| BLUETHROATS |
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March was a very dry month with almost no rainfall at all. The first signs of Spring were in the air. Every day more flowers are blooming in the gardens, Blacktailed Godwits are calling, as well as Lapwings. The third week of March I heard the first Chiffchaff. If you hear one, you know that within a week you will here them just about everywhere. In our pond the toads and salamanders were making there appearances. Their hustling and bustling during the mating time will continue for weeks to come. In the fourth week I went out birdwatching with Henk Stolmeyer("Stollie"), a friend of mine. It was a clear day and we saw quite a few Bluethroats, which I regard as one of the most beautiful birds of the Netherlands. We could see that they'd just arrived and some were already marking their new territory with their significant song. At the opposite riverbank there is a nature reserve, called Vreugderijkerwaard. They digged out a shallow stream, which is flowing through the meadows alongside the IJssel River. Because it is shallow young fish is able to flourish here which attracks a lot of Herons, Like the Great White, but also Spoonbills later in the Summerseason. During the months of March and April there is a sleeping place for Blacktailed Godwits, Cormorants and lots of Geese and various species of Ducks.  Sunset on the Vreugderijkerwaard with, on the other side of the IJssel River, the church and windmill of the village Zalk.Two more pictures of a Bluethroat:  hidden in a reedbed.... End of March and beginning of April more and more Toads are coming to our gardenpond. Up to 40 Toads, together with Salamanders, are desperate looking for a partner to mate with. Sometimes on sunny days with not too much wind, our pond looks like a boilingpot!  This picture is taken with my 105 mm VR Macro lens, just 1 cm above the surface of the water. In the meantime Spring is bursting out and also Little Owls are giving present on places where I haven't seen them for a long time:  |