Tag: Great crested grebe

Another great day out at Keukenhof gardens, decent bird list.

Even though I was out doing my real work, photography, I managed to update the savings, ISAs and credit cards over on www.saverscene.co.ukĀ (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession) then a few of the banks went and changed their rates and I had to do it again tonight!!! Ā How inconsiderate of them! Ā I did get out to Keukenhof today and got to see some great birds as well as a few 100 very nice flower photos. Ā I sadly missed by just a few minutes the mating dance of the Great Crested Grebe, a few other birders seemed to take real pleasure in telling me! Ā I didnā€™t see as many bird species today as I did the other day, hereā€™s my list today:

  1. Blackbird
  2. Carrion crow
  3. Chaffinch
  4. Chiffchaff
  5. Coots
  6. Egyptian Goose
  7. Great crested grebe
  8. Great tits
  9. Greylag goose
  10. Grey Heron
  11. House Sparrow
  12. Jackdaw
  13. Lapwings
  14. Long-tailed tits
  15. Magpie
  16. Mallard Duck
  17. Moorhens
  18. Mute Swans
  19. Oystercatcher
  20. Pied Wagtail
  21. Starlings
  22. Tufted duck
  23. Woodpigeons

The Comments that were below this post before the server move:

  1. Wes Donze said on April 24, 2013

    thats a good list ā€“ hope to see something similar this weekend as i am heading there myself ā€“ also heading to a spot where there should be a number of birds near where i am staying in Weesp.

    Apologies for not yet posting my bird list from Sweden ā€“ i seem to have been so busy this last week or so ā€“ am taking the laptop this weekend so might get a chance when i am in Holland

    I have seen the mating dance of the Grebes twice before ā€“ once in Holland too ā€“ and just caught the very end of it in Sweden a few days ago

    • KiwiGav said on April 24, 2013

      Weesp does look like a great place for seeing birds! Lots of water around there. I hope you had a great time in Sweden and have a wonderful time in Holland. Iā€™d never seen a Grebe before, so was very happy to see them, when at Keukenhof theyā€™re just round from the Wilhelmina pavilion, after the bridge near the white horse statue, where the river bows a bit, Keukenhof map here:
      http://www.keukenhof.nl/uploads/2013/Plattegrond/2223_kh_plattegrond_2013_v6_lr_def.pdf

      Youā€™ll be going at a great time, the flowers are a lot later this year, a lot still werenā€™t out when I was were there! First time Iā€™d been back in 10 years, last time I was 23 and with a heap of Aussie backpackers, good fun, but probably didnā€™t take as much in as I could have.

      Totally understand being busy! If I didnā€™t have to take every second day out for putting my feet up Iā€™d probably not have been able to do updates, but I would have got out a bit more to see the birds. Iā€™ve just gone back to bed at 10.20 am to write this! Feels odd and terrible to be spending so much time off my feet!

      Iā€™ll try and get a few photos up before you go, ran out of room on my computer, but will move things about tonight.

  2. Wes Donze said on May 2, 2013

    Yes I saw the Great Crested Grebe on a nest there. As you say the flowers are later this year ā€“ 1 to 2 weeks iā€™d say ā€“ also the birds ā€“ I have seen a Grebe with young there, also Mallard and Mute Swan with young but they were all late this year

    KiwiGav said on May 2, 2013

    Glad to hear you got to see a good range there. I really have to sort my photos out, I just donā€™t have any room on my computer, itā€™s ridiculous! My photography computer is still packed in storage.

Keukenhof gardens and the birds I spotted there.

Had a bumper day today and added a few life birds, Great Crested Grebe (bit slow on that one!), yellow and pied wagtails. Ā Once again internet has been down most of the evening so just a quick note of the birds in the hope the net stays up long enough.Ā  Most from Keukenhof or on bus journey there.

  1. Blackbird
  2. Blackcap
  3. Carrion crow
  4. Chiffchaff ā€“ heard and seen
  5. Common Buzzard
  6. Coots
  7. Dunnock
  8. Feral Pigeon
  9. Great crested grebe
  10. Greylag goose
  11. Grey Heron
  12. House Sparrow
  13. Jackdaw
  14. Morehen
  15. Oystercatchers
  16. Pied Wagtail
  17. Lapwings
  18. Magpie
  19. Mallard Duck
  20. Moorhens
  21. Mute Swans
  22. Skylark ā€“ seen and heard
  23. Sparrowhawk
  24. Starlings
  25. Swallow
  26. Tufted duck
  27. Yellow wagtail

TheĀ Keukenhof gardens are great, but donā€™t go on parade day, itā€™s so busy! Ā I was hoping to go to Haarlem to see the parade at the end of the day but my ankles were worn out again and I couldnā€™t face another bus ride. Ā Hopefully one year Iā€™ll get back over here to see the festival! Ā I also managed to update the best interest rates for instant access ISAs tonight as I was informed Coventry have changed their best interest rate to a 1 year and no longer instant access, you can see the best instant access ISA here:Ā http://www.saverscene.co.uk/isa/highest-interest-rate-for-instant-access-isa.htmlĀ (now closed as I move into gardening as a profession) ā€“ Gardening, birds, saving money and pensions my friends call me middle aged Gav, Iā€™m 34, I sure hope to live to over 68!!! Ā Iā€™ve been interested in most of these things since my teen years, just I lived in Australia and havenā€™t seen a lot of European birds and there wasnā€™t wonderful tax free savings accounts like ISAs there! Ā Sorry rambling again, had pain killers and beer! Ā whoops! Ā ā€“ Gav out!

Update, thought Iā€™d list this as a friend asked me what a lapwing looked like, thereā€™s photos on here from when I lived at Musselburgh