Euro Birdwatch records half a million migratory birds so far
Volunteers recorded 208 species during the national count, including several rare birds.
Around half a million migratory birds have so far been counted in the Netherlands during Saturday’s Euro Birdwatch. Volunteers recorded 208 species at more than 126 sites, including notable sightings such as a nutcracker in Twente.
Vogelbescherming Nederland organised the count together with BirdLife International. At dozens of counting posts across the Netherlands, volunteers followed migration movements and recorded numbers and species. The count is intended to raise interest in bird migration and collect data on migration routes.
The provisional Dutch count stands at around 500,000 birds. The species recorded included nine red-throated pipits, five yellow-browed warblers, two tawny pipits, four Richard’s pipits and five olive-backed pipits. A nutcracker was also seen in Twente, a species rarely observed in the Netherlands.
The figures are not yet final. Vogelbescherming expects to announce the final total on Monday 5 October. Numbers and species lists may therefore still change as counting posts add to their data or check sightings.
The weather affected the observations. According to Vogelbescherming, there was little headwind, meaning many birds probably migrated at greater heights. This made it harder for counters to see all the birds and may distort comparisons with other years.
A Euro Birdwatch is not a complete census of all migratory birds over the Netherlands. It concerns observations at fixed locations and within a limited time window. The results do provide a snapshot of migration and can be used alongside long-term monitoring series to study changes in species and routes.
Sovon and other bird organisations also collect such data through systematic counting programmes. These programmes use fixed methods and longer series, making it possible to establish trends more reliably than on the basis of a single counting day.
The organisations point out that migratory birds depend on suitable breeding grounds, stopover sites and wintering grounds. Climate change, intensive land use and illegal hunting can disrupt that chain. The count itself does not prove which of these factors affected an individual sighting.
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The numbers, locations and species are drawn from the provisional publication by Vogelbescherming Nederland. The count’s limitations and the distinction from long-term monitoring are correctly presented as context and methodological explanation.
- confirmed Around 500,000 birds were provisionally counted during Euro Birdwatch. — Nature Today and Vogelbescherming Nederland report this provisional total. source
- confirmed A total of 208 species were counted at more than 126 sites. — These figures appear in Vogelbescherming Nederland’s report. source
- confirmed Several rare species were reported, including nine red-throated pipits and a nutcracker in Twente. — The species list and the nutcracker sighting are mentioned in the provisional report. source
- confirmed The final total is expected on Monday 5 October. — Vogelbescherming gives this date for announcing the final total. source
- confirmed Little headwind may have caused birds to migrate at greater heights and made them harder to see. — Vogelbescherming describes this weather condition and interpretation. source
- confirmed Systematic counting programmes are better suited to assessing long-term trends than a single counting day. — Sovon describes fixed counting methods and long-term monitoring as the basis for trend analysis. source
Editor's note
The count and the reported species are provisional. The figures are a snapshot of voluntary observations and should not be read as a complete estimate of all migratory birds.Sources
- Half miljoen trekvogels geteld in Nederland tijdens internationale Euro Birdwatch — Nature Today / Vogelbescherming Nederland
- EuroBirdwatch 2026 — Vogelbescherming Nederland
- Vogelatlas: instructies en methode — Sovon Vogelonderzoek Nederland
More on this in Dutch media
- NOS — „vogeltrek euro birdwatch”
- Het Parool — „vogeltrek euro birdwatch”
- Trouw — „vogeltrek euro birdwatch”