Les oiseaux de l’Uitkerkse (Uitkerke) Polder (Belgique)

Some 2000 years ago, the original mudflats along the Belgian coast were closed off by a dune belt, behind which an extensive area of peat bogs formed. Incursions by the sea during the Middle Ages caused this bog to become saline and left it covered with a fertile layer of mud. Converted to polders, the land has been used almost exclusively as pasture since then. One of the most famous is the Uitkerkse Polder, near Blankenberge, which is a site of global importance for migrating geese and meadow birds, especially the Pink-footed goose (about 95% of the Spitzbergen population winters here), Lapwings and Golden Plovers. Several interesting birds species breed here, notably the Black-tailed Godwit.
The Uitkerkse Polde became famous among birders when a Snowy Owl stayed there during the 2008-2009 winter.