A small road and a deep ditch are one of the ingredients of a birdwatching trip in Noord-Holland. Right now, an additional add-on is the sighting of a Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). This Egret is rare in middle Europe but a common inhabitant of southern Europe. If you want to save time and distance you might try to look for this nice egret in a Nature reserve at the coast of Noord Holland near Camperduin.
During year end this egret stayed in the Harger- en Pettemerpolder, a reserve quite recently established to protect habitats for waders, ducks and geese. Narrow and windy roads along deep ditch pass the area. The Cattle Egret could be seen the first day on a wet meadow in some distance. On the way back, the egret was gone. Lucky man, I thought and only chose the road by accident the next day. This time the egret was standing right to the side of the road allowing for the image of the blog. And also on the next day the bird was there. This time standing in the garden of a small farmhouse together with a Herring Gull (Larus argentatus). The whole time I saw the egret in search of food, but could not see on what prey it was feeding. But obviously the habitat provided for enough food to stay for several days.
In general, the whole area in Noord-Holland is excellent for bird observations. E.g. an adult Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes) could be observed north of Callantsoog in the newly established nature reserve “The Nollen van Abbestede” in June 2013. Again, there was a notice on www.waarneming.nl, that someone reported that a Continue reading Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) near Camperduin/ Noord Holland
