I took a day out while the wife went shopping and I headed on down to Ghent to the Bourgoyen-Ossemeersan Nature Reserve which is a real wetland paradise so close to civilisation.
I didn't get too may photos as there is literally one path that goes around the outside of the 210 hectare reserve so binoculars are a must and telescope a bonus.
Being wetland it was mostly ducks and geese, there were hundreds of Barnacle Geese which were the most numerous Goose, there were smaller numbers of Greylag and Canada, I also saw a 2 hybrid geese, a Canada x Greylag and a Canada x Barnacle.
Barnacle Geese
Barnacle Geese
Barnacle Geese
Barnacle Geese
Barnacle Geese
Canada x Barnacle
I had a couple of year ticks with Great White Egret, Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff however they were all scope views so definitely no photos. Other waders were Curlew, Common Sandpiper, Snipe, Lapwing and Golden Plover.
Curlew
The reserve has some boardwalk through a swamp like area with a lot of felled trees, this leads through to a wooded area where I spent about an hour watching what must have been 200 Siskin in addition to Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Wren, Robin, Dunnock, Goldfinch, Greenfinch and Chaffinch.
The reserve held plenty of Mallard, Gadwall, Widgeon, Shovelar, Coot and a few Moorhen plus of course Grey Heron, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull and Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Coot
Shovelar
Widgeon
I fully recommend a visit to this reserve if you are visiting Brussels, it's only a short drive from Brugge and well worth it.
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