birding...

Blue Tit Parus caerulaus ©Monique Bogaerts http://www.naturephoto.be

Belgium is probably not the best country for birding, although there are Belgian Hotspots. You will probably expect flocks of geese grazing the polders, but may be surprised to know that the wooded hillsides in the East of the country can hold Hazel Grouse and Tengmalm`s Owl.

The coastal area (especially of the north) attract over 30.000 Pink-footed Geese (about 75% of the Svalbard-population) and 20.000-35.000 Greater White-fronted Geese every winter. The Damme / Uitkerke polders hold the vast majority of these birds. Most winters also produce a few Red-breasted and Lesser White-fronted Geese. Between the geese you can find Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls and regular Merlin.

The new harbour of Zeebrugge has become one of Belgium`s top-birding sites. The mixture of industry and wastelands is hardly the most attractive backdrop for a birding visit and access is not always easy, but the rewards can be considerable. Pay a visit to the nature-reserve of the Zwin too; on migration it can be very good.

The west coast can be very productive in the polders with the triangle Diksmuide - Lo - Merkem. For seabirding the west-mole in Nieuwpoort including the reserve of the Ijzermonding and the east-mole in Oostende are an ideal places. It can be good for wader passage too.

In the north of the country you can visit Blokkersdijk - almost in the middle of the Antwerpen left-harbour. The nearby colonies of Mediterranean Gull can hold over 400 birds. Also near Antwerpen you can find the Kalmthoutse Heide, always good for warblers or a Hobby. There is an excellent website for the North of Belgium; that of Walter van Spaandonk (De Wielewaal = ornithological society in Flanders); it gives an agenda of their activities. See the links below.

Closer to the capital Brussels, you can have a great walk in the Zonienwoud, an old beech forest of over 4000ha. Always good for a lot of typical forest birds. Honey-Buzzard breeds there. Near Tervuren (the lakes and the museum) and in the National Garden of Meise you can find our exotics - Egyptian Goose and Ring-necked Parakeet. Apart from the birds of the Zonienwoud, you can get an idea whats on around Europes capital.

In contrast to the west and middle of the country, eastwards you will find great forests - The Ardennes. For the south of the country (French speaking part) AVES is the contact - see below. Stavelot can be the best place to start your trip. Places like Trois-Ponts, Wanne and Logbiermé produce regular Nutcracker (in autumn) and are the breeding ground of Tengmalm`s Owl. Black and Grey-headed Woodpecker occur often.

There is also a walk with very impressive landscape in Hautes Fagnes, between Eupen and Monschau, which is very good. With luck you can see the migration of Common Cranes. Sadly Black Grouse have become very rare in this area. Easier to see is the Eagle Owl, now breeding regularly in several quarries (even those that are still working). The valley of the river Meuse is known for them.

Beautiful walks with some fairly good birding can be had in the surroundings of some great Ardennes rivers like Ourthe or Semois. Places like Bohan, Botassart, La Cuisine and Samree are known for Raven, Black Stork and Dipper. Do not forget, Belgium is also the home country of the European colour-ring Birding website. On this site you can find regular an up-date on the colour-ringing projects in Europe.

A Recent Trip to Belgium concentrated on some birds one cannot see (either at all or easily) in the UK; here is a précis: (Also Lac du Der may well be worth going to.) Ethe: Hazelhen, Hawfinch, black & middle-spotted woodpeckers. Eupen: Grey headed woodpecker Logbierme: Tengmalms owl in nest boxes and birds heard calling after dark. [Do not disturb nestboxes without permission from locals]. Nutcracker here too.