Search for the nightingale

The nightingale is one of the most famous birds. It sings the stars from the heavens while hiding in the bushes with its brown camouflage. Besides being exuberant singers, nightingales are also impressive migratory birds. On their journey south, they cross the Sahara in one go. During this notorious two-thousand-kilometer crossing, migratory birds can veer off course due to strong headwinds or a sandstorm, sometimes forcing them to fly hundreds of extra kilometers. They then arrive weeks later in their breeding area than planned. Or they don't arrive at all because they die of exhaustion along the way. 

Vogeltrek - Nachtegaal

The characteristics of this migratory bird

Nightingales do not look particularly impressive. They are uniformly brown on top and mousy gray on the underside. Moreover, you almost never see them because they always hide in the undergrowth. The nightingale more than makes up for its inconspicuous plumage and hidden lifestyle with its fabulous song.

Where and when to see?

At the end of April and in May, you can hear the nightingale singing in many places in the dunes of Schiermonnikoog National Park. Good spots are the bushes along the Badweg or the Westerduinenpad. If you walk there in the evening at dusk and hear a bird continue to sing while it slowly becomes quiet elsewhere, then you know you are hearing a nightingale. Once the chicks have hatched, you won't hear them singing as much, as they are busy feeding.