Many protected coastal birds benefit from the replenishment of the Galgeplaat and Slikken van den Dortsman. In each newsletter, we highlight a species that profits from the elevation of the nutrient-rich mudflats and sandbanks. This edition: the red knot, the arctic counterpart of our knot from the polder.
The first knot is a thing
For many bird lovers, the first knot in the Netherlands is always a thing. A moment that is looked forward to and a sign that spring is in the air. Every year around late February and March, the knot returns from Southern Europe to breed here.
But what many do not know is that we have another knot species in the Netherlands. A species from the saltwater, namely the red knot. Unlike the common knot, the red knot does not breed here. The red knot is just passing through, on its way to the tundras of Russia and Scandinavia to breed there. The sandbanks in the Oosterschelde form a crucial stopover to fatten up for a few weeks. Some even spend the entire winter here.
Summer plumage and feather coat
In terms of appearance, especially the male in summer plumage is a striking sight with a reddish-brown feather package. The female is much lighter. Especially in the autumn, you can see the beautiful males on the Zeeland mudflats. In the winter period, when there are sometimes also large foraging groups of red knots to be seen, the plumage is mostly white underneath and light brown on top.
Red knots are mainly found on sandbanks. Their menu consists of ragworms, sea millepedes, and lugworms, worms, nonnetjes, and crustaceans. Sometimes they are also found in the inland nature reserves of Plan Tureluur (in Schouwen-Duiveland) where they search for eel larvae (larvae of the crane fly). In May, when the tundras are ice-free again, the red knots fly in one go with a full belly to their breeding area.
Want to know more about the birds present in the southwestern delta and how they are counted? Read the recently published interview with Mark Hoekstein from Deltamilieu Projecten.