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For the Birds
It’s as if they’re telling you to stop and look
around: Journalist Jeannette Jonker tells us
why she loves spontaneous little get-togethers
with robins, jays, starlings and other birds.YoushouldknowthatI grewupin a village,surrounded
bynothingbutfields.Theonlydistractionswerethe
occasionallambs,a fewcowshereandthere,andone
ortwopeople.Soit’swildthatI nevernoticedthebirds.
Therewasreallynothingtodoin thevillage—andI lived
thereuntilI wasnineteen—soI hadplentyoftimeto
spotthem.Didn’tI lookaroundmeasa child?Is it
possibletherearemorebirdsin Amsterdam,theDutch
cityin whichI livenow?Oris it becauseofmyurban
lifethatsuddenlyI’mappreciativeofthelittlefluttering
creaturesandtheirhomes?
CHEEKYJAY
MyfirstencounterwiththeEurasianjay(the Garrulus
glandarius, a colorful and common bird in Europe) was in
the middle of Amsterdam. The cheeky critter was peeking
into my window, posturing grandly on my balcony. He
looked me up and down, and I stood staring back from
the other side of the window, quite amazed. Because of
his striking plumage with an iridescent streak of feathers, I
was under the illusion I had spotted a rare specimen. But
no: this jay is actually a garden-variety bird. In my nature
guide, I read that this bird is a member of the crow family
and is quite observant. They are very clever animals that,
just like squirrels, hide nuts and seeds for future use.
The fact that I saw a jay in the middle of the city for
the first time in my life is not as surprising as it seems,
says Anneke Blokker. As a city ecologist and co-author
of a guidebook on wild animals in Amsterdam, she
knows that there are 350 different bird species in the
city, including migratory ones. About 200 species even
nest here. “There is a lot of different vegetation here,”
she says. “There are enclosed courtyard gardens, parks,
and balconies full of plants. And despite appearances,
there are more trees in Amsterdam than people. For
many birds, the city is a kind of forest nowadays.”
According to Blokker, animals in the city actually benefit
from people. “To them, we’re a great source of food,”
she explains. “For this reason, a moorhen (Gallinula
chloropus) or mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos) will
react to us very differently here than in a village. They
associate you with food, so you can get very close.”
And for people, birds are a great source of
entertainment. “The other day,” Blokker shares, “I was
walking through a busy shopping street and there was a
flock of starlings [Sturnidae] sitting on the overhead tram
lines. I was treated to a fabulous starling concert, but no
one else seemed to hear or see them. City people are
often in a hurry, while it can be so nice to stand still.
You’d be surprised at what you see. I recently missed >Nature