Field Notes From the Northeastern Netherlands

Yesterday I spent an afternoon driving and walking through the most northeastern part of the Netherlands. This area of the Netherlands is well-known as the best place to observe different kinds of harrier species throughout the whole year. In early spring, it’s the time of hen harriers, which are preparing to head back to Scandinavia and Russia, returning to their breeding grounds. In late spring and summer, the fields are occupied by breeding marsh harriers and, still, the area’s famous Montagu’s harriers, which have the largest breeding populations in this part of the Netherlands. In fall, the Montagu’s harriers head back to the far south, where most spend their winters in different parts of the African continent. Shortly after the Montagu’s, most marsh harriers follow, while the hen harriers start to return to spend their winters in these man-made steppes. In spring and fall, when migration is at its peak, with some luck, you might be able to come across the rarest harrier species: the pallid harrier. Personally I haven’t found this species yet, not even by twitching. I’d rather find this bird on my own, while making my way through the province. Hopefully, I’ll find one during the upcoming spring migration, thereby completing my ‘harriers’ on my Dutch birding list. But for now, I’ll have to keep myself busy for a bit longer with my favorite bird: the hen harrier.