On April 20, a Ross' Gull was discovered in the jetty of Scheveningen that still counts for our April monthly list. If the bird would be reported again the next day, we wanted to try it. The day went a little different than we had expected.
The next day the Ross' Gull was reported again in the morning and we decided to drive to Scheveningen. We arrived around 10:30 and the Ross' Gull was waiting for us, it turned out. The bird was at most 5 meters on a rock and nice pictures could be taken. Some Kittiwakes also cooperated well. Happy with the sighting and the photos, we walked down the pier. An earlier report of a Dartford Warbler that came in via an app did not interest us yet. This changed when we got a photo of the bird in question around 12 o'clock, but it clearly showed a Marmora's Warbler. The bird had been found at the previous location but flown away and was no longer in view.
We had no doubts and immediately drove towards Den Helder where the bird had been spotted in the dunes. The expectations were not too great, but we could not pass up this opportunity for a completely new species for the Netherlands. After more than an hour's drive we arrived at the site and the news had spread quickly, judging by the numbers of birders. We first searched the dike along the road, which resulted in a late Snow Bunting. We decided to go to the old site where many others also stood in the hope that the Marmora's Warbler would return here. Time passed and it seemed that the bird was really gone.
At 3.20 pm there was an app that something possible had been found near the parking lot. Almost everyone left for the parking lot and I was left in the old place. I had a good overview of the parking lot here, so if it was indeed something I could still go there. Suddenly I saw people from the campsite across the street waving their arms as if to say; here he is !!! I ran down the dune and into the campsite and was one of the first on the spot. And indeed there in a hedge was the Marmora's Warbler foraging. I immediately started taking pictures and meanwhile it got busier with birders, some out of breath.
The bird remained to be seen for a long time and after a lot of photos we decided to drive back to Uden. If accepted, this is the first case of Marmora's Warbler for the Netherlands. There is one case in Belgium. Denmark has two cases and Great Britain has seven cases.