Description
"Dijkmanshuizen" is a fairly small brackish water lagoon, situated near the village of Oudeschild on the island of Texel. The area consists of a brackish water lagoon with several small islands and is surrounded by pastures and reedbeds. The area is a very good location for observaring waders, escpecially during high tide. Thousands of waders make use of the area to roost, like Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot and Dunlin. Other waders, like Whimbrel, Curlew Sandpiper, European Golden-Plover and Common Ringed Plover, can often be found in smaller numbers. The area is one of the best places on the island to observe certain species of wader, like Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff and Little Ringed Plover. During migration, the area is also a very good spot to observe Temminck's Stint and Little Stint.
Many waterfowl use the area as breeding and roosting location. Large numbers of Barnacle Goose breed here and can often be found in large numbers. Also Common Shelduck can be very numerous. On the water, species like Common Teal and Northern Shoveler can be seen and sometimes Garganey is present. In winter, the area is good for small numbers of Tundra Swan (Bewick's Swan) and large flocks of Brent Goose.
The area is surrounded by patches of reedbed, but especially on the northwestern side of the area, large reedbeds are present. Common reedbirds breed here, like Reed Warbler and Reed Bunting. Also, several breeding pairs of European Marsh Harrier are present and can often be seen hunting above the surrounding pastures.
On the eastern side of the area, a house with a large garden is present. The garden is a very good location for songbirds, like Icterine Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat and Greater Whitethroat. On the surrounding pastures, small flocks of Western Yellow Wagtail can be seen and Eurasian Skylark can be heard.
Details
Access
You're not allowed to enter the area. There's an observation hut on the southern side of the area. You can park your car next to the road and walk towards the hut. Inside the hut, information is available about the possible birds being present and about certain colour ringing projects for, especially, Bar-tailed Godwit.
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