Palinurus
The Living Force
Source (Dutch only): Zeldzame hop heeft kuikens: 'Hopen dat hij zich in Nederland vestigt'
Nature reserve Leenderbos
Rare hoopoe has chicks: 'Hope it settles in the Netherlands'
2 hours 48 minutes ago
One of the young is being fed - Image RTLNieuws
At least two young hoopoes have hatched in the Leenderbos nature reserve in Brabant. This bird species is mostly found in Southern Europe. It is rare in the Netherlands: this is the fifth hoopoe nest in fifty years. The province and the Forestry Commission hope that the bird species will establish itself in our country.
Forester Bjorn Alards already spotted a male in the nature reserve last year in May. "He was singing, from which you can conclude that he has no partner," the ranger told EditieNL.
Observation
This year on May 3, he saw the hoopoe again. "Then he wasn't singing, so that was already suspicious." Alards has been watching the bird closely ever since. "Almost every day I've seen him," he says.
At some point, he saw the hoopoe flying with caterpillars and worms. "That was a clue that he had young, or was feeding his female." The forester started observing from his car for an hour. "Then I saw that there were two flying hoopoes. Bingo: that had to mean there were young."
He started following the hoopoes and found the nest. The next day, he sat down near it with a camouflage tent to study the scene. "I saw that there were at least two young in the nest. Then I left them alone again. By now it has been a month and the young hoopoes have flown out, into the wide world."
Image: RTLNieuws
Origin
Alards is very excited about the discovery. "This is the fifth breeding case in over fifty years. So it's really quite unique. Normally it occurs in southern Europe, but due to climate change they are moving further north."
The province and the Forestry Commission hope that the bird will settle permanently in the Netherlands. "It would be a nice addition to the species we already have here," says the provincial government.
Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)
Last edited:
