Hoopoe

When I got back from school today I decided it would be nice to drop by the Kromme Rade, a long stretched path right through good habitat for warblers and especially a good place for Dragon- and Damselfly's.
When I started packing I got a phone call from Jan that he was looking for the Iberian Chiffchaff but couldn't find the right spot, I put him on the right track and later got a message that he'd found the bird.
The more interesting phonecall came 1 hour after that.
When I was minutes from leaving my phone rang, Marijn, said the text on the phone. That could be something interesting!
By the first words of him I was stunned, did he say Hoopoe? Yes he did, it was located right behind my house on the heath.
While getting some more info from him I packed my telescope, tripod, camera and an other phone to get the message to more birders.
Within 5 minutes I was on the right location but didn't see any birders.
I started scanning the heath but it wasn't working, no bright orange, black and white striped bird was crawling around here...
Then, just as I hang up some fellow birders, I spotted the bird! But it was gone seconds from discovery...
The bird flew to the forest and I couldn't locate it there, tough luck, but it was a Dutch tick for me so I wasn't complaining.
Other birders soon joined the search for the bird but we couldn't relocate it.

Texel

Texel is the biggest of the 5 wadden sea islands, I've been there 2 times before but I was too young to remember.
My dad has the most marvelous job of all, he works all over the Netherlands and often in other country's, I never came to think about it of joining him but since a few months I do.
Today he needed to go to Texel so I joined him.

Above is the route I walked, I didn't rent a bike because it was to damn crowded and it would have taken me some hours...

^One of the best pictures I made today, looks like art doesn't it?

It started fairly good with a flying Sparrowhawk above my house, then 4 Black redstarts were singing on the Media park, (a closed area for public).
Together with a colleague of my dad (they needed to work remember) we started our trip to Texel.
As we joined the Germans and other Dutch people on the boat to Texel from Den Helder I spotted the first cool birds, a pair of Brent goose were foraging on the pier, 9 Eiders and 1 Turnstone were present as well.
The crowd on the boat was throwing bread into the air to see the gulls up close, I started photographing some but as we got closer to Texel I realised that my photo's were all ruined because of my iso speed.
I did get 1 desent shot of a Lesser black-backed.

^Texel in the distant
A few Pintails flew by, as did 2 Red-breasted Mergansers and a Eider.
As described above I didn't rent a bike and started to walk towards the dunes, 5 Linnets were singing along the track.
I decided to walk around the Mokbaai, were a lot of waders should be foraging.
No waders yet to be seen, I looked across the Mokbaai and saw that they were foraging at the far end of the baai, but I would check that later.
At the other end of the baai were 28 Brent Goose, 1 Grey plover, 24 Eiders and 4 Turnstones, a few nice sea birds and I enjoyed them well.
Texel is often recalled as an island of sheep, I did see a lot of them, among them was this youngster.
I wish I could be it, lying around and just sleep all day... man would I like that!

In 'The Petten' some Avocets were foraging.

The Spoonbills have their nests right in front of a lookout, very nice to see them so well!

^Some Brent Geese in the Petten