2023-12-26 18:55:00
Marsh birds such as the great reed warbler, the bittern and the purple heron have had a good year, but the good years seem to be over for the peregrine falcon. This is what Bird Protection Netherlands writes in its ‘end-of-year overview’. While the peregrine falcon has benefited for years from targeted protection and the placement of nest boxes on spiers and in high chimneys, our country’s fastest bird of prey is now increasingly suffering from bird flu.
“Peregrine falcons catch weakened seagulls and water birds and as a result they are now increasingly becoming infected with bird flu,” says Ruud van Beusekom of the Bird Protection Society. The flu affects both breeding birds and wintering peregrine falcons. “In other years I often saw more than ten peregrine falcons around Texel in winter. Now there are only one or two copies left.”
Bald eagle did not get bird flu
While the peregrine falcon appears to be suffering from bird flu, the white-tailed eagle is still spared, while it also has a number of geese weakened by bird flu on its menu. The number of sea eagles breeding in the Netherlands continues to increase every year. “At first, these spectacular birds only breed in large, quiet nature reserves, such as the Oostvaardersplassen and the Biesbosch,” says Van Beusekom. “But now you also see them breeding closer to inhabited areas, for example near a recreational park near Koudum, in Friesland.”
Why the sea eagle is protected from bird flu is also a mystery to researcher Dirk van Straalen of the Sea Eagle Working Group. “With the exception of a few young birds that may have died from the flu virus, we do not find any dead birds. Apparently the sea eagles are lucky that the very specific flu virus has not yet affected this species.”
The prospects for farmland birds are much bleaker, the Bird Protection Society writes in its annual overview. The population of the national bird, the black-tailed godwit, has been declining for years. The lapwing is now running following it just as fast. The tree sparrow is also increasingly bothered by tidy yards and intensively used fields.
Carefully in the right direction
There are cheerful reports coming from the wet nature reserves. For example, the great reed warbler, which is critically endangered in our country, is now cautiously moving in the right direction. Van Beusekom: “The great reed warbler depends on old reeds for breeding. In various places, reed beds are now protected once morest the feeding of geese. This has now had a measurable effect. Marsh birds such as the purple heron also benefit from the protection of reeds.”
In addition, the purple herons also benefit from a favorable climate in their winter quarters in the Sahel. Van Beusekom: “Recent years have been relatively wet in the Sahel and several Dutch migratory birds have benefited from this. In addition to the purple heron, we also see that the warbler is doing well in the wintering areas and therefore also with us in the summer.”
While migratory birds from the Sahel benefit from the wetness there, the cranes have actually benefited from the heavy rain here, says the Bird Protection Society. “Cranes are very sensitive breeding birds. The fact that we had relatively a lot of rain last summer is therefore good news for the cranes. The fewer people who travel deep into nature due to bad weather, the better it is for such a disturbance-sensitive bird,” says Van Beusekom.
Also read:
In the Nature Diary of Koos Dijksterhuis: The myths surrounding the peregrine falcon
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#birds #Netherlands
