sand dunes Loonse en Drunense Duinen 129 pm 250521_1111

Dutch sand-dunes and heathland in spring.
Birds, crickets, far people and a little wind.

About the picture
The photograph shows a vast, gently undulating sandy landscape typical of the Loonse en Drunense Duinen in May. The sand appears dry and light in colour, with small tufts of grass and low shrubs here and there breaking up the open terrain in the lower areas. The sky is grey and slightly overcast, lending the landscape a soft, subdued atmosphere without harsh shadows.

At the edge of the sandy area stands a dense strip of dark green coniferous and deciduous trees, which forms a clear contrast to the open plain. On the right of the picture, a group of schoolchildren is walking across the sand, emphasising the scale of the area and showing that this is a place where visitors enjoy walking or exploring nature. Scattered across the site are a few low posts or markers indicating the boundaries of the dog walking area.

On the left is the microphone recording the sounds from here for you.

Birds detected by Merlin Bird ID app ver 3.8.2.
I cannot guarantee results.

White Wagtail #1:06 #1:38 #2:28
Common Chaffinch #0:12 #0:30 #0:51 #1:00 #1:36 #2:03 All time long
Eurasian Blackcap #2:24
European Robin #0:06#0:22 #0:40 #2:10
Coal Tit #1:12 #1:26
Carrion Crow #0:56
Willow Warbler #0:40 #0:48

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

Date/time: May 21 2025, 1:29 pm

Weather: 17-18ºc, partly clouded 90%, wind NW-W 11-30 km/h, 1015-14 hPa, humidity 50-44%, visibility 35 km, dew point 7ºc, cloud ceiling 2500 m.

Location; Van Gogh Nationaal Park / Nationaal park Loonse en Drunense Duinen, Udenhout, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands (Holland), Europe. GPS 51.63881 5.10545

Gear chain: Sennheiser mkh30/50 MS with pointed E, 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.