Hi Gary,
There are a few websites that are useful for sites guides, mentioned earlier in this thread, while the 'Where to Watch Birds in World Cities' guide gives good descriptions of how to get and about some sites nearer to Amsterdam. It would be nice if one of the major birding publishers made a stab at writing an up to date guide to the sites and birds of the Netherlands though, as it is so close and offers a surprising array of birds, many of which are only found further east in Europe, or further south. With so many birders over there I had expected a little more info and the reserves to be a little more accommodating, but then not everywhere is like the UK, in fact nowhere is in terms of hides and provision in reserves for observation etc.

Having said that I found a website that was called birdingpal that I used to try and meet up with a birder over there to get a more local tour of some of the sites, but I couldn't get it to work for me, but would suggest that if you visit you try and sign up to it and see if you get a response.

As for accommodation I ended up staying in a hostel in Amsterdam next to Vondel Park, but probably not a great choice for most people, as its a bit of a party town and an early night is not really possible! Later I was in a Hotel in another part of town and then over to Den Bosh watching the darts!?, but was mainly drinking then. Most of the hotels I found online were pretty pricey, but I'm sure they must have B&Bs that are more reasonable nearer to some of the sites that are better for birding and away from Amsterdam. As for getting there, I flew by Easyjet from Liverpool (for about £80 return), but I may drive over next time and take the ferry from Hull to Rotterdam, that way I have a little more freedom and can either sleep in my car or take my tent over to get out in the sticks a little more.

I spent a few days birding over in the Netherlands last week. I looked on various Dutch birding and bird tour operator websites prior to my departure and contacted a few for the best places to visit. Having got a mixed response I went to explore the marshlands on Flevoland, northeast of Amsterdam and then over to Texel Island, to the far north west of the Netherlands forming the southernmost island in the Wadden Islands.

Unfortunately I may have chosen the wrong days to visit each, as it ended up being really windy in the marshlands and really wet when I was on Texel Island, but if had been the other way round it may have been different, anyhow, the forecasters were not the best is all I can say!? .

Vondel Park - Weds 15th/16th Sept
Ring-necked Parakeet
Egyptian Goose 20+
Tufted Duck 30+

Het Bovenwater, Flevoland Weds 15th Sept (near Lelystad)
Cormarant 1000+ (one of the largest colonies is found near here)
Grey Heron 6
Spoonbill 18
Black-necked Grebe 1
Great Crested Grebe 30+
Mute Swan 20+
Greylag Goose 1000+
Egyptian Goose 20+
Shelduck 2
Pochard 20+
Tufted Duck 12
Gadwall 8
Common Sandpiper 2
Black Tern 3-400+ (just a few more than Manchester )
Arctic Tern 3
Sandwich Tern 1
White Wagtail 6
Chiffchaff 2
Hobby 1 (catching dragonflies )
Swallow 10
Sand Martin 8
House Martin 6

Oostarvaardersplassen Weds 15th Sept (1.5 hour walk from Lelystad :yawn:)

Cormarant 500+
Grey Heron 2
Great Crested Grebe 10+
Mute Swan 4
Egyptian Goose 8
Shelduck 20+
Pochard 8000+ (not seen this many in a while, but couldn't pick out anything rare with them as they were very distant and it was pretty windy)
Shoveller 1000+
Tufted Duck 300+
Gadwall 100+
Mallard 100+
Peregrine 1
Goshawk 1 (adult female, not expected, but very clear over surrounding woodland)
Buzzard 3
Wood Sandpiper 2
Black Tern 30+
White Wagtail 6
Whinchat 1
Chiffchaff 4
Sedge Warbler 1
Bearded Tit 4
Swallow 2
Sand Martin 8

Texel Island (via 2 trains from Amsterdam, bus to ferryport and boat over sea!?) Thurs 16th Sept - rained for 4 of the 5.5 hours I was on the island.
Cormarant 100+
Grey Heron 10+
Spoonbill 100+ (including flock of 42 )
Great Crested Grebe 16
Mute Swan 50+
Greylag Goose 1500+
Egyptian Goose 50+
Shelduck 400+
Teal 100+
Garganey 2 (juv/female)
Pochard 20+
Wigeon 100+
Tufted Duck 12
Pintail 4
Gadwall 100+
Mallard 500+
Eider 50+
Marsh Harrier 1 female
Sparrowhawk 2
Kestrel 2
Buzzard 1
Knot 100+
Dunlin 200+
Curlew Sandpiper 6
Redshank 600+
Spotted Redshank 1
Greenshank 10+
Black-tailed Godwit 200+
Bar-tailed Godwit 100+
Curlew 300+
Whimbrel 1
Grey Plover 6
Golden Plover 800+
Turnstone 80+
Ringed Plover 1 (juv)
Arctic Tern 50+
White Wagtail 2
Yellow Wagtail 1
Lesser Whitethroat 3
Chiffchaff 2
Sedge Warbler 1
Whinchat 2
Wheatear 10+

All in all I enjoyed my time over there for a few days before a stag do, but if I were to go over again I'd probably go in the spring to see all the herons and other specialists that are by now gone of hiding in those wet and windy conditions, like purple heron, bluethroat, marsh and savi's warbler etc to name but a few. I'd also thoroughly advise hiring a car, as although the public transport systems are good, they are time consuming and the reserves are spread out with few hides at the ones I visited, so a car would be ideal for cover from birds, used as a hide as its pretty flat over there and birds see you coming miles off!?

Nothing new seen, but always nice to bird a new area of Europe and enjoy some of our less frequent visitors in good numbers!?