spring breezy sand-dunes heathland Loonse en Drunense Duinen 1157 am 250520_1107

Breezy ambiance with birds, crickets and other insects on the sand-dunes/heathland ‘National Park Loonse en Drunense Duinen’, Netherlands in May.

About the picture
The photograph shows an open sandy plain that gradually gives way to a semi-open heathland landscape. The pale yellow sand forms winding paths and worn tracks that meander through the terrain. Between the sandy strips grow tufts of rough grasses and low shrubs, typical of dry heathland and drifting sand areas. Further on, a few Scots pines and other pioneer trees are scattered about; their sparse distribution clearly illustrates how dynamic this landscape is: areas where sand is still actively drifting remain bare, whilst other zones are slowly becoming overgrown. The horizon is low and open, with a clear blue sky and a few soft clouds lending the whole scene a peaceful, spring-like atmosphere. The scene exudes the typical combination of emptiness, light and ruggedness that is so characteristic of the southern edge of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen in May.

European field crickets around. It prefers dry, sunny locations with short vegetation, like dry grasslands. At the northern edge of its range, it is restricted to heathlands and oligotrophic grasslands.

Van Gogh Nationaal Park, National Park Loonse en Drunense Duinen.

Birds detected by Merlin Bird ID app ver 3.8.2.
Birds detected by BirdNET-Analyser (GUI ver. 2.4.0 Model ver. V2.4) sensitivity 1.09.
https://birdnet.cornell.edu/api/ ; (BirdNET_GLOBAL_6K_V2.4), I cannot guarantee results.
Eurasian Linnet #0:36
European Stonechat #0:57
Meadow Pipit #0:39
Tree Pipit #0:12 #0:27 #0:39 #0:51
Common Chaffinch #0:46

More here this evening / More heathland recordings in this park
tracks on the MAP

Date/time: May 20 2025, 11:58 am

Weather: 22-22c, partly clouded 90%, wind N 15-27 km/h, 1019 hPa, humidity 34%, visibility 40 km, dew point 6c, cloud ceiling 1500 m.

Location; Van Gogh Nationaal Park / Nationaal park Loonse en Drunense Duinen, Capucijnerberg, Udenhout, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. GPS 51.64285 5.12057

Gear chain: Sennheiser mkh30/50 MS with pointed S, in Rycote cyclone small, windjammer > Sound Devices 302 >Tascam dr-100 Mk2. Decoded Mid-side to STEREO.

Original MS-track 96/24 available for motivated pro's and artists.

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blockquote>About the history of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen (dunes)
The landscape of the Loonse and Drunense Dunes once began as a dense, vast forest. In prehistoric times, hunter-gatherers lived here amongst oak and birch trees, but as soon as the first farmers appeared in the Bronze and Iron Ages, the area slowly changed. They cleared sections of woodland to create fields and let livestock graze on the open spaces. As a result, the soil became depleted and a heathland landscape emerged that grew increasingly barren. What was once a dense forest turned into a mosaic of heathland, grass and bare patches.

In the Middle Ages, the area was used intensively. Sheep grazed the heath daily, sods were cut for the barn floor, and wood was gathered for fuel. The soil lost its fertile topsoil and in more and more places the sand was exposed. As soon as the wind got a grip on those open patches, the sand began to drift. That process fed on itself: the more sand that was exposed, the larger the sand drift became. In the late Middle Ages and early modern period, the area developed into one of the largest drifting sand complexes in Western Europe. Villages and fields were buried, and residents sometimes had to literally move house because the sand was invading their homes.

From the 19th century onwards, attempts were made to curb the drifting sand. Pine trees were planted to stabilise the sand, and in some places this was so successful that the landscape gradually became overgrown again. When the area came under nature conservation in the 20th century, the approach changed once more. It was realised that active drifting sand had become rare and that it is precisely this dynamic that makes the area unique. That is why young trees are now being removed, shrub growth is being curbed, and grazers ensure that the landscape remains open. In this way, the sand remains in motion, albeit in a more controlled manner than before.

Over the centuries, the area has thus constantly changed in character: from primeval forest to heathland, from heathland to desert-like drifting sand, and from shifting sand to a protected nature reserve where the wind still plays a central role. The landscape you see in the photo above is the result of that long history of use, depletion, sand drift and management.