The Netherlands

Day 1

FLY TO AMSTERDAM AND DRIVE TO HARDERWIJK

To make the most of the shorter winter days, our tour begins with an early morning flight to Amsterdam, where Limosa’s English speaking Dutch guide Tim Langerak will be waiting to welcome us.  The route we will follow will depend largely upon where the various flocks of geese and other wintering birds happen to be feeding at this time.

Birding in Holland is always exciting and past tours have kicked off in fine style, perhaps with a visit to a roost of Long-eared Owls, however, wherever we go, we are likely to see our first big skeins of White-fronted and Barnacle Geese as well as flocks of Bewick’s Swans in the fields.

Grey Herons and Great Egrets stalk along the ditches and dykes and with luck and good local knowledge, we may come across something scarcer with Great Northern Diver, White Stork, Hawk Owl, Nutcracker (twice now), Great Grey Shrike, Waxwing and Desert Wheatear among ‘first day species’ to have come our way over the years!

Our destination this evening is a comfortable hotel not far from the charming old town of Harderwijk which will be our base for the first three nights of the holiday. Night near Harderwijk

Days 2 – 3

EXPLORING FLEVOLAND, FRIESLAND AND THE FORESTS OF VELUWE

Harderwijk stands at the edge of what was formerly the Zuiderzee, which was enclosed in 1932 to form a vast shallow lake, the IJsselmeer.  Subsequent drainage and enclosure has led to the creation of the famous Dutch ‘polders’.  Largest of these is Flevoland, which nowadays is a patchwork of arable land, woods, marshes and open water that have earned the reputation as one of Europe’s top birding spots, especially in winter.

The birding in Flevoland is always a thrill with Marsh and Hen Harriers, Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard all likely at this time of year.  Bittern, Water Rail and Bearded Reedling are some of the more secretive marshland species awaiting our discovery, however, the noisy flocks of geese are likely to be one of the highlights with plenty of European White-fronted, along with Barnacle, Greylag and Tundra Bean Geese.

Golden Plover, Lapwing, Curlew and Ruff mingle with the grazing flocks, only for the sudden appearance of a Marsh Harrier or the more powerful Goshawk to cause panic with all the birds taking flight which can be an amazing sight!

The variety of wintering raptors in Holland often comes as a surprise to visiting British birders and we have excellent chances of seeing one or two of the scarcer species: Rough-legged Buzzard, Peregrine and the immense White-tailed Eagle have all been regularly present in recent years, with numbers of White-tailed Eagles sometimes in double figures!

Waterfowl are abundant too, notably Great Crested Grebe, Cormorant, Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Pochard and Goldeneye.  Greater Scaup and the four ‘smaller’ grebe are frequent visitors and we stand a good chance of see all three sawbills: Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser and Smew.

On our travels between the various wetlands, we will be keeping an eye open for Water Pipits on the flooded fields, as well as flocks of Redwings, Fieldfares and Bramblings and even the shy Hawfinch can sometimes to be found feeding beside the quieter back roads.

Close to our hotel, mixed woodlands of pine, oak and birch in the Leuvenumse Bos are home to an excellent range of forest birds and as we walk the trails, we should find Crested and Willow Tits, Short-toed Treecreeper and possibly Raven.  However, it is here that we shall also hope to discover an active roost of Black Woodpecker, an incredible bird when seen up close.

During our stay, one option is to head north to Friesland.  Here, amidst a classic Dutch landscape of grazing meadows and pretty villages dotted with windmills old and new, noisy gatherings of White-fronted, Tundra Bean and Barnacle Geese can run into the tens of thousands and there are often good numbers of Pink-footed and Greylag Geese too.  Rarities turn up annually, with perhaps a flight of Snow Geese or a stunning Red-breasted Goose for us to look for amidst the ranks of the more numerous species.

Wild swans graze the pastures and likely raptors include Hen Harrier, Rough-legged Buzzard and Peregrine.  Merlin is also present most years and, in recent years, Great Egrets have become a daily sight, with up to 100 birds being seen some days.

Holland is also a great place to find Long-eared Owls in winter and we will check a couple of favoured roost sites for them during our stay.  In the past, we have also occasionally found the odd Short-eared Owl in amongst them.

The surrounding forests of Harderwijk are also good for woodpeckers and besides Black Woodpecker, there are decent chances for Middle Spotted Woodpecker as well.

We are likely to spend some of our time birding the forests and heath nature reserves to search for these species where we will also be looking for Crested Tit, Short-toed Treecreeper and maybe a Great Grey Shrike.

February is also the time for migrating Cranes so we will certainly be keeping an eye out for them.  Two further nights Harderwijk

Days 4 – 6

TEXEL

After two full days birding around Harderwijk, we will farewell our hotel after breakfast and set off for a new adventure on the Island of Texel.

On the way, we may visit the Hondsbossche Zeewering where there are sometimes a few wintering Lesser White-fronted Geese and other wintering waterfowl.

We will then take the ferry to Texel which is the most bird-rich part of the Netherlands with an impressive total of over 400 species having been recorded here.  Wildfowl on Texel are abundant with many Brent Geese plus the occasional Black Brant (the North American form of Brent Goose), Barnacle and Tundra Bean Geese and sometimes also Red-breasted Goose.  Eider are common on the Wadden Sea and perhaps the Spectacled Eider which first appeared in January 2025 will return…….

We may visit the Slufter for wintering birds like Shore Lark and Snow Bunting.  The fields on the island are literally full of birds like Golden Plover, Curlew and Lapwings and we will stay in touch with the local birding community in case an unexpected rarity pops up.

On the final day, we will leave Texel and make our way back to Amsterdam for our late afternoon flight back to the UK.  Thanks to the one-hour time difference, we shall get back to the UK at pretty much the same time as we take off from Amsterdam!  Two nights on Texel

Group Size

Maximum of 7 participants and 1 leader

Birds

100-135 species

Accommodation

Five nights accommodation in Holland. We start off with three nights at a hotel near Harderwijk. The hotel is a comfortable, warm and welcoming, with good food, ensuite rooms and Black Woodpeckers in the woods nearby.  We then move to Texel for a two-night stay at another comfortable hotel.

Meals

All main meals are included in the tour price, commencing with lunch on Day 1 and concluding with lunch on Day 6.
Breakfasts and dinners will be taken at the hotel. Our lunches will usually be picnics in the field, however, we may make some optional cafe stops for a mug of hot chocolate or coffee and a slice of Dutch apple pie.

Walking

Easy. Short walks over flat terrain as there are few hills in the Netherlands !! It can sometimes be a little muddy or wet underfoot, so sturdy waterproof shoes or boots with corrugated soles for grip are advised.

Weather

The weather in the Netherlands is similar to that of East Anglia at this season so often clear, bright and crisp with daytime temperatures typically in the range of 2-10˚C (36-50F). As in the UK cool and cloudy conditions with showers or rain (more rarely snow) are also possible. Lightweight layers of warm and weatherproof clothing, including a woolly hat, scarf and gloves should ensure your enjoyment of some excellent winter birding!

Flights

The official flights for this tour depart London Heathrow in the early morning (16 February) and depart in the late afternoon (21 February), however, we have deliberately chosen flights which means those who prefer to travel from regional airports including Norwich, Aberdeen, Newcastle and Manchester can do so and arrive at and depart from Amsterdam (Schiphol) within 45 minutes or so of the London flights.

For those that prefer not to fly, we offer a Land Only price leaving you free to make your own travel arrangements getting to and from the tour.

Amsterdam can be reached by ferry or by Eurostar, with easy onward connections to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport where our tour starts and finishes.

Ground Transport

By minibus or other suitable vehicle depending on the group size.