polder birds hot-air balloon Lage Zwaluwe Netherlands 905 am 251012_0049

Early, windless Sunday morning in the Nieuwe Zwaluwsche Polder, on the northern edge of Lage Zwaluwe in the Netherlands.

The greylag geese fly overhead in flocks. A common sandpiper, a crow, and a curlew. Above them—just vanished into the low-hanging clouds—the sound of a hot air balloon intermittently opening its burner. What brings me joy is the repeated call of the kestrel.

Description of the photo of the Nieuwe Zwaluwsche Polder: The photo shows a vast polder landscape beneath a heavily overcast sky. The fields are a fresh green and subtly vary in color. In the distance, rows of trees line the edge of the river Amer, and scattered throughout are a few farms and rural homes.
The sky is mostly grey and closed, but on the horizon there's a small break in the cloud cover, where a soft glow of sunlight shines through. That light gives the landscape a serene, almost motionless atmosphere.

Birds detected by Merlin Bird ID app (ver. 3.7.1 (220 – 2024)
#0:03 #0:16 #0:39 #0:57 #1:10 #1:13 #1:22 Common Kestrel
#0:02 #0:06 #0:11 #0:17 #0:23 #0:38 #1:11 #1:18 Eurasian Curlew
#0:03 #0:09 #0:19 #0:24 Green Sandpiper
#0:00 Greylag Goose (all the time0
#0:20 #0:32 #0:42 #1:08 Carrion Crow
#1:11 Common Pheasant

Recordings today / More in this polder during the years
About the Nieuwe Zwaluwsche Polder
The history of this begins in the mid-17th century, during a period when, following the St. Elizabeth flood of 1421, large areas of land were lost to the sea and only centuries later reclaimed and developed. It is a historic polder that was established around 1650. It lies within a region that is part of a system of polders and creeks formed after flooding events and subsequently reclaimed and managed. The polder is one of the smaller ones in this area and was created to obtain fertile agricultural land.
The long dikes of the polder were initially difficult to protect against the sea, and over time, measures were taken to adapt the water system and improve its defenses. The area involved plays an important role in both agriculture and nature development, with a mix of natural habitats such as reed marshes and flower-rich grasslands alongside farmland.
The polder is a historic and recognizable landscape in the Netherlands, with a rich legacy of land reclamation, water management, and agricultural development.

Date/time: October 12, 2025 15, 2025, 9:05 am

Weather: 13 ºc, clouds 97%, wind W 2-6 km/h, 1031 hPa, humidity 86%, visibility 7 km, dew point 11 ºc, cloud ceiling 700m,

Location; Nieuwe Zwaluwsche Polder, kerkstraat, Lage Zwaluwe, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. GPS 51.71046 5.70545

Gear chain: Sennheiser mkh30/50 MS with pointed NNW 29º, in Rycote cyclone small, windjammer > Tascam FR-AV2. Noise floor ~45 dB, Post editing: Decoded Mid-side to STEREO. EQ correction for the blimp and limiter on -3 dB when necessary.

Original 66 minute MS-track 48/32 bit-float available for motivated pro's and artists.

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(verzonden naar vroege vogels 12 oktober 2025)