The Dutch National Bird Count for 2015.

Always nice to participate! The overall results for the Netherlands since 2011:	Vogel	2014	2013	2012	2011
1	Huismus	161.617 (1)	215.083 (1)	145.808 (1)	145.408 (1)
2	Koolmees	102.887 (2)	160.711 (2)	79.735 (2)	101.852 (2)
3	Merel	72.595 (3)	142.667 (3)	60.709 (3)	71.871 (3)
4	Pimpelmees	66.842 (4)	99.342 (5)	53.603 (4)	66.488 (4)
5	Vink	55.794 (5)	130.707 (4)	42.416 (6)	65.549 (5)
6	Kauw	55.437 (6)	67.207 (6)	51.482 (5)	46.785 (7)
7	Turkse tortel	45.187 (7)	58.490 (8)	37.450 (7)	40.883 (8)
8	Houtduif	33.672 (8)	59.438 (7)	28.553 (8)	34.794 (9)
9	Ekster	30.938 (9)	41.998 (11)	27.446 (10)	25.733 (10)
10	Spreeuw	30.467 (10)	56.083 (9)	27.668 (9)	47.487 (6)

(source: the Dutch Society for the Protection of Birds - Vogelbescherming Nederland)

My husband and I are enthusiastic bird feeders. Since we live on the edge of town, right next to the municipal park (with meadowland behind that) we have plenty of birds to feed.

My personal list is somewhat different from the national one though. This has the Huismus on number one. Mine the Koolmees.

Today I counted:

• Gaai 3  (= Blue Jay. Must be because we are near to the park)
• Huismus 1
• Kauw 1
• Ringmus 2
• Pimpelmees 3
• Ekster 1
• Koolmees 6
• Merel 3
• Roodborst 1
• Turkse tortel 2

No finches, who visit often otherwise, and no woodpecker...

Perhaps he will visit us later today; he is very shy and could have spotted me behind the window...

My cat Viggo followed procedure, and checked I had the count correct. He tends to leave the birds alone...The occasional slip up notwithstanding.

How to Keep Your Woodpecker Happy

Hi there!
I will be doing my annual bird count soon, and this year I am proud to announce we have managed to invite and entice the elusive woodpecker into our garden bird restaurant.

How?
We bought some bird peanut butter (the kind specially produced without salt and with added goodies for birds), and instead of leaving it in the jar - as you are supposed to - my husband scooped it out and spread it onto a large fir cone.
This he hung into the Japanese maple. 
And, joy of all joys, the woodpecker has spotted it and makes a regular appearance. It perches on to a branch next to the cone and eats with pleasure.
So far I haven't managed to photograph it (yet).
So you'll have to make do with a snatched photo, sorry.

Still, I'll keep trying.

If you would like to read about last January's bird count, take a look at the January 2014 posts. You can find all posts at the left side of the blog, or use the search button #birds.

(Bicycle Road Trip - Part 5) Friesland and Groningen - hey-ho the North!

Where all kinds of birds take precedent, our heroine visits a Friesian estate, Fietsje spends the night with a classic Morris and the sun makes an entrance.

It was great to wake up to a dry world for a change...

My friend had taken the day off, and we spent the morning at our leisure, having breakfast and watching the many housemartins and swallows wheeling over her enormous modern barn. They had their chicks with them, and it will not be long before they all depart for warmer climates (very sensibly). They had another charming little bird there, called a Kwikstaartje in Dutch.

All too soon the sky started to close in on us again though, and we decided to get a move on, as we wanted to take a drive through her part of Friesland (on the border with Groningen, so in the North-East) and visit an estate in Veenklooster.

By the time we got to the estate, it had started to rain again - bugger!

We parked her car and first had a tea in a café run by people with a disability, the Oude Zwaan. This initiative is being followed more and more in the Netherlands, and it's a good one. People with a disability get money from the government, but the idea is to provide them with a steady job in a café, supervised in the areas where they need help. Our young waitress did the serving herself, but was helped with adding up and checking the bill, that kind of thing.

The Fogelsangh State (meaning bird song estate) was quiet. We had it to ourselves...and boy, was the lady from the gallery glad to see us! It took some effort to get away from her.

And get away I wanted to, for there was an exhibition showing owls, and I wanted to enjoy this in peace!

The watercolours were lovely, but far too expensive for my purse.

The estate itself showed how affluent Friesians lived in the eighteenth and nineteenth century; with a ladies' morning room, a gentlemen's hunting room, a library, a music room, etcetera. Not half bad. Obviously, I preferred the music room with its piano.

Taking photos inside was strictly forbidden, and this time I obeyed, sorry.

The rain, meanwhile, was coming down in buckets again, so we ran back to the car and drove into Kollum, to visit a 'Wereldwinkel' (meaning: world shop)

Another great concept! I believe it was an initiative by Oxfam originally, not quite sure though. Artisans from the Third World send their stuff to the Netherlands, and get a fair price. I bought a gorgeous little stone bird from Zimbabwe for my husband there, as it would be his birthday soon.

Back at Tessa's, I helped Rein pick their plums, and all too soon it was time to go to bed, as they had to make a very early start in to work on the Thursday morning.

Never mind, for the sun was out!!!!

I said goodbye to Tommy, tore Fietsje away from their roguish Morris, and was back on the road at 8 am.

Fietsje and I made great time. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the cows greeted me by sometimes galloping along next to the bicycle path, in short - I had a wonderful morning!

At some stage I passed a farm being dwarfed by huge receivers; did they expect an alien invasion in the Friesian polder?

After only a couple of hours I passed the invisible border with Groningen. I stopped for an early lunch at Roodehaan, a tiny hamlet on the Reitdiep river, and phoned our auntie that I was almost there.

Life was good!

My tip for wanna-be knooppunten cyclists: if you are in Groningen, say 'moi' (pronounced as in oy) to everyone you meet.

My Travels through Rotterdam - Blijdorp Zoo

Hiya!
Yesterday I took my daughter to my roots: Blijdorp Zoo. I was born just around the corner, and this zoo feels like 'home'.

One of my earliest memories is walking with my hand in that of my Grandma as a two-year old, along the avenue with the colourful Aras on both sides.

That avenue is gone, as well as the Aras. Large birds chained to sitting poles is not of this day and age. But the flamingo meadow is still there, right at the front of the zoo, near the old entrance.

Sorry! The 'B' has dropped off.. My Samsung isn't that good a camera.

'Blijdorp" means "happy village", and it has many happy memories for me. My Mum used to take me very regularly, and I witnessed all the changes to this zoo through the years. There has been a huge change of opinion on how animals should be kept in captivity since I started going there in 1958.

The cages, often tiny, have been demolished and changed to more natural habitats, where animals that belong together in the wild are put together, or near each other. And there is an Oceanium, where you walk underneath sharks and manta rays that swim overhead, and where you can stare at two huge and terrifying green eels with very sharp teeth, who stare right back at you.

But it is still a zoo. With animals in enclosures. And often not very happy.

So, instead of the traumatised tiger, or the zonked out lions, or the dozing ice bears and snoozing hyenas, I have taken photos for you of other things that captured my eye. And I have let myself be inspired by the things I remember loving as a toddler.

Here we are: the dell. Now long since changed into the Chinese garden in the 'Asia' part of the zoo. In the background you can spot the temple and bridge, but this spot is what I used to love as a child, and still do. The woodland plants. My grandma used to sigh that she paid good money to take me to Blijdorp and all I wanted to do was endlessly walk along the rock garden rocks in the dell.

And another favourite spot: the tropical greenhouse. This has been changed around as well, and has now been turned into a butterfly garden. It brought tears to my eyes, for my private  jungle, with all the tropical birds there along the pathways, has disappeared. The birds have mostly been rehoused in aviaries, where they can pretend to fly. I used to sit near the Minah cage as a teenager and listen to the birds calling to each other, and dream about life and love.

Now my daughter was used as a perch by a huge butterfly; it was as large as my hand.

Some of the tropical plants are still there though, and the earthy damp smell is the same.

It was extremely busy in the zoo, and the mass of people made us flee to the only corner of the zoo that wasn't that trampled; the Dutch corner, with the meadows, the migrating birds and the sloten. In fact, the landscape I see around me at home every day! Shades of my Gran again: "I pay good money to..." etcetera!

But we enjoyed the elephants playing with the youngster that was born not so long ago (no photos, sorry, too many people standing in front of me!) and the giraffes with their youngsters snacking on liguster leaves in their snazzy new stable.

The zoo is in dire straits, in desperate need of funds, and it shows. The animals are very well cared for, and some of the new habitats are lovely. But on the whole there is a feeling of neglect about large areas of the zoo.

That's a shame. Blijdorp and Rotterdam belong together. 

So if and when you visit Rotterdam, and you need to get away from the architecture, harbour, shops, nightlife and culinary delights, do stop by Blijdorp, for it is still worth your while.

You'll find it not very far from Rotterdam Centraal Station. Go to the back exit of the station and take bus 33. And say hello to the the only owl that I could find. 

Sunday...and Yet Another Glorious Day for the Garden.

Good afternoon, where ever you are :-)
I am in my garden - where else? It is my sanctuary, after all.

I watch it grow and change daily - what's that...hourly now.

See those bluebells? They remind me of England. I lived in Hampshire for 6 months, and the wood behind the farm where I worked as an underpaid and overworked (and poorly fed!) nanny was filled with them. When we got our own garden we planted a few of them and they have spread all over.

Do you like my allium? This one is in the greenhouse, the ones outside aren't as advanced yet.

I have been doing my mindfulness chore today...clearing out the grass and other seedlings from in between my cobbles. I do not mind this, although it did make me tear a nail today. I sit on my bum or alternately on my knees and listen to the bumblebees and the birds. Very restful!

More bluebells, but also my ferns. We dug out a young one 21 years ago in a wood (sssshhht, don't tell) and they have spread as well, with a little help from us.

Wallflowers, always sweet! We started out with one garden centre bought pink one, and now have them multi-coloured from pale yellow to deep purple and everything in between. They seed themselves, and take care of their colouring themselves as well, so it's always a surprise what we'll get each year.

Sweet eh? The pansies are at their peak at the moment, while the cornflowers are still tightly in bud.

Remember my tulips from last week?? Couldn't resist showing them off again. They are getting blowsy now...Last week for them. And the digitalis is shooting up, it already reaches up to my thigh.

Uhm...my shed needs repainting...Another mindfulness chore. I'll do that when I fancy doing it, probably in the summer holidays. The larger birds (jays, woodpecker, jackdaw) still visit the bird table, even though I have some decorations hanging there. They are not impressed.

I'll leave you with a professional photo, photographer unknown I'm afraid. Have a wonderful Sunday in the garden!!

Still thinking about the same issues - do you feel at home in this day and age?

Hi, bon soir, France :-)
I feel justified in greeting my French readers, as they have been absent so far, and suddenly they have arrived...great, welcome!

This will be yet another follow up on the post about a positive mindset and the theory that many people can't keep up with the pace of our modern life and thus feel (mildly or severely) stressed out and even depressed. And stick to a 'hey, let's see the glass as half full, for that's better for our health' attitude (like me, and a couple of you who told me)

I'm writing this seated at my garden bench, watching a crescent moon and listening to the numerous birds singing their little hearts out around me. We are experiencing a 'false' summer, when it is only April...amazing weather! And I try to enjoy it to the maximum, for in our Wetlands you never know how 'much' summer you will get from year to year.

Mind you, there is a storm front moving in, with thunder clouds, so you may see me fleeing inside soon.

Depression linked to the pace of life.

That's the ongoing theme of this post. I was distracted, sorry.

One of my favourite writers, Redmond O'Hanlon, states he was born in the wrong century. His reaction to this fact of life is to live his life largely as if he was born a hundred years ago. Being a bestseller writer, he has the means to do so (at least, that is my assumption).

But my son, 21 in two weeks time, says he feels like this often, as well. He usually shouts it in frustration when some piece of technology refuses to do what he wants it to do.

And I certainly know I feel like this! I can bring tears to my own eyes (sentimental biddy that I am) by remembering the many letters I used to get every month. I am a great letter writer (hah!), and my average was 5 letters a week during the seventies, eighties, nineties. Until email arrived, and the letters I got petered out. But were they replaced by emails? Nope. Hence the sentimental nostalgic tears.

And now we have Whatsapp. I have installed it to keep in touch with my daughter. Sigh. But it's pretty handy sometimes, and I'm nifty with it. ("Where R U??? You said you would take the 10 pm bus?????")

So, I hanker after letters on real paper with real ink. And curse my laptop sometimes when I'm supposed to internet-bank. Hate it! And walk flights of stairs at work to actually try to talk to people instead of sending them email after email, although (yep) I do that too.

But I suffer from stress related nasty little thingies. Like migraines (thankfully not often) and backaches (often), and skin rashes (damn). And I wonder if all this stress is:

1. work-related (probably)

2. age-related (I'm definitely post-menopausal)

3. day-and-age-related (I can't keep up with technology for a fact, and can't be bothered with lots of things younger people find very important )

4. relationship-related (hubby is post-menopausal too, whether he wants to or not)

5. food-related (I'm convinced that the food we buy in the supermarket is pure poison. Well, almost pure poison)

I would rather travel by horsepower than fly. Yes, I know, not very practical if you want to reach the US. But still.

I prefer 80 km/h to 150 km/h.

My favourite pastime is having a good meal with friends, preferably al fresco.

I never watch TV in bed (I don't have TV in bed). I read. Or listen to music.

I walk to the shops, or cycle if it takes more than 20 minutes to get there.

I would love to dress myself in flowing robes and skirts, very witch-like (but don't, as my pupils would freak out and so would my boss, and come to think of it my husband and kids too)

So...all this adapting I do to 2014, is that what causes my stress???

Your thoughts?

I've been listening to the birds all day - Spring is on its way!

Hi there!
Told you I am ill, didn't I? I've been in bed all day, feeling really shitty, and too headachy to read or do anything. So I've been listening to the birds.

We have many around the house and around the large pond in the park behind our house. They are so active at the moment that I feel certain that they are heralding Spring. 

The small garden birds are twittering and tweeting, and already exploring the bird houses we have in our trees. And the waterfowl are very noisy, and having lots of fights about territory.

I once had a neighbour a couple of houses over who moved back to Rotterdam because she couldn't get used to the  bird noises in the night. She preferred the blaring police sirens and howling drunks...

I adore those bird noises. In Summer we often sit out until deep into the night, listening to the waterfowl, and to the owl next door (the neighbours keep a tame one in their shed), and keeping an ear out for the snuffling and crunching of the hedgehog who visits our garden. And for the frogs in our garden pond, of course. And my son's ears are still keen enough to hear the high pitched screams of the bats flying over.

Grumbling about the time it takes me to travel into Rotterdam to work each day is one of my things, it's true, but I wouldn't want to move back to the city even if they would give me a bag of money to go along with it.

I'm a nature girl. 

How about you? Are you a city dweller?

Right. I'll leave you with a picture. It's in the future, still, but it's on its way. Hurray!

And I wish I could let you hear one of Sarah McQuaid's songs, the one about sitting next to a stream and letting all the worries of life wash away with the sound of the water. But I cannot. Perhaps one day.