National Park De Hoge Veluwe
The relatively small area between the forests of the Veluwe and the river IJssel has many different habitats; some of the largest forests in Northwestern Europe, old estates, meadows and river forelands can all be found within short driving distance. Every habitat in itself is worth a visit, but especially the combination of different habitats makes for an interesting day of birding.
Part of the forests of the Veluwe is Hoge Veluwe National Park which has good numbers of several large mammals: Red Deer, Roe Deer, Wild Boar and Mouflon, a member of the sheep family, introduced from Corsica at the beginning of the 20th century
Hoge Veluwe National Park is one of the largest National Parks in The Netherlands. This park was established during the first decades of the 20th century by a wealthy businessman who bought the area as a hunting estate. In the 1930’s the area was bought by the Dutch government and opened to the public.
Nowadays the National Park is a beautiful natural area with sandy areas, moors, forests and open grasslands, with a sizeable population of larger mammals. Many parts of the park can be reached by car, but it is recommended to spend a day biking in the park. Bikes can be borrowed free of charge at several locations in the park and the smaller bike paths take us to the quieter corners of the park where we will look for Honey Buzzard, Short-toed Eagle (rare), Common Redstart, Pied Flycatcher, Spotted Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Willow Warbler, Crossbill, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Willow Tit, Marsh Tit, Crested Tit and Bullfinch.
A day tour to Hoge Veluw National Park is also suited for couples with non-birding spouses. There are two sites particularly worth a visit for non-birders: the former residence of Mr and Mrs Kröller-Müller, the previous owners of the area: the jachthuis Sint Hubertus and the world famous art museum Kröller-Müller that has several important works of art by e.g. Vincent van Gogh, Rodin and Pablo Picasso.
Just some of the species we hope to see (depending on the time of year):
- Black Woodpecker
- Green Woodpecker
- Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
- Middle Spotted Woodpecker
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Tawny Owl
- Wood Warbler
- Willow Warbler
- Garden Warbler
- Chiffchaff
- Great Tit
- Blue Tit
- Coal Tit
- Crested Tit
- Long-tailed Tit
- Marsh Tit
- Willow Tit
- Pied Flycatcher
- Spotted Flycatcher
- Short-toed Eagle (rare)
- Common Buzzard
- Honey Buzzard
- Sparrowhawk
- Northern Goshawk
- Bullfinch
- Hawfinch
- Yellowhammer
- Reed Bunting
- Common Redstart
- Goldcrest
- Firecrest
- 1 person: Euro 250
- 2 people: Euro 125
- 3 people: Euro 90
- More than 3 people: CONTACT US
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