Spring is here! First peewit egg found

The first peewit egg of the year was found in Giesselanden in Zuid-Holland on Wednesday. The discovery of the first peewit egg traditionally signals the coming of spring and is deeply rooted in Dutch history.

Andre Hornstra, a volunteer at Nature and Birdwatch Alblasserwaard, found the egg on a pasture in the Botersloot polder and reported it to LandschappenNL at 6:14 p.m. The egg was checked later in the evening, and it was determined to be a fresh egg.

With the discovery, bird season officially started in the Netherlands. From now on volunteers and farmers across the country will search for and protect nests where necessary. Plowing, mowing and sowing on pastures pose a great threat to meadow birds.

Every year around 200 thousand peewit pairs breed in the Netherlands. They account for 25 percent of the European population.