May 2005

One of my many theories on wildlife photography is that somewhere in the world there is a place where every species can be photographed easily, without effort, field craft or hides. 

When it comes to avocets that place is Texel in the Netherlands. Texel is a small island, just a 20 minutes ferry ride from Den Helder, on the mainland. The boats run every hour during the day carrying you and your car for about 30 Euros. There is no booking system, you just turn up. On board you do not have to leave the vehicle, but it is worth grabbing a 70-200 zoom and heading to the open upper decks. There is a tradition amongst the passengers of feeding the gulls with bread and they are easy to photograph in flight from the high vantage point. 

Common tern

Texel (pronounced Tessel) is a well known birdwatching destination and the tame avocets a major draw for photographers from mainland Europe. The area where they can be closely approached is very limited and you will need a detailed map available from the tourist board or local shops. You need to find the stretch of water called Waagejot (sometimes spelt Wagejot) on the east coast, very close to the town of Oosterend. The road runs along the waters eastern edge and approaching from the north pull up at the first parking sign, where there is also an information board.  

Black headed gull

The avocets are just below you down the bank. Walk to the waters edge slowly and they take no notice what so ever. Sit down low, by the water, and they will at times wander in close enough for a 200mm lens, although you are looking down on them a bit. They nest on the raised bank just in front of you, so with a longer lens you are at the same height as them. A 500mm or 600mm is probably the most useful, sometimes with extenders, but mostly without. 

Avocet

Light wise it is very much a morning site, unless there is a strong sunset for backlit pictures. I was there for 6 days in the middle of May and the morning light hit the birds at 0645 when it was sunny. I only had one morning that was both sunny and windless giving good reflections in the still water. Some birds were on eggs, others nest scraping and mating. It was hoping some would hatch as they already had in Norfolk (U.K.), but it was not to be. The avocets are approachable all down this water channel, but this is the best spot. It is unlikely you will be by yourself. Dutch and German photographers were there in numbers during my stay. 

Avocet

As well as avocets, common terns and black headed gulls nest at the same spot and can all be photographed well, especially in flight. I also got redshanks, oystercatcher, turnstone, shelduck, tufted duck and ringed plover. 

Elsewhere on the island you might get spoonbill, black tailed godwit and brown hare pictures by driving around. My best spoonbills were on the water just north of the avocets by the well known windmill at Polder Het Noorden. There is an approach road down the west side of the water channel to the windmill. From here in the afternoon I could drive down and get close to any spoonbills present, but they were not there everytime.  

Avocet

The beaches have various waders, gulls and terns, but other than sanderling, eider duck and sandwich tern I had no success. 

Texel is well worth a visit, there is plenty of accommodation, campsites and restaurants. If like me you are in a campervan and don’t like going onto sites then there are public showers and toilets in the harbour at Oudeschild, just south of the avocets. However, it is almost certainly illegal to sleep in a camper off site in Holland and one night I was warned by the police that if they caught me again I would be fined.

Shelduck

Avocet