Had a really tremendous week across the North Sea cycling & looking about during which i managed a couple of full days out cycle-birding. Stayed at www.gaaspercamping.nl a camp site on the edge of a woods and lake area, some good wildflowers - may put the list up some time, butterflies, birds etc. The bike hired from www.macbike.com which, though it weighed a ton, was an absolute marvel of comfortable functional engineering, (few details for any cyclists reading this ... typical dutch 'granny' style step-through frame, 4 speed integral hub gears, coaster brakes front and back) ... you could go forever on one of these.
Anyhow, Wednesday at the Naardemeer reserve and Ankeveensche plassen approx 15 km from Amsterdam, a circular cycle route of about 25 miles stands out as being quite unque for me, saw 71 species (which was actually the entire list for the week) and was without doubt the best days birding I've ever had anywhere. Shan't go into the exact route as it was a little vague at times and went via various other places .... the book shop in Abcoude and a cake shop in Weesp, to name two.
It was a warm and, at times, sunny day in flat & open countryside quite similar to the Norfolk Broads with the reedbeds, windmills, rivers and occasional small town.
Starting with the common species .....
Blackbird
Jay
Song Thrush
House Sparrow
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Chaffinch
Treecreeper
Crow
Jackdaw
Magpie
Starling
Pied Wagtail
Chiffchaff
Robin
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Dunnock
Yellowhammer
Goldfinch
Wren
Willow Warbler
Gt Spotted Woodpecker
Blackcap
Cuckoo
Sedge Warbler
Reed Bunting
Coot
Moorhen
Tufted Duck
Mallard
Teal
Shoveler
Shelduck
Gadwall
Pochard
Kingfisher
Gt Crested Grebe
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Greylag Geese
Canada Geese
Egyptian Geese
Lapwing
Dunlin
Ringed Plover
Greenshank
Redshank
Oystercatcher
Black-tailed Godwit
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Common Gull
Black-headed Gull
Common Tern
Cormorant
Swallow
Swift
House Martin
Kestrel
Marsh Harrier
These pretty good ones .....
Grasshopper Warbler ... 5 + along one cycle track by the reedbeds of Bergse pad
Hobby ... 3 over the Naardemeer, 1 being really low. Great view
Garganey .... never seen one of these before
Buzzard .... 5 calling, displaying (??? ... certainly quite acrobatic whatever it was). Later on there was another 4 circling high and later again 1 hovering, hunting
Rose-ring Parakeet ... ok, maybe fairly common in some parts of the uk but i've never seen one.
Spoonbill .... 10 in one marshy pool, 2's & 3's in flight etc. Quite a few about.
And these .....
Gt Egret ... 1, kept chasing the Spoonbills off
White Stork ... sat down to have my lunch and 2 came over circling gradually floating off west, with a Buzzard for company.
Bluethroat ... 2, maybe 3 in a reed edge by a marsh pool
Purple Heron .... 1 low in the reeds and 2 in flight
Corncrake .... I'll readily admit i'm no expert here, but there were 4 + calling in the knee high grass, just got a glimpse of one scuttling away. Checking the call when i got back settled the issue.
Not too sure how many year ticks (mislaid by book - hmmm, must have put that somewhere safe ... ) but i think it was 12, and 7 i've never seen before.
Add to that the absolutely brilliant cycling, lovely quiet countryside - as i said, very similar in many ways to the Norfolk Broads, the fantastically friendly dutch people, the local birders / cyclists / walkers / etc who gave me lots of local area info & general chit-chat ... and you have a place that doesn't need much of an excuse for another visit.
Some great birds there, I wonder if there was a chance your Treecreeper was a Short-toed? Too late to think as the differences are minute and need to know before seing them if there is a chance. Even so in Guernsey I could not tell the difference!
I think it's almost certainly going to have been a Short-toed Treecreeper. A great report Carlos - Holland has some excellent birds and it looks as if you managed to catch up with quite a few of them.