What always amazes me is how quickly birds find new suitable areas for breeding. Last winter we had a lot of rain and with unfavourable wind conditions, it was not possible to get rid of the surplus of water. To avoid flooding of inhabited areas, they inundated several polders, mostly farmland and natural areas. When the winds changed and the water could flow to the sea, they pumped the farmland dry again, but left some of the nature reserves wet, creating nice new wetlands.

In one of these wetlands, a group of around 30 Whiskered Terns was found this week. Terns that normally occur in Eastern Europe and can be seen in large numbers in e.g. Poland. But now they’re here. Not just a few, like in normal years, passing by on their way to the breeding grounds, but a whole group. And it looks like they intend to stay as they have already been seen flying around with nesting material. I visited the place in the evening, with some low sun behind some threatening clouds creating a nice background for this bird. I’m sure I’ll go back to this Poland in the polder…