18 Griffon Vultures arrive in the Netherlands
In what must be the most amazing birding event of the new millenium, Dutch birders found themselves watching, not one but, 18 Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) in the Netherlands on the evening of the 3rd and morning of the 4th July 2001.
Found near the coastal village of Noordwijk, all eighteen birds roosted overnight near Voorhout, enabling some 200+ birders to see the birds the following morning.
Unfortunately for UK birders, both parties of nine were seen to drift south on the morning of the 4th, rising rapidly on the thermals within quick succession of each other. Subsequent reports in the early afternoon from Katwijk, The Hague and Monster suggest they took a southerly course just parallel to the coast and a few kilometres inland.
Many thanks to Mars Muusse for the use of these images on the surfbirds site. For more images visit Mars' site at http://www.geocities.com/birdsnaps3
More images are also on the Dutch Birding website at http:///www.dutchbirding.nl
