17 Nov 2008

16th November, Yser River

There are two reserves along the Yser river, De Blankaart is four square kilometres of reeds and lake, while the other reserve is part of a small estuarine basin. Permits are required to see each reserve properly but the books says good views can be had from public tracks and paths.

We find de Blankaart reasonably easily, though we have to look hard for the small wooden signpost just south of the town of Woumen. There is a chateau there, with stuff being taken in from delivery vans. We are not sure that we are in the right place, but then we find an inform­ation board with a map, a list of the usual dos and don'ts, and some background information in Flemish, including, for example, that two or three pairs of marsh har­riers nest every year.

The map shows a footpath to the lake and we follow that. It takes us on a short circular route through deciduous woodland and onto a bridge which overlooks a large lake fringed with reeds. The lake occupies an area of former peat diggings in the Yser valley; it has gradually silted up, resulting in a wide expanse of reedbed and alder carr. Some 20,000 wildfowl overwinter, together with a similar number of waders. Only a small part of the lake is visible from the bridge, but that contains a variety of common water birds. A green sandpiper announces its presence with a repeated whistle. The surrounding woods hold a selection of smaller birds. Guided tours are available about once a month, but we cannot wait the fortnight for the next one.

Back on the coast we are unable to find the estuarine reserve. A sign on a roadside says something about nature information and birds if you take the next turn left. We do, but there are no further signs; the two dead-end roads lead only to a marina and a building site. From the marina Jim can see a gull roost on a beach so we go for a closer look at that. Access to the beach, Lombard­sijde Strand, is through a campsite next to a military base.

By now we are feeling thoroughly fed up of driving around in Belgium and not finding places; now we are just killing time waiting for the campsite to open after lunch. The beach looks rather unpromising ‑ the gull roost, a few oystercatchers and, out at sea, a few duck.

As we look at the gulls there comes a "lee‑to‑­lee" call from nearby, and Jim locates a lark almost overhead. Its call and its short tail are enough to identify it as a woodlark. After a few minutes of territorial display the bird dives down and lands just out of sight, followed by another woodlark. We move around for a better view.

Both birds are on the beach at the bottom of the dunes, seeming to play tag around a lump of concrete, then out in the open for a brief bill‑to-bill confrontation before going off in different directions. The bird which comes our way searches along the beach for about ten minutes, allowing us plenty of time for further study. The species has three other obvious plumage character­istics: supercilia which meet behind the head to give it a capped appearance, a very short pointed crest, and a distinctively patterned feather in the allula ‑ all clearly marked on this bird.

The woodlark pecks around in the sand, investi­gating all lumps and hollows. A discarded paper cup invites inspection but after two long looks the bird leaves it alone ‑ going in would cut off its field of vision too much for comfort. We are just delighted to have the bird stay in our field of vision for so long.

Our few minutes of serendipity are rudely interrupted by a loud bang from the military camp. A small remote controlled plane towing an air sock has been catapulted into the air; it spends the next half hour or more buzzing in figure of eights over the beach in front of us. It comes low over the gull roost and puts most birds to flight. The gulls come back but the woodlark flies into the dunes and stays there. The plane's flight path is stabilised and firing practice begins. We wish they would shoot the plane down, the noise is awful. The woodlark calls and flies back to where we first saw it, however it seems unsettled and soon disap­pears again. So do we.

In Belgium off‑site camping is allowed, a situation which provides welcome relief for our budget. However we still need showers occas­ionally, and this evening we retire to a convenient campsite that is open all year round, though we seem to be the only customers on this occasion. Unfortunately the laundry room is locked up, so we haveto wash clothes by hand; but, without the benefit of a spin drier or tumbler, it will take the next week to get them dry in the damp drizzly weather.

Birds around out campsite this evening include robins, wrens, blackbirds, two chiff-chaffs and some magpies holding a noisy council over two dead cats.

No comments: