflection on the water creating a contrast with these bright Little Gulls.

Red-breasted Mergansers are fascinating birds, and I absolutely love them. I already have a good collection of photos, but there are still many shots I’d like to take, for example, the males displaying.

With another autumn storm, Benjamin, arriving, there was once again a great opportunity to photograph seabirds. On October 29th, I hoped to spot one or more Little Auks that had been reported, but unfortunately none appeared during the time I had available in the late afternoon.

Great Skuas are the bomb. They rule the seas and are f.... bas ass! Skuas chase other seabirds to regurgitate their food but if you fail to do so with a Great Skua on your tail, then you're on the menu. Great skuas have a hawk tip at the end of their bill like many bird of prey and shrikes do, this is to bite and break the neck of their victim.