Naturewatching in Europe

03/08/2025

Flashback to the past - a day at the Zwin Natuur Park in Belgium

A day at the Zwin Naatuur Park in Belgium.

03/08/2025

The Campine or Kempenland lies along the Dutch-Belgian border, from Antwerp eastwards. It is a low lying sand and gravel area formed by the meandering of the river Meuse in the great ice age. Medieval monks valued it for its silence - there were few farms or towns on the poor soils - and built monasteries here. That changed with the discovery of coal and metals, which spawned new industries in the early-mid 1900s. ...

The Campine or Kempenland lies along the Dutch-Belgian border, from Antwerp eastwards. It is a low lying sand and gravel area formed by the meandering of the river Meuse in the great ice age. Med…

03/08/2025

Day two Yesterday's gloom disappeared overnight and we awoke to blue skies and sun, though it became increasingly cloudy and was quite grey by mid-afternoon. The improvement in visibility had much to do with a better day's birding. We chose a 7.5 km waymarked path to the south of yesterday's ramble. The route started near wet ground but was mainly over open sandy heath with birch, young pine and a few oak trees....

Day two Yesterday’s gloom disappeared overnight and we awoke to blue skies and sun, though it became increasingly cloudy and was quite grey by mid-afternoon. The improvement in visibility ha…

02/08/2025

31/07/2025

Every year on July 31st, the world unites to celebrate World Ranger Day, a day dedicated to honoring the courage, sacrifice, and vital work of rangers

30/07/2025

27/07/2025

26/07/2025

25/07/2025

23/07/2025

March 9 Market day in Matalascañas again and as we were in the area it was a good excuse to look at the coastal dunes. These dunes stretch for some fifty kilometres from the mouth of the Rio Tinto in the west, to the Guadalquivir in the east. The eastern-most dunes are the youngest, they vary in size from about five metres high behind the beach to thirty metres inland....

March 9 Market day in Matalascañas again and as we were in the area it was a good excuse to look at the coastal dunes.  These dunes stretch for some fifty kilometres from the mout…

23/07/2025

Avoiding the dog-walkers and surfers, looking for other things on sandy beaches and dunes.

Bugs and small birds on the sand at Freshwater West.