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Out and about with birdwatcher Lenie
Lenie de Boer (33) lives together in Midsland on Terschelling. She works at the VVV and is active as a volunteer for Staatsbosbeheer. She gives excursions and is an annual bird watcher on the Boschplaat and sometimes also on the Noordvaarderskant.
A growing love for the Bosch plate
As a child, Lenie barely made it to the Boschplaat, but she did go on a picnic with de Grie. It wasn't until she became a birdwatcher that a real relationship with the area developed. She got to know the extraordinary nature: a rugged, expansive and largely enclosed landscape where birds can live in peace and quiet. The tall grasses, the silence and the pure nature make it a unique place for Lenie. Her love for the Bosch album therefore only grew later in life.
Counting birds on the Bosch plate
One week a year, Lenie is a bird watcher on the Boschplaat, a job she has been doing with passion since she studied through Staatsbosbeheer — inspired by her mother and her own experience in the world of bird travel. During this week, she stays in one of the bird watching chains, where she observes remotely. Sometimes with a telescope. She keeps a close eye on which birds, plants, butterflies and other animals she sees, from the harrier to the bee orchid. Everything is written down in a log with time, place and number. She monitors mostly from the shed: rest for the birds comes first. It is a special and popular task, only for those who really know what is alive — and what should stay alive.
Simple life in the shack
During her week as a birdwatcher, Lennie and her mother live in a simple, practical way in the shack. They bring food in advance — pre-fried meat or chicken, soup and some shelf-stable items. The shed has a fridge, a bunk bed and a desk to work at. The toilet is a homemade system in the dunes: a toilet seat on poles, placed above a hole, with a stick as a marker for the next one. Washing only happens when necessary, with water from a tank that Staatsbosbeheer has set up. It's back to basics — but that's what makes it so special.
The Bosch plate changes visibly
During her years as a bird watcher, Lenie noticed how the Bosch plate is changing. In 2021, she was still able to walk easily to the Wadkant from the second time, but just a year later, the area was so overgrown that it was almost impassable. The vegetation grows fast and tall if nothing happens, which can be at the expense of meadow birds such as the curlew. They are just looking for cover in low grass.
A magical morning at the Koffiebonenplaats
One of Lenie's most special memories as a birdwatcher is from her first year as a birdwatcher, when she sat in the shack near the Amelandergat, on the easternmost tip of Terschelling, in September. At sunrise, she woke up and saw an impressive spectacle from the shack at the Koffiebonenplaats: a very large group of spotted plovers, sandpipers, silver plovers and golden plovers had gathered on the trunk-shaped piece of land. The bird migration had started, the water was high and the calls of birds were heard everywhere, with seal sounds in the background. Such a huge group of beach brethren, just now that they are struggling, made a deep impression on Lenie.
Out and about with Lenie
With her initiative Terschelling nature experience Lenie rents out binoculars and shows visitors what's going on on the island. She wants to reduce the distance between people and nature by taking people along and telling them about birds and plants. You can follow her on Instagram via @natuurbelevingterschelling
Why is natural dynamics so important?
What is a wash-over?
Is the Bosch plate closed during the work?
Which plant species are in danger of disappearing?
Where will new sand be sprayed?
