Having given myself all day to find the Blyth's Reed Warbler, I then had time to explore the neighbouring nature reserve, the Reeuwijksche Plassen. Although I had heard of it before, I didn't have a clue what could be seen there, but soon found a pair of Ferruginous Duck. This is a good bird for The Netherlands and were probably overwintering individuals from Germany. I didn't locate any spring migrants but the final lagoon was chock-a-block with Wigeon, which I presume were gathering before heading off on their migration. They were certainly very excited, with the sound of their whistles filling the air and, every now and then, a ripple of whistling would work its way through the flock just like a Mexican wave. I made several attempts to count them but it was simply impossible as they were everywhere I looked. In the end, I settled for a conservative estimate of 20,000 to 30,000!
