Very disturbing agricultural activity in Utrechts Landschap nature reserve Moersbergen, The Netherlands.

Moersbergen is a protected nature reserve around a castle in the center of The Netherlands (province of Utrecht). The property is owned and managed by Het Utrechts Landschap, a nature conservation organization. The organisation buys endangered areas with (potential) high biodiversity to safeguard it against agricultural, industrial and housing construction.

The first field is an undisturbed grassland with high biodiversity and attractive for many animals including deer. A deer is safe in the high grass because it is invisible. The second field is a small agricultural field in the midst of the forest. I don't know what the purpose of the field is. However, I observed a large, noisy agricultural vehicle spraying an unknown stinky liquid on the second field. If you can hire such a service, then the field must have a commercial purpose. But that conflicts with the status of a conservation area. If the purpose of the field is producing food for animals such as deer and rabbits, then leave the field alone! The whole point of a nature reserve is protect it from all kind of commercial human interferences. 

Dutch

Ik heb een Nederlands blog gemaakt over dit onderwerp:

Utrechts Landschap: stop met boeren in natuurgebieden!

 

Sources

Youtube video published 23 May 2022

Waarneming.nl verstoring 1, verstoring 2 (12 mei 2022).

Mysterious creature caught on wild camera in the middle of the night

Mysterious creature caught on camera in the middle of the night (youtube)

date: Tue 10 May 2022 01∶51∶28 AM CEST

camera: Seissiger wildkamera Special-Cam Classic. 

location: open (agricultural) field in a forest (nature reserve) 

Description:

A light source moves towards the camera (attached to a tree) and quickly turns left and disappears in the dark. The creature seems to be flying about 2 meters above the ground. The unknown flying creature nearly touches a rabbit on the ground, but the rabbit doesn't seem to be disturbed and continues eating. After repeated full-screen views of the video, I noticed a weak 'reflection' on the ground of the primary light source that moves synchronously with the primary spot. As if it were a reverse shadow. See figure:

 

primary spot is accompanied by a weaker spot on the ground

The second spot is really strange. This would suggest an active source of light. Not a reflection of the 'black flash' of the camera. This is not expected when the creature would be an owl for example. Furthermore, if it would be an owl one would expect two light spots (of the two eyes) and not one rather big one. Also, the light source seems too big for a bat (bats don't have big eyes). 

Another independent weaker and smaller light source moving to the right upper corner is visible (a bat?). The movement of the big light source is too smooth for a walking animal. A human with a flashlight or a bicycle both seem impossible to me for several reasons (soft ground, smoothness of movement). I really don't know what this is. Anybody?

This picture shows the field early in the morning captured by the same camera, same day,  same position:

Seissiger wildkamera 10/05/2022 06:23:25 (roe deer)

 

Sources 

Google map location

Song Willow warbler / Fitis, Texel, Netherlands

 

I managed to film the song of the Willow warbler / fitis during a quite windy day on the island Texel, the Netherlands.

scientific name: Phylloscopus trochilus

date: 24 April 2022

location: Texel (Bleekersvallei) the Netherlands

camera: Sony α6400 with 70-350 telezoom. Internal microphone. handheld.

Visually it is nearly impossible to distinguish the Willow warbler/ fitis from the Common chiffchaff / tjiftjaf.  Luckily, their songs differ so much that it is easy for the uninitiated to distinguish both birds quickly.

Remarkable detail: a closer inspection of the pictures reveals that this tiny bird has a ring on his left leg! I never suspected that these birds were eligible for ringing. See:

Observation in waarneming.nl

 YouTube link