Purmerend, Spijkerboor, Wormer

Start cycling from Purmerend along the Kanaaldijk beside the Noordhollandsch Canal and you’ll quickly recognise the geometric layout of Reclaimed Land De Beemster on your right. This area, with its clear-cut division between water and land, is one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the Netherlands.

On your left, you’ll also see a patchwork of water and land, though a bit less orderly. This is the Wormer and Jisperveld, the largest connected peat meadow area in Western Europe. Because it’s such a vast natural area, it’s super popular with meadow birds. In spring, hundreds of birds like the redshank, lapwing, oystercatcher and the black-tailed godwit arrive here every year. Did you know that the godwit is the national bird of the Netherlands? As much as 70% of the world’s godwit population comes to breed in Dutch meadows!

The Schaalsmeerpolder in particular is a favourite breeding area and is often called the ‘nursery’ of the peat meadows.

Even though you’ll see many birds flying above the grass, meadow birds are actually struggling. Every year their numbers go down. By creating special nature policies, Natuurmonumenten – together with local farmers – is working on the perfect environment for these birds. This means plenty of food like insects, varied grasslands, soft soil to dig in and, of course, lots of peace and quiet.

Water management is also key: the ground can’t be too dry or too wet for meadow birds. The small windmills you see throughout the area help regulate the water levels very precisely.

Want to know more about nature conservation and the Wormer and Jisperveld? Then stop at one of the points of interest along the way.

Photo: ©Bonne Noorman, via Bureau Toerisme Laag Holland