Last Sunday a large group of Eurasian Griffon Vultures was spotted in Belgium. On Monday the first birds, a group of 40, flew over the Dutch border. Many more followed.
It is highly unusual to have such a large group of these raptors in the Lowlands. The vultures that have been spotted in the Netherlands normally live in southern Spain.
In 2003 a group of 18 Eurasian Griffon Vultures were seen in Holland. Over Tilburg earlier this week a group of as many as 60 individuals was noted, and another group of approximately 50 birds was seen at about the same time in Zeeland.
Thousands of breeding vulture pairs live in the Spanish Pyrenees. The Spanish birds are struggling to find food in their native land. Due to new EU regulations, cattle cadavers may no longer be left outside to deteriorate naturally. The scavenger birds have been venturing outside of their normal habitat in a desperate search for food.
In May Spanish media reported that starving vultures in the Burgos province were attacking living cattle. In one case a hundred vultures killed a cow and calf. The Dutch BirdLife group does not expect the same to happen in Holland, although the 2003 invaders did kill several young storks.
Dutch birdwatchers have been out in force, noting their sightings of the rare birds at www.waarneming.nl (also available in English) and causing site response time problems due to high traffic. Birders can note the time and place of a sighting, number of birds seen and include GPS coordinates, photos and comments with their sightings.
Source: De gieren komen eraan!
