The pier in Ijmuiden, a coastal city west of Amsterdam, is a well-liked sea-watching website within the Netherlands because it permits one to get additional out than from the seashore. It is a superb website within the winter months particularly, when seabirds together with geese, divers and grebes are fairly dependable right here. I’ve visited Ijmuiden as soon as earlier than, however as a result of robust wind the pier was closed throughout that go to. I used to be due to this fact keen to go to this in style birding website once more, and with the ability to mix it with my journey to Texel (which I lined right here in my final submit) made it all of the extra handy.
I arrived within the late morning to sunny and windy climate, however happily the wind wasn’t robust sufficient to warrant closing of the pier. It appears that evidently this place will not be solely in style amongst birders however many different folks utilizing the appropriate climate to get into the recent air, because the peir was fairly busy in locations and kite surfers crowded the near-shore waters south of the pier.
Earlier than the beginning of the pier, European Robin, European Stonechats, Eurasian Greenfinches, Eurasian Linnet, Frequent Starlings and Frequent Chaffinches foraged amongst some rusty steel buildings, whereas a Nice Crested Grebe was diving round within the small harbour. A big flock of Dunlins and Sanderlings tried in useless to discover a calm spot to relaxation as they had been both scared by kite surfers from the waves or folks on the seashore.
The beginning of the pier instantly produced two of Ijmuiden’s typical species, Purple Sandpiper and Rock Pipit. The previous was rather more cautious than Ruddy Turnstones, and it appeared that fewer people had been round than on my earlier go to. Nevertheless, Rock Pipit was quite common for the primary few hundred meters alongside the pier.
A detailed-by Pink-throated Diver was pretty to look at. I’ve seen this hen many instances now however I nonetheless all the time take my time taking a look at them, as even of their non-breeding plumage they give the impression of being very elegant. Two Frequent Scoters had been additionally swimming round, whereas Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Nice Black-backed Gull, and the lovable Little Gull had been flying above. A really elegant Arctic Tern was foraging near the pier, the primary time I noticed this hen in breeding plumage.
Additional out at sea, each Razorbill and Frequent Guillemot had been swimming amongst the waves, as was one other Pink-throated Diver. On the tip of the pier, a number of birders had arrange their scopes for sea watching and I spent a while right here as properly. Most spots with good visibility had been taken nonetheless, and the wind and sea spray didn’t make for probably the most enjoyable setting. Once I observed that even the Ruddy Turnstones tried to search out spots that protected them from the weather, I figured that I should not have to remain right here for too lengthy, and as I wasn’t too desperate to scan for distant seabirds, I quickly made my approach again.
To conclude the go to, I checked out the world across the Kennemermeer, had been a number of duck species can typically be seen. I solely noticed the common backyard birds in addition to Goldcrest, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, and Frequent Pochard. Fairly content material with this haul of birds for the morning, I made my approach again to Amsterdam.