Texel Trip Report October 9th - 16th, 2014
Texel is the southernmost of the Wadden Islands, the Dutch
part of the Frisian archipelago, which stretches from Holland through Germany
to Denmark. The island is tear drop
shaped, being roughly nine miles from north to south and four miles east to
west at the widest. The southern half of
the island is generally arable with a patch work of agricultural land,
interspersed with hamlets and larger villages and is the most populated
zone. The far south contains the wide
expanse of mudflats and marshes known as de Mokbuy. The east coast is similarly agricultural or
pastoral, with a network of pools, lakes and flooded areas north of
Oudeschild. This area and de Mokbuy is
the best area for waders. The north and
west of Texel has a more rugged feel with a
beautiful coastline, consisting of extensive beaches and a system of
dunes.
Being a non-driver, I relied on public transport, taking the
overnight ferry from Harwich, thence trains north Hoek van Holland to den
Helder. The ferry takes seven hours and
the excellent Dutch railways provide a reliable connection of just over three
hours from the port to den Helder. From
Den Helder it is necessary to take the TESO ferry, a journey of twenty minutes,
docking at ‘T Horntje.
On Texel I relied mainly on my own two feet for the majority
of the trip, though bicycles largely eliminate the leg work and hiring them is
easy and inexpensive. For two days I
joined my good friend Wietze Janse and his nephew Jonathan. I am also indebted for vehicular assistance
from Angelique Belfroid, Rogier van Viegan and Ger Monteney.
I was based in the village of de Cocksdorp at the
northernmost part of the island. My trip
co-incided with the annual autumn Dutch Birding weekend, organised by Dutch
Birding. There are illustrated talks for
three nights, a bird quiz and other events in the evening, including an
excellent hot buffet on the Saturday night.
Being a non-Dutch speaker at these meetings is barely a disadvantage,
and I was made to feel extremely welcome.
I began the trip list on board the ferry, ticking Sandwich
Tern and I was picked up by my host, Ger Monteney. Accommodating my request to take the ‘scenic’
route, we drove up the east coast. At
Utopia, the high tide meant that the landward side was stuffed with waders,
primarily Dunlin and Oystercatcher and smaller numbers of Avocet and Bar-tailed
Godwit. Working our way along the
roadside pools I added Grey and Golden Plovers, Common Snipe, Turnstone and
knot. The fields were full of geese with the usual thousand-strong
flocks of Brent Goose and Greylag and smaller gaggles of White-fronted,
Barnacle, Canada and Egyptian Geese. As
heavy showers of rain and hail made birding impossible, I packed up the scope
and we headed north for the comfort of Ger’s sitting room and a much needed
coffee.
Feeling refreshed, I set out for a first check of the bushes
around de Cocksdorp. With persistently
south westerly winds in the previous week, passerine migrants were notable by
their absence and it was hard work to find even one Blackcap or a
Chiffchaff. I bumped into a young Dutch
birder, who had seen a Dotterel the
previous day but the same fields produced only Lapwing and Golden Plover, as we
scanned the furrows. As we were checking
some distant geese, I caught sight of a bird of prey, which I though worth a
second look and drew my companion’s attention to the bird. Clearly a buteo, the bird had a long-winged
appearance and as it soared down above the field, we saw the 75% white tail
with diffuse darker rump and tail band.
The dark upperwing, very pale underwing but very contrasting dark carpal
patches and black upper-breast band, all pointed to an adult Rough-legged
Buzzard. Common Buzzard is common on
Texel and prone to Rough-leg look-alikes, but this was a classic Rough-legged. The bird conveniently perched on a haystack
for a time and the scope showed the leg feathers extending to the feet, before
it took off again and we managed to get another birder on the bird before it
headed strongly south.
A skein of 77 White-fronted Geese flew over as I decided to
pack in for the day, as the best of the light had gone.
The Friday was another sunny day with the winds having
turned south-easterly, a situation, which Marc Plomp, the owner of the Bird Information
Centre, said often produced the best birds.
A window of clear weather over Scandinavia also looked interesting, and
I set out for the east coast with high hopes for the next 24 hours.
Ger dropped me off at Utopia, where I was able to watch the
ducks and waders at leisure, with much the same species as the previous day,
though I managed to locate one Ruff, a Spotted Redshank and a handful of
Greenshank. There were many hundreds of
Wigeon accompanied by Teal, Shoveler and a few Pintail. Popping over the sea wall, I found a nice
Ringed Plover, taking photos down to a few feet and on the sea were 10 Great
Crested Grebe. Among their number, a
smaller grebe, which I spotted initially with the bins was eventually
identified as a Slavonian.
Apart from the odd Wheatear, I was finding the terrestrial
birds hard work, with no passage and the bushes eerily empty of birds. Texel can go through periods of ‘all or
nothing’ though I had a good feeling about the week ahead. My optimism was justified when a Pallid Harrier was
discovered late in the afternoon just south of de Cocksdorp and unfortunately,
following a miscommunication, ended with me missing the bird at the first time
of asking.
I got up the next day in what felt like the middle of the
night, met by Wietze and Jonathan, so that we could be on site while it was
still dark. Harriers were not known to
migrate at night, but could fly off at dawn.
Sure enough, as the sun broke the eastern horizon the harrier got up and
we had barely satisfactory views of the bird breaking cover and being mobbed by
a Kestrel as it headed slowly south. If
it had been a Western Palearctic tick, I would have been unsatisfied. As it happened we need not have worried, but
we weren’t to know that at the time.
After breakfast I set of with my Dutch friends again and we
checked the bushes and woodland near de Krim camp site. It appeared to have rained Yellow-browed
Warblers and we found no fewer than seven birds, although common migrants were
very few and far between with one Northern Wheatear and the odd Goldcrest
elsewhere. After coffee and Dutch apple
pie, we were mulling over our plans when Wietze’s text alert beeped with an
Isabelline Shrike at den Hoorn, seven miles to the south. A frantic drive, using every shortcut
available, brought us to a grassy area of tangled bushes and the occasional
hedgerow. Cars were already parked as
far as the eye could see and we headed off along a track, where about 200
birders were watching the bird.
Originally put out as a Daurian, a large Turkestan camp
emerged, given the birds rather cold grey brown appearance, in the main. A second year individual, the bird showed a
moderately good mask, well-barred flanks and a largely pale bill, which seemed
better for Daurian, though a debate ensued and the identification is ongoing,
at the time of writing. It was a very
nice, obliging bird and though most Dutch birders wanted it to be a Turkestan
Shrike, it was a new species for my Netherlands list, so I was happy. We watched the bird for almost an hour as it
caught various beetles etc, spending most of its time perched on brambles. You know you’re having a good day, when while
watching the shrike, the unmistakeable ‘speeeeez’ of a Red-throated Pipit was
heard among a small party of mippits as they flew over the admiring crowd.
As we debated what do next, we had a ringtail Hen Harrier
over the bluff, tussocky dunes and then news broke that the Pallid Harrier had been relocated. Doing an about turn we sped a few miles north
and had superb scope views of the bird in perfect light for 20 minutes flying
over a field of mustard crop. Unlike in
the morning, we were now able to view the bird at leisure.
On the Sunday, clear skies and south easterly winds seemed
promising and birds were on the move.
Alas, most stuff was probably shooting through high up. Never the less, we had Lapland Bunting overhead and amazingly close views of a Shore
Lark on the beach at de Slufter. Before
heading back to the car we worked an extensive area of bushes and scrub,
picking up another Yellow-browed Warbler and a Kingfisher.
Since we had set off, a Richard’s Pipit had been discovered
near de Cocksdorp. The bird showed in
the open, atop a weed-covered mound, accompanied by Meadow Pipits and Linnets. While we were watching this bird, a Peregrine
Falcon zoomed through, chasing Golden Plovers, momentarily diverting the attention
of the small crowed of birders. After a
break for coffee and cake, I said cheerio to my friends, who had commitments on
the mainland.
The wind was nearly calm and the sun bright as I did my
daily route around de Cocksdorp. One of
my favourite spots is the small graveyard, which can pull in migrants. Two Common
Buzzards were circling and performing overhead, and while photographing these, I
was distracted by another bird of prey, much higher up. I was thrilled to see an Osprey in the bins
and got a couple of distant record shots of the bird, before it headed off
south.
On the low tide, among the multitude of ducks, geese and waders,
I had three Little Egrets. During a
quick coffee at the information centre, news arrived of a Hoopoe showing well
just south of the lighthouse. In the
company of Rogier van Viegan I had great views of the bird probing a sandy
hollow in the dunes and was a great way to round off the day.
Tuesday was an entirely different day. Even as I tied the laces on my boots, I could
hear the thin ‘seeeze’ of Redwing and the occasional ‘Szhaap’ of a
Brambling. It had been a clear night,
but the showers had set in during the early hours, bringing birds to the
island. I met up with Rogier again and
we had a constant stream of Redwing and the odd Fieldfare, though in the strong
easterly winds, birding was tricky. Finally, the steady drizzle gave way to a
full blown storm and we were forced to take shelter in de Robbenjagger and
watched the rain over a coffee and poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes.)
When the weather had cleared, I Said farewell to Rogier, who
had work the next day and I decided to hang around the lighthouse, where
Redwings were coming through at an astonishing rate. The distinctive call was
punctuated by the occasional ‘thip’ of Song Thrush. The birds were almost literally pouring
through, with flocks of birds appearing from the north. The majority were arriving in parties of 10
to 20, but larger groups of 50 or 80 were not uncommon. In just over an hour, I counted over 2000
thrushes. Most just bombed through, but
many birds sought brief respite from the wind in the lighthouse bushes before
continuing on their journey southwards.
Eager to see what might have turned up overnight, I headed
towards de Tuintjes and immediately found a Pied Flycatcher. De Tuintjes or ‘The gardens’ in English, is
an area of willow, sallow and bramble and consistently turns up good birds and
is a magnet for migrants. Apart from the
flycatcher, there were also lots of Chiffchaff and Goldcrest and a single
Firecrest
. Apparently
not content with the views it had afforded the previous evening, the Hoopoe put
in a surprise appearance, showing in the open down to 20 feet! I went for my camera as stealthily as possible
and got some amazing shots of this splendid bird.
After it had flown off, I received a text to say that a
Barred Warbler was showing in the last complex of bushes. I moved the hundred yards or so, climbing a
bank in order to get a better view into the tangle of cover. After 20 minutes the bird came out in the
sunshine and did the normal Barred Warbler act of clumsily crashing around the
foliage, scaring a Blackcap in the process.
As the afternoon wore on more birds were showing themselves,
after no doubt arriving during the inclement weather, including a Common
Redstart near the campsite. Robins
particularly as well as Ring Ouzels were in evidence. The former seemed to be everywhere - almost literally. I counted 85 birds in an hour, just working
my regular areas. Given the similar
habitat between de Cocksdorp and the lighthouse, I extrapolated that there must
have been at least 500 birds in the north of the island alone. After
a coffee break, I did my daily round of de Cocksdorp and heard the distinctive
‘pin ping’ of a Bearded Tit from the large reedbed adjacent to the river
Rogesloot. I then had brief views of a
female skimming the top of the phragmites.
I concluded the day checking the woods just south of the village,
flushing migrant thrushes from every tree.
A single Coal Tit was added to the trip list here and I finished the day
watching three Ring Ouzels in a single bush.
On the Wednesday, my penultimate day, the winds had backed
to light north westerly, after being north easterly overnight. I headed for pole 28 on the west coast, which
was my favourite sea watching spot.
Along with a Dutch birder, in one hour, I had 100 Common Scoter, 20
Red-throated Divers and 3 Gannet all south, along with a Merlin and a
Short-eared Owl in off the sea. At the
same time a steady flow of Starlings were pouring through. Between 8.30 and 10.00, I had 4,000 to the
south. The weather began to take a turn
for the worse with sporadic showers in the early afternoon, as I received news
of a Red-breasted Flycatcher in a garden on Vuurtorenweg.
Making my way there, the Starlings were easing up, but
thrushes, Chaffinches and Bramblings began to move south in big numbers. I
arrived at the garden, and got the flycatcher immediately. The rain was intermittent and I found a
Yellow-browed warbler. Satisfied with my
views, I made a tactical withdrawal to de Robbenjagger, only to be told that a
Pallas’s Leaf Warbler had just been found with the RBF. I went straight back and after a few frustratingly
brief glimpses, got stunning views of this glorious little bird, hovering among
the withered Sycamore.
It was a good day for a vismig and In the two hours that I
stood watching the birds in that garden, I counted 2,000 Redwing, 1,000
chaffinch and 500 Brambling move south.
Further birds were tumbling out of the sky and filling the adjacent trees
and bushes. This was birding at its best!
My last full day, the Wednesday was sunny and dry. It was distinctly a case of ‘After the Lord
Mayor’s show.’ Apart from a few Blackcaps,
I had six Little Egrets and another Short-eared Owl in off. I also
found another Ring Ouzel in de Krim forest and watched the bird for half an
hour in the sunshine. I finished the day
photographing Brambling, over a coffee in the garden at the Bird Information
Centre. A leisurely finish to a
fantastic week!
Costs, Transport and Accommodation.
Ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland – Return ticket with
breakfast and cabin on the night crossing cost £110.
Train from Hoek van Holland, changing at Schiedam and
Amsterdam Sloterdijk – 16 euros for a single journey. If taking a car, the ferry is a little dearer
and the journey from Hoek to den Helder is straightforward and is about a two
hour drive.
Ferry from Den Helder to Texel – two and a half Euros. You only pay for the outward journey!
Accommodation on Texel was at Texeloniki on on Langeveldstraat. Cost was 36.6 euros per night, B&B,
including tax.
A good hourly bus service runs from de Cocksdorp and most of
Texel can be found by public transport, although up to an hour should be
allowed if visiting the far south of the island.
Bird List
Cygnus olor
|
Mute Swan
|
Anser fabalis
|
Tundra Bean Goose
|
Anser albifrons
|
White-fronted Goose
|
Anser anser
|
Greylag Goose
|
Branta canadensis
|
Canada Goose
|
Branta leucopsis
|
Barnacle Goose
|
Branta bernicla
|
Brent Goose
|
Alopochen aegyptiaca
|
Egyptian Goose
|
Tadorna tadorna
|
Shelduck
|
Anas penelope
|
Wigeon
|
Anas strepera
|
Gadwall
|
Anas crecca
|
Teal
|
Anas platyrhynchos
|
Mallard
|
Anas acuta
|
Pintail
|
Anas clypeata
|
Shoveler
|
Aythya ferina
|
Pochard
|
Aythya fuligula
|
Tufted Duck
|
Somateria mollissima
|
Eider
|
Melanitta nigra
|
Common Scoter
|
Phasianus colchicus
|
Pheasant
|
Gavia stellata
|
Red-throated Diver
|
Morus bassanus
|
Gannet
|
Phalacrocorax carbo
|
Cormorant
|
Egretta garzetta
|
Little Egret
|
Ardea cinerea
|
Grey Heron
|
Tachybaptus ruficollis
|
Little Grebe
|
Podiceps cristatus
|
Great Crested Grebe
|
Podiceps auritus
|
Slavonian Grebe
|
Circus cyaneus
|
Hen Harrier
|
Circus macrourus
|
Pallid Harrier
|
Accipiter gentilis
|
Goshawk
|
Accipiter nisus
|
Sparrowhawk
|
Buteo buteo
|
Buzzard
|
Buteo lagopus
|
Rough-legged Buzzard
|
Pandion haliaetus
|
Osprey
|
Falco tinnunculus
|
Kestrel
|
Falco columbarius
|
Merlin
|
Falco peregrinus
|
Peregrine
|
Rallus aquaticus
|
Water Rail
|
Gallinula chloropus
|
Moorhen
|
Fulica atra
|
Coot
|
Haematopus ostralegus
|
Oystercatcher
|
Recurvirostra avosetta
|
Avocet
|
Charadrius hiaticula
|
Ringed Plover
|
Pluvialis apricaria
|
European Golden Plover
|
Pluvialis squatarola
|
Grey Plover
|
Vanellus vanellus
|
Lapwing
|
Calidris canutus
|
Knot
|
Calidris alba
|
Sanderling
|
Calidris alpina
|
Dunlin
|
Philomachus pugnax
|
Ruff
|
Gallinago gallinago
|
Common Snipe
|
Scolopax rusticola
|
Woodcock
|
Limosa lapponica
|
Bar-tailed Godwit
|
Numenius arquata
|
Curlew
|
Tringa erythropus
|
Spotted Redshank
|
Tringa nebularia
|
Greenshank
|
Tringa totanus
|
Redshank
|
Arenaria interpres
|
Turnstone
|
Chroicocephalus ridibundus
|
Black-headed Gull
|
Larus canus
|
Common Gull
|
Larus fuscus
|
Lesser Black-backed Gull
|
Larus argentatus
|
Herring Gull
|
Larus marinus
|
Great Black-backed Gull
|
Sterna sandvicensis
|
Sandwich Tern
|
Columba livia
|
Feral Pigeon
|
Columba oenas
|
Stock Dove
|
Columba palumbus
|
Woodpigeon
|
Streptopelia decaocto
|
Collared Dove
|
Asio flammeus
|
Short-eared Owl
|
Alcedo atthis
|
Kingfisher
|
Upupa epops
|
Hoopoe
|
Dendrocopos major
|
Great Spotted Woodpecker
|
Lanius isabellinus
|
Isabelline Shrike
|
Pica pica
|
Magpie
|
Garrulus glandarius
|
Jay
|
Corvus monedula
|
Jackdaw
|
Corvus corone
|
Carrion Crow
|
Regulus regulus
|
Goldcrest
|
Regulus ignicapilla
|
Firecrest
|
Cyanistes caeruleus
|
Blue Tit
|
Parus major
|
Great Tit
|
Periparus ater
|
Coal Tit
|
Panurus biarmicus
|
Bearded Tit
|
Alauda arvensis
|
Skylark
|
Eremophila alpestris
|
Shore Lark
|
Hirundo rustica
|
Swallow
|
Aegithalos caudatus
|
Long-tailed Tit
|
Phylloscopus proregulus
|
Pallas’s Warbler
|
Phylloscopus inornatus
|
Yellow-browed Warbler
|
Phylloscopus collybita
|
Chiffchaff
|
Sylvia atricapilla
|
Blackcap
|
Sylvia nisoria
|
Barred Warbler
|
Troglodytes troglodytes
|
Wren
|
Sturnus vulgaris
|
Starling
|
Turdus torquatus
|
Ring Ouzel
|
Turdus merula
|
Blackbird
|
Turdus pilaris
|
Fieldfare
|
Turdus philomelos
|
Song Thrush
|
Turdus iliacus
|
Redwing
|
Turdus viscivorus
|
Mistle Thrush
|
Muscicapa striata
|
Spotted Flycatcher
|
Erithacus rubecula
|
Robin
|
Ficedula parva
|
Red-breasted Flycatcher
|
Ficedula hypoleuca
|
Pied Flycatcher
|
Phoenicurus phoenicurus
|
Redstart
|
Saxicola torquatus
|
Stonechat
|
Oenanthe oenanthe
|
Wheatear
|
Prunella modularis
|
Dunnock
|
Passer domesticus
|
House Sparrow
|
Passer montanus
|
Tree Sparrow
|
Motacilla cinerea
|
Grey Wagtail
|
Motacilla alba
|
White Wagtail
|
Anthus richardi
|
Richard’s Pipit
|
Anthus pratensis
|
Meadow Pipit
|
Anthus cervinus
|
Red-throated Pipit
|
Anthus petrosus
|
Rock Pipit
|
Fringilla coelebs
|
Chaffinch
|
Fringilla montifringilla
|
Brambling
|
Chloris chloris
|
Greenfinch
|
Carduelis carduelis
|
Goldfinch
|
Carduelis spinus
|
Siskin
|
Carduelis cannabina
|
Linnet
|
Carduelis flammea
|
Mealy Redpoll
|
Calcarius lapponicus
|
Lapland Bunting
|
Emberiza schoeniclus
|
Reed Bunting
|
Some photos from the trip
 |
| Daurian Shrike (Alex Bos) |
 |
| Pallid Harrier (Alex Bos) |
 |
| Hoopoe |
 |
| Brambling |
 |
| Turnstone & Knot |
