This Sunday, 24 November, all nature lovers can’t miss a bird-watching event at Bargerveen Nature Reserve. Located in Drenthe, Bargerveen is a Special Protection Area for bird-life and home to large numbers of wintering birds, including the taiga bean geese.
The last peat bog in the Netherlands
The feathered winter guests will be in the spotlight of the excursion, organised by Staatsbosbeheer (national body for forestry and nature reserves) and the Moor-Veenland Nature Park (cross-border nature reserve, of which Bargerveen is a part). The nature site is also known for its numerous rare animal and plant species living in the Bourtange peat bog, which is fragile and the only large peat area still surviving in the Netherlands.
The Wonderful Adventures (without Nils)
As reported by Emmer Courant, this Sunday, the guides will lead walkers through spots where winter birds can be seen at this time of the year. After spotting the starlings and, with a bit of luck, some of the rare hatchlings that are now present in the area, the twilight will signalise the hour of the waterfowl. For example, sometimes more than a hundred of the cormorants can be spotted while they prepare for night in a dead birch.
As soon as it gets dark, the tundra bean geese leave their feeding areas in the meadows and land on the water of the former peat-dredging fields. Sometimes, more than 50,000 of geese can be seen whilst their return to the night area.
To explore Bargerveen as a wintering place for migratory birds, register by e-mail: e.bloeming@staatsbosbeheer.nl or by phone: 06-53199389. The excursion starts at 3 p.m.
Image by USFWS Pacific Southwest Region. License here.
