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.
We started on Texel, where things kicked off immediately. A Black-faced Bunting showed well, followed by three White-bellied Brent Geese and a single Black Brent. The highlight here was a flock of Tundra Bean Geese, a lifer for Tony and a great way to begin the day.
Then the Beluga had been reported again. Without hesitation we left the island, making the ferry with just two minutes to spare. An hour later we were standing on the mainland coast, watching a Beluga surfacing regularly about a kilometre offshore We joked that one Arctic disappointment was replace by another Arctic once in a lifetime sighting.
With it still being only midday, we decided to push our luck and try for another rarity: Red-breasted Goose. One had been reported near Leiden, just a 50-minute drive away. Once again, the timing worked perfectly, and an hour later we were enjoying excellent views and another lifer added to Tony’s list.
Our final stop of the day was the returning Falcated Duck at Zoetermeer. This drake has wintered in the region for several years and was now present on a smaller lake, associating with a group of local Gadwall. We had great views, and at one point the Falcated Duck even began displaying to a female Gadwall. When the flock eventually took flight, they passed by nicely, offering some rewarding flight shots to round off the day.
With clear skies forecast again for Sunday, I couldn’t resist going back for the Falcated Duck, this time with photography in mind. I arrived at sunrise to find the bird already relatively close. Sitting quietly at the water’s edge, I hoped it might come even nearer. About 15 minutes later, luck was on my side: the drake followed the displaying Gadwall and joined them, calling and displaying enthusiastically. His efforts were ultimately unsuccessful and he was chased off by the very female Gadwall he was trying to impress Not for me, giving me plenty of beautiful photographic moments.
I returned again in the afternoon, hoping for a repeat performance. This time patience was required. For two hours the duck remained far out on the water, testing both endurance and optimism. Only in the final hour of daylight did it swim back toward the islands and into closer range, treating me to one last display in warm golden light before settling down for the night.
