Netherlands Nature Photography: April 2015

This is just an heads-up.
Bar-tailed godwits are back, and they have been back for a while now. From the end of March, I would say.
I met them in Texel, but - of course - the primary place for the Amsterdam-based photographers is the Arkenheem Polder meadows area just south of the Flevopolder in Gelderland. If you visit the area by car, please, make sure you are only using the car in the roads where it is allowed, if you need contact me for more information.
Godwits will not stay there forever, already after the end of May they'll move in other areas. I will follow them, for example in the Groene Jonker, as every year. But Arkenheem is worth a visit if you are around, for example for the photographers who travel to the Netherlands to visit Texel in these days, the polder could be a nice chance to fill-up the memory cards.

As usual, comments & questions are welcome.
Thanks for reading.

It has been a while since I wrote a blog post. Winter passed with very little photography, due to lack of luck and lack of time to focus on photography.

Anyway, in the Easter week-end I spent two days in Texel, I am sure that every bird photography enthusiast knows this beautiful island. Texel is the biggest of the frisian islands, the most populated and the easiest to reach by ferry, only 20 minutes from Den Helder. And it is the bird photographer paradise of the Netherlands.

It is famous for the avocets, spoonbills, singing birds, terns and other migratory birds and seals. The best period to visit the island, if you're looking for photos, is Second half of April, and end of May beginning of June. Being the beginning of April I did not go with the only objective of taking photos, but also to spend a couple of days walking on the beaches, and in the polders of the island.

But, focusing on the birds, some considerations:

The Wagejot was already full of avocets very active and friendly as usual.

I could not see almost any tern on the island, not at the Wagejot neither in Den Helder where they usually go fishing.

No birds of prey either. This was strange, one thing is not being able to take good pictures of them, but two days on Texel without seeing any bird of prey.. it's weird. I really hope to see more next time.

The godwits are quite active already, but for them there are better places in the Netherlands, I hope I will be able to write a post in one month or so.

Not many singing birds, for the moment, the dunes were silent.

I've seen one spoonbill, but no photos taken.

I spent a couple of hours at the Wagejot at sunset and sunrise. And I had fun filling a 16GB memory card.

In a cloudy and almost rainy afternoon I walked on the dunes leaving the car on the Zanddijk mostly to walk on the dunes, but I had a chance to see some oystercatchers and sandpipers.

The evening I enjoyed some backlight at the Wagejot pond.

But I was already planning an early awake, not even really early since my hotel was 5 minutes from the Wagejot, and the sunrise was 7:08am, how convenient! Anyway, morning light is really beautiful at the Wagejot, if you go few days at Texel, make sure you'll spend at least one sunrise with clear sky there.

This was only an exploration/scouting trip, I will be back in Texel at the end of May, I really look forward to it, and I hope I will have more to write!