I have just returned from a walk in the nature reserve, which is only a few hundred metres from my home. This nature reserve I'm talking about is a coastal dune system which was shaped over thousands of years. These dunes have been protected for a long time because of their importance for flood protection along the coast. Later, they received additional protection under the Nature Conservation Act; subsequently large areas of the dunes were designated as protected conservation areas in the Natura 2000 network. In addition, there is a strict environmental policy to safeguard the drinking water reserves within the dunes. These coastal dunes comprise only 1% of the land area of The Netherlands. Yet almost 80% of the 180 bird species that breed in The Netherlands, are known to breed or to have bred in dunes, which also represent valuable habitat for migratory and wintering birds. The dunes are also home to fallow and Roe deer, birds of prey with occasional visits of white tailed eagles, owls, pine martens and other mammals. Continue reading.....When I returned from my walk tonight I could clearly observe the weather change which is forecasted for the next days, same as on Islay. We had several weeks of dry and sunny weather with north easterly winds bringing dry air from the continent, but today the wind has turned to the west and brought moist air which forms low hanging mist banks in the lower valleys at dusk and dawn (picture is from eight tonight). I usually dont write about the area where I live but this was a good reason to compare a few sunsets from where I live and one on Islay at Machir Bay which I filmed in May 2006, below. Enjoy!

Tag: sunset video machir bay