Should you happen to visit Belgium you maybe pleasantly surprised to find excellent birding in many places (more than 400 bird species recorded)?
The costal areas during the winter attract thousand of Pink-footed and Greater White-fronted Geese, Raptors and many other birds.
For waders and gulls the harbours and moles can offer great birding, and to the east the great forests of the Ardennes offer
many forest birds like Grey-headed Woodpecker etc. It’s also the breeding ground for Tengmalm’s Owl.
Contact one of the many local Birdingpals and they will be happy to help you.
Local Birdingpal Contacts
Local Birdwatchers
Using the Birdingpal resources you must agree to the following: If you contact a local Birdingpal and make arrangement to go birding, you should note it is common courtesy to make sure you show up for the appointment. If for any reason you are unable to do this, the least you must do is contacting the local Pal right away.
Please note that most Birdingpals are serious birdwatchers. It is a privilege to contact them, and your message should reflect it. A local Pal does not get paid, but should he/she offer to take you out birding, using their own vehicle, it would be courteous to pay for the fuel. A lunch and/or a small gift would also be appropriate, something as simple as a souvenir of your country, or a pin from your local birding club.
I have been birdwatching for 10 years, mostly in my own neighbourhood and at known sites in Belgium and the Netherlands. The area where I live is not a hot spot for specialties, but it is centrally located between Zeeland (province of the Netherlands with some excellent birding areas), the Belgian coast and the Ardennes region. Of international interest: I know several places where I have observed hard-to-find species like Tengmalm's Owl, Nutcracker, Great Horned Owl, Dipper, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Common Quail, Spotted Crake, Pink-footed Goose, ...
Best period to visit is probably winter (december through february) for waterfowl and shorebirds and early spring (march) for the Ardennes. A few places are also worth the visit during spring migration (Breskens) and fall migration (Belgian coast), but this is very dependent of weather and wind.
T
de Smedt
Lier, Antwerp
Anytime
J
de Meirsman
Mechelen, Antwerp
Anytime
E
van Audenhove
Mol, Antwerp
Weekend
B
Vogels
Stabroek, Antwerp
Anytime
English/French Dutch
As a volunteer we have a big birding group in the north of Antwerp to count and
monitor the bird population in a lot of different habitats. In our region are a lot of wetlands but also a large part of forests and the big dutch wetlands are also very close. Due to the different habitats the bird population is also very different like spoonbills, bearded tit, bittern to black and middle spotted woodpecker, crested tit in the forests. You can see the latest reports on our website www.antwerpennoord.be/vogelwerkgroep/waarnemingen/index.html
The north of antwerp is probably one of the most diverse places in Flandres to go birding or to combine a birding trip with work or a city trip. Although I work in Brussels there are probably other volunteers to get you arond in the port of Antwerp, the forests or moorland.
G
van den Heuvel
Westerlo, Antwerp
Anytime
English/Dutch some German/French
M
Thibaut
Westmalle, Antwerp
Weekend
Dutch/English French, some Spanish/German
Flanders isn't very interesting on a international scale, but some good Dutch wetlands are in reach (upto 100 kms).
Y
Princen
Aarschot, Brabant
Weekend
Dutch/English French/Spanish German/Russian
L
van Hellemont
Leuven, Brabant
Anytime
A
Willemsen
Rupelstreek/Willebroek, Brabant
Anytime
B
Nef
Wavre, Brabant
Weekend
S
Boddington
Brussels
Anytime
English/French Dutch/German Esperanto
I will be away (birdguiding in the Amazon rainforest!) and pretty much unable to reply to e-mails for the whole of July, August and September.
S
Bonmarchand
Brussels
Anytime
French/English Italian/Spanish Dutch
D
de Groote
Oudenaarde, East Flanders
Weekend
Dutch/English
B
Cottele
Ghent, East Flanders
Weekend
D
Verbelen
Ghent, East Flanders
Anytime
Dutch/French English
J
Van den Berghe
Ghent, East Flanders
Anytime
Dutch/Enlish French
I bird all around Belgium.
S
Feys
Ghent, Oost-Vlaanderen
Anytime
Dutch/English French
F
Ghyselen
De Pinte, Oost Vlaanderen
Anytime
English/French Dutch
W
Faveyts
Galmaarden, Oost-Vlaanderen
Weekend
P
van Daele
Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen
Anytime
H
Matheve
Gent, Oost-Vlaanderen
Weekend
Dutch/English French
F
Willemyns
Brugge, West-Flanders
Anytime
Dutch/English French
M
Demeulemeester
Kortrijk, West Flanders
Anytime
B
de Langhe
Oostende, West-Vlaanderen
Weekend
J
Demey
Oostende, West-Vlaanderen
Weekend
F
Ellis
Nalinnes (Southern Belgium), Hainaut
Anytime
French/English
K
Demyer
Genk, Limburg
Weekend
Dutch/English French/German Spanish
M
Ittelet
Couvin-Philippeville, Namur
Anytime
Professional Guides
If you contact a professional Birdingpal guide you must be prepared to pay a fee for guiding services.
Initial
Last Name
Area
Available
Language
Local Information
Name
Description
Wielewaal
Club
Noorderkempen
Club
Natuurbehoud
Sites
Birding Hotspots around the world
Sites
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Belgium
Local weather
Yahoo
Electronic maps
Google
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