Birds Welcome In Dutch Museum

This Sunday songbirds and their keepers are welcome in the Natuurhistorisch Museum in Rotterdam. Owners are advised that the birds must be kept in a cage.

A special songbird show will take place in the museum on Sunday. Film, audio presentations and live music will accompany the show, and the addition of live songbirds will add to the atmosphere.

The exhibit is based on a recent study by the University of Leiden that shows difference in the singing patterns between city birds and country birds. City birds have been noted to sing much more loudly than country birds, for example.

Visitors to the exhibit that bring along a pet bird will be granted free entrance.

Source: Met je zangvogel naar het museum

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Dutch Oil Platform Fitted With Bird-Friendly Lighting

The Dutch oil company NAM and Philips have developed a new type of lighting . The lamps radiate a limited part of the color spectrum. Due to the lights’ unique coloring, migrating birds traveling over the North Sea are less likely to be distracted by them.

The lights are already in use on one oil platform in the Dutch part of the North Sea. The test case has been very positive so far.

Every year 60 million birds travel over the North Sea. Most birds make their journey safely and without incident. However up to 10% of the migrating birds can become distracted by the lights on offshore oil platforms. The birds may end up circling the oil platform for a long time before collapsing from exhaustion into the platform or the sea.

NAM has been seriously researching this problem and came up with the different type of light being a possible solution. Birds are especially distracted by reds in the color spectrum, and not as much by blues and greens. Normally, light which lacks reds would be a problem for the oil platform workers. NAM joined with Philips to come up with a solution that was safe for both the birds and the oil platform workers.

The oil platform L15, off the coast of Vlieland, was equipped with a mix of the special TL- and HID-bulbs. The test is currently studying not only the reaction of the area birds but also the safety standards of the workers on the platform. Beside the reduction in bird-related incidents, so far testing has complied to all human safety standards as well. The final results of the study will be prepared after the fall migration.

Source: Eerste platform met vogelvriendelijke verlichting

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More Nightjars In Dutch Sallandse Heuvelrug

Over three evenings in June the Nightjars in the Dutch National Park Sallandse Heuvelrug were counted. The 13th annual survey counted 63 individual birds, a record.

In total 42 people, from various area bird groups, participated in the count. They observed 16 spots within the park.

Typically the Nightjar is found on heathland and open forests in the Sallandse Heuvelrug. The birds especially like the areas on the edge of the heath in this park. The Sallandse Heuvelrug is the northern border of the breeding area for the Nightjar and the birds are only found in the area during breeding season, from May until August.

Source: Toename nachtzwaluwen op Sallandse Heuvelrug

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Schiphol International Airport Concerned About Geese

Schiphol International Airport near Amsterdam has expressed concern over the number of geese living in the area around their runways. In the last five years the number of geese has increased.

The airport authorities are in talks with the Noord Holland provincial government regarding the geese. The large and heavy birds fly in groups and could present safety hazards for planes using the airport.

Source: Schiphol ongerust over ganzen

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Dutch Bird Fair Draws Thousands

The Dutch Bird Fair, which took place over the last weekend of August, attracted 9,000 visitors. The festival raised over 23,000 euros for a project to protect the Red Ibis of Surinam.

Festival visitors were treated with very good sightings of the local resident White-tailed Eagle on both days. On Saturday an Osprey was also spotted in the area, providing another treat for the attendees.

Source: Vogelfestival trekt duizenden bezoekers

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Spring Storm Damage To Bird Population Still Felt

The heavy storms that hit the Dutch Wadden Islands in June has caused permanent damage to the bird population.

The storm hit the island birds late in the breeding season, meaning that survivors, already weak and exhausted from fleeing to safety, were unable to start a second nest.

Common Redshank and Common Terns were the most affected by the storms, but exact numbers are not known as these birds are not monitored as closely as some other breeds.

At least 100 Spoonbill nests were destroyed in the storms, and 150 Spoonbills drowned.

Of approximately 5000 Black-headed Gull nests, 2000 were lost.

Source: Blijvende schade aan vogelpopulatie na storm juni

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Belgian Storks Ready For Migration

Starting in mid-August, young white storks from northern Europe begin their migration south. In Belgium this year a record 91 baby storks were hatched, and they are getting ready for the long flight south.

Data collected in Belgium found 65 pairs of stork breeding in the country in the 2007 season. The record 91 young storks will begin their migration before their parents. Their instincts tell them where to fly.

The project ‘Storks without Borders’ fitted storks with satellite devices which helps scientists understand the migration patterns of European storks. Up to two thirds of Belgian storks will overwinter in Spain or Portugal. The rest will go to Africa, some as far south as Senegal.

In the Netherlands this year almost 1000 young storks were hatched, and several thousand were bred in Germany. Most German storks follow a different migration route from the lowlands birds and will head towards Turkey and eastern Africa.

Source: Belgische ooievaars klaar voor trek naar zuiden

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Increase In Dutch Illegal Bird Trade

The Dutch authorities have confiscated 2199 illegally traded birds in the Netherlands so far this year. That is almost double the number confiscated in the same period last year.

The illegal bird trade in the Netherlands continues to flourish because the rewards are so high. Some birds, such as raptors, sell for as much as 400 euros.

The illegally traded birds are often banded so they can be traded more openly. But the banding is sometimes done by unqualified banders which results in injuries to the birds.

Source: Grote stijging in beslag genomen vogels

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Starving Vultures Cause Panic In Pyrenees

10,000 hungry vultures are causing panic in the Pyrenees and Basque Country. They have been attacking live animals and have also been aggressive towards humans.

The vultures are starving due to a new EU directive which prohibits farmers from leaving cattle carcasses on their land to rot. The dead animals must now be burned or disposed of in another way. The initiative is to prevent disease spread among cattle but the results have been devastating for the vultures.

Live cows have been attacked by vultures and a farmer in the Pyrenees witnessed a group of vultures trying to eat the leg of a living sheep.

In France, a man among a group of elderly walkers died during an outing and his companions were threatened by a group of vultures as they tried to get at the dead man.

Source: Hongerige vale gieren zaaien paniek in Pyreneeën

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Dutch Museum To Show Rare Audubon Book

The Teylers Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands, plans to exhibit one of the world’s largest and most expensive books to the public. The Birds of America, by John James Audubon, will be on display from 3 November until 20 January 2008.

Teylers will show five parts of the book. Due to the value and size of the book, it is rarely displayed. A copy of the book sold at a 2002 Christie’s auction for almost nine million dollars.

Most of the bird illustrations in the book are life-size. The book measures 64 x 97 centimeters.

The Teylers Museum in Haarlem is the oldest museum in the Netherlands.

Source: Teylers Museum toont vogels van formaat

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