Gardens – Page 7 – Birding Boomers

Birds in a Garden – Netherlands Trip Notes (May 26, 2013)

May 27, 2013June 21, 2023joannie65352 Comments

Everyone has, or should have, a place they go mentally, spiritually, or physically to relax and find peace – a place that you call to mind when you close your eyes, slow down your breathing, and calm your mind of all the clutter and chaos you’re bombarded with on any given day. A place to bring your soul to stillness. For me, that place is a garden – not a particular one – just bits and memories of many gardens I have visited, gardens I have seen on television or in books that I would like to visit, and even flower beds I have planted and nurtured over the years. The Bible traces our beginnings to the garden of Eden where all creatures, great and small, lived out their lives in harmony and beauty. This I know — where there are trees and flowers and plants of all shapes and sizes, there are also bees and butterflies and foxes and raccoons and salamanders and there are birds. So it should not come as a surprise that, finding ourselves as “stranger[s] in a strange land” [1] and wanting to do a little exploring and maybe a little birding, we would find a garden and head out for some peace, serenity, blooms, and birds.

The Amsterdam Botanical Garden is not listed or described in the guidebook that I purchased for our trip. I found the garden by looking for green squares on the street map of the Canal District that was given to us by the concierge at the hotel. The “green” had all the right characteristics – It was in the old town area; it was relatively close to the hotel, i.e., within walking distance for even me; and, it was located on a main street and canal and the directions were pretty straightforward, i.e., not too many turns. We set out about mid-morning on a sunny but still chilly April day. Who knew it would still be so cold in April? We had a few hours between checking out of the hotel and boarding our cruise ship so things seemed pretty much perfect for heading to the garden. It was still very early in spring so I didn’t expect we’d see too many flowers but that was okay – our objective was to see birds, pure & simple – not religion or culture – just birds and maybe a few tulips or crocus or daffodils. Set your expectations broad enough and you are rarely disappointed.

We had seen Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) and Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and thousands of pigeons on our walking tour of the district and were now hoping for something more – birds that were a little more “native” to Europe and that would be “new” to us. We had also seen quite a few Coots (Fulica atra) around the river basin. The Coots looked quite similar to the American Coots (Fulica americana) and I found myself checking the bird books to make sure they were actually different species. Yep, they are and when you check the books, the differences are easy to see.

I have to stop and add a note about pigeons. They seem to be everywhere on earth and they seem to come in all colors which might imply that there are thousands of different varieties of pigeons. After all, it takes a birding expert (as far as I am concerned) to differentiate between a Carolina Chickadee (Poecile carolinensis) and a Black-Capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapilla) with some experts only willing to firmly identify a Black-Capped if they hear the song. And these are recorded as two different species. On the other hand, there are pigeons that look absolutely and radically different in terms of coloring and plumage but they all seem to be lumped into the category of pigeon. I asked some members of the local bird club why they did not “count” the pigeons on their bird walks or, if there were people who specialized in pigeons and pigeon watching who did note the differences or see them as different bird types. I was told that there were people who did this but most folks just call them pigeons. At any rate, I note that the guidebook we used on our trip (mostly), “A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Britain & Northern Europe” by Peter Goodfellow and Paul Sterry [3] included the Rock Dove (Columbia livia) and noted that it was the ancestor of all domestic pigeons. And I believe I have found my answer – most pigeons we see are probably domestic pigeons that escaped their confines on farms and rooftops and multiplied exponentially and now inhabit every city and town in most parts of the world. And, although some birds that “escape” and become “non-native invasives” are still counted and photographed and added to life-lists and reported to eBird in regional reporting, most pigeons do not seem to be counted and added to life-lists. But, having said all that, we did spot what we thought was a Wood Pigeon (Columba palumbus) which is similar to a mourning dove in coloring but decidedly bigger…and is called out separately in the guide book.

As we neared the Botanical Garden, we spotted our first interesting birds of the day – a pair of Egyptian Geese (Alopochen aegyptiacus). These waterfowl were totally new to us and exotic looking to say the least. Checking a different guidebook later, “Birds of Britain and Europe” by Jim Flegg and David Hosking [4], I noted that this too was a domestic bird gone rogue. That guide lists an “escape” as a domestic bird or pet that has been accidently or deliberately released into the wild. I am sensing a theme here and probably not so unusual for urban birding.

Next up, a delightful Magpie (Pica pica) – a common bird here in Amsterdam but another life bird for me and another check mark on my list. Awesome! We had spotted our first magpie on the way in from the airport a couple days previous but here we had an opportunity to see one relatively close up and for some minutes before he flew on up the canal. Of course, every time you see a new bird, you have to stop and ponder and study and check the guidebook and try to get photos…..only to find later that you will begin to see them everywhere. I think once you notice something, it becomes common. It is not that there are more of the birds about; it is just that you have noticed them and become sensitive to them and you begin to see them more. Such is the case with the magpie – our initial delight faded into complaisance such that by the end of our vacation, we were apt to say, “Oh, there goes another magpie,” and hardly stop to notice.

The Amsterdam Botanical Garden is a place of study of all things botanical and associated with the University in Amsterdam but does open for visitors. Although the garden itself was not too large, it had attracted quite a few visitors on this Sunday morning. We found our way to the entrance, paid the fee, and headed inside.

As we moved past the tropical green house, we spotted a pair of beautiful green Ring-Necked Parakeets (Psittacula krameri) – yet another example of a domestic pet that has been released into the wild or somehow made their way many miles north from their native territories in Africa. At some point, it definitely occurs to me that the theme for the day might be about these escapees or transient migrants. We were seeing birds (not just the avian kind) that had previously lived in cages, whether physical or emotional or cultural, that were now “set free” to wander happily throughout their chosen gardens for the remainder of their lives. And why shouldn’t they? The world is made more beautiful for every bird and every creature in it regardless of how exotic or common they may be. Of course, I have to retract that statement when I start thinking about the European Starlings that have become quite invasive in America…and I’m sure there are quite a few problems associated with those pigeons that roost on buildings everywhere. But this day, I am feeling open-minded and thinking a few more birds in the garden won’t hurt anything.

But where were the native birds? We had spotted mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) but these too seemed to be a mixed breed with coloration similar to domestic ducks, possibly a Blue Swedish (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) considering the brown and white patches on their breasts and around their heads. And where do mallards originate anyway? They are pretty much found everywhere too.

Finally, we spotted a small bird that looked very similar to a chickadee but with different coloring. I chased the bird through the garden, past the beehives, across a bridge, and through the hedges trying to get a good look and a decent photograph. I was only partially successful. Do understand that “chasing” a bird means I’m moving slowly and stealthily trying not make a sound as I creep closer and closer only to find the bird is way too quick and sits still barely for a moment and then dives deep in the tree or bush leaving me with the barest glimpses and totally blurry pictures. I know for a moment there you visualized me as running around like a crazy woman waving my arms frantically and screaming, “bird, bird, bird” but it is not the way it goes. We were able to identify the little bird as a Great Tit (Parus major) so all was not lost. That sounds a lot bigger than a chickadee, now doesn’t it? I often wonder at the names that were given birds. The same folks probably wanted to call a California Condor a “little vulture”.

We sat on a bench enjoying the sunshine and a couple mallards swam over, hopped up on the bank and came close, possibly hoping for a few crumbs of bread of which we had none. We had cameras, cellphones, and binoculars but no cookies – of what possible use were we to those mallards? They gave up on us, probably doing duck sighs and wondering why we would head out for a day trip without any cookies or granola to share. They waddled on back down to the canal and soon were back to business as usual ducking and diving looking for tidbits here and there.

We strolled around the garden enjoying the few flowers and birds that we saw pausing quite often to sit on a bench and contemplate the peacefulness in spite of the many people also enjoying the day there. We admired a brown bird that looked and acted similar to an American Robin (Turdus migratorius) from back home (only without the red breast) scratching the dirt looking for bugs and worms. She (and I say she now that I have looked her up in the book) was later joined by a Blackbird (Turdus merula) which clinched her as his mate and not some sort of weird European robin. We tracked the pair across the garden or, maybe, they were tracking us…probably the latter since they would be so much better at it than we are.

The stork nest on the institution’s chimney was empty (alas) as it was still too early for the storks to have migrated back to the area. I would have loved to see one of those but I contented myself with taking several photographs of a gull, the familiar Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) perched nearby and several pigeons, what else? Then it was back to trying to sneak up on the Tit again which turned out to be another Tit entirely – this one a Coal Tit (Periparus ater). Both looked quite a bit like a Chickadee as noted previously, but the former having a lemony breast and the latter having rust colored sides. We watched the Coal Tit as he flitted back and forth between trees near the tropical green house. He patiently bided his time until someone opened the door and left him an opening – then like a flash he was inside. It seems that some birds like to escape their cages and others look for the opportunity to go back inside where it is warm on a cold day and possibly safer. We had not intended to go inside but, like Alice following the white rabbit down the rabbit hole [2], we followed him inside hoping to get that elusive photograph. We lost him in the foliage inside but did see our first real blooms of the day. Appropriately, it was the “bird of paradise”.

One last look around the garden and we headed out and back to the hotel and our cruise ship. Stopping along the way at a pub for lunch, we didn’t see too many birds but did enjoy a burger and some iced tea. As we walked back down towards the docks and rounded the river basin, we were provided one last treat – a beautiful Great Crested Grebe (Podiceps cristatus), another life-bird and a great ending to a good day of birding in a very nice garden.

[1] Bible, King James Version, Exodus 2:22 – “And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

[2] “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland”; by Lewis Carroll; 1865

[3] “A Naturalist’s Guide to the Birds of Britain & Northern Europe” by Peter Goodfellow and Paul Sterry; Beaufoy Books; 2010

[4] “Birds of Britain and Europe” by Jim Flegg and David Hosking; New Holland Publishers; 1990

Time and Taxes – Netherlands Trip Notes (May 1, 2013)

May 1, 2013joannie65351 Comment

Visiting another country gives one perspective. When we are born, our whole world lies within the tiny room where we are kept safe from harm by our parents. With each passing day, our world expands – to the house, then to the yard, then to the neighborhood, then to our town and so on and so on until our safe little world is pretty good sized but still limited to a small corner of the world. Some people live their whole lives within one city or one state and are quite content with doing so. But some of us yearn to see the world and see what’s over the hill, so to speak, and so at some point leave the proverbial nest and start exploring anywhere and everywhere. And so it was with me. I couldn’t wait to leave home and get out of that hick town where I grew up and see the world. And I did….for a while. But somewhere along the line, life caught up with me and I settled down again. There just wasn’t time for a great deal of travel what with getting married and working and focusing on the family. Travel was limited to vacations here and there when there was enough time and money to do so. And travel was limited to dreaming about the places we would go when we “retired”. And, now, we are here and we are getting back into travel mode and putting some of those dreams in focus. Funny how my dreams have changed. When I was younger, I wanted to see big cities and historical sites….and now I find that I prefer natural areas and wildlife preserves. So most of our outings in the past couple years have been focused on the great outdoors. But our recent trip to the Netherlands gave me a little bit more history than nature and has given me much to think about in terms of my small world in relation to the bigger world out there beyond the hedgerow, as it were.

One of the things that struck me from the first day in Amsterdam is that everything there is so old. Of course, there are newer and very modern areas in and around Amsterdam but the “old town” is, to quote someone much younger than me, like really old – ancient, in fact. I think of “old town” Alexandria, VA or Annapolis, MD, — areas I am familiar with and “old” in the United States is not nearly so old as old is in Amsterdam. Or, at least, the “old” that is preserved in old buildings that can be dated back to the founding of this country in the 1700’s. But the buildings in Amsterdam can be dated back to the 1500’s – I know this because they put stone carvings over their doors of the buildings with the date clearly shown. These stones can also show the occupation of the owner when the home was built. These stones fascinated me and I found, when I got home that most of the photos I had taken on the trip were of these door stones. Homes built in 1532 are not only still standing but still inhabited. These homes were built before the United States was colonized. Of course, there were native Americans living on the east coast but there were no three level row houses with cap stones dated from that period so America appears to be quite young where western civilization is concerned. And, not only did the Dutch have homes in the 16^th century, they have records of zoning laws.

Or, at least, it is what we would refer to as zoning regulations. According to the guides who led us through the city, Amsterdam had rules about how their homes would be built in the middle of the 15^th century. Only one or two wooden houses still exist from that century. Wood would be very flammable and fire would be very dangerous for houses built very close together so laws had to be passed that would require houses to be built of brick. The “logo” for Amsterdam is XXX and you see it on signposts and carvings all over the city. It is not clear exactly what this means as there doesn’t seem to be any historical documents to explain but the guides say that the traditional story is that it refers to the three main threats to the city – fire, flood, and pestilence. I think they might also add the government and bureaucracy because from the earliest times, in additional to numerous laws and building codes and regulations, they also had taxes.

According to Wikipedia, the ultimate “go to” source for everything and anything, there are records of people living in the Netherlands on man-made “terps” or hills as early as the 1^st century AD. No row houses then, but certainly ancient “swamp people” living along the coast and in the lowlands and raising ground on which to build shelters. These terps were later connected to each other by dikes, or dams, to form communities all working together to keep the water in the canals and rivers and provide some bit of dry land. The old town of Amsterdam is built on the dam on the Amstel River and started as a fishing village in the 12^th century. Yep, it is the river that gave name to the beer. And, the main square in Amsterdam is the “Dam Square” – which after walking around on the uneven cobblestones all day and getting lost and trying to find your way back to the main areas where you could possibly catch the tram and get off your tired aching feet, became “that DAMNED Square”.

To provide stability, the homes in the old town were built on pilings sunk deep into the ground (or the soil of the dam). I do not recall the exact number but remember the guide mentioning the number of pilings in the city as being in the thousands. The guide also mentioned that in the olden days, prisoners were issued a pump when they were put into the old prison because their cells would be below sea level and a prisoner either pumped or died. That treatment probably wouldn’t be allowed in today’s society but it does seem….well, never mind. Another prison fact I gathered while in the Netherlands was that they didn’t really feed the prisoners in the earlier times – well, not the civil authorities anyway. The rich folks provided bread for prisoners via the church….sort of in hopes of getting into heaven by feeding the poor. Guess you didn’t get a break on your taxes for your charitable donations but the priest and church did see some benefit to it and as people got older, they were apt to make donations to the church. Of course, some of the money went for bread but most of it went to the churches which are the biggest buildings with the most elaborate ornamentation of all.

Now back to taxes. Taxes were calculated by the width of the building frontage and, even in the 1400’s, people didn’t like to pay taxes. So the people built their homes narrow in the front and long and tall. These homes had steep narrow stairs to the upper floors and the furniture could not be carried up the stairs so homes were built with hooks on the front of the top floor of the building so that the furniture could be hoisted up to each floor. This is the practice even today. I watched a recent HGTV® show about expats living overseas and the furniture was brought into the house using the hook. The moving man leaned precariously out of the attic window and hung a pulley onto the hook. Then, he and his colleague used the pulley to hoist the furniture up and into the house. The moving man indicated that afterwards they always had a beer and it was the home-owner’s responsibility to provide the beer. Some things never change.

So the houses are tall and narrow and relatively uniform and standard – tall, long rectangular boxes. Not much architectural interest in that; so, over the years – okay, over the centuries, the Dutch began the practice of putting elaborate facades on the buildings. And so you have what everyone in the world would recognize as a Dutch home – tall row houses with tall ornate gables and lots of carving and decorative embellishments making each a unique creation and essentially works of art. This was pretty much true for several of the towns we visited – tall narrow houses on narrow streets sandwiched between canals and lakes and rivers.

And the houses all lean one way or the other but mostly forward. Going back to the need to hoist the furniture up to the upper levels of the house…..heavy furniture on a rope would tend to swing and break the windows. Glass was a prized commodity and very expensive. So the houses were built so that the façade leaned out just a bit so that the heavy furniture would hang level (like a plum bob, I suppose) and away from those expensive windows. But then someone noticed that his house might be more noticeable if it stuck out just a little bit further than his neighbor’s house so it became all the rage to build one’s house so that it leaned just a little bit more forward than all of the neighbors. And, of course, when things get out of control, the government has to step in and try to fix things. So we come full circle to the taxes and the zoning laws and history. Before there was even a glimmer of a United States, the Dutch were busy building houses and writing regulations and passing laws that dictated how far forward a house could lean and how high the facades could be and ultimately collecting fees and taxes on anything that could possibly be taxed and fined.

Walking the streets of a city that was a full-blown city, center of commerce and government some two to three hundred years before our country was even a colony certainly puts things into a more global perspective. Someone on the tour mentioned this perspective to one of our tour guides at one point and the guide pointed out that Europe’s history is also America’s history — that many of our ancestors came from that part of the world not so many years ago. Again, more perspective of our greatly expanding life-lines going back to the Netherlands and Europe and beyond is gained. It seems that we like to travel to learn about other places and people in the world but, in the end, we mainly learn about ourselves most of all.

P.S. A little touch of American history perhaps?