Gorp and Roovert is a large estate of 1200 ha with old deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests, farmland, heathland and lakes. The estate is a remarkable region. The old natural stream Rovertse Leij still meanders over a length of 5 kilometers, running from Poppel in Belgium into the estate of Gorp and Roovert in the Netherlands. The estate is owned by the family of Puijenbroek and is made accessible to the public.
I visited the banks of the Roverste Leij on the side of Goirle. The weeds ragwort, common hogweed, daisies and field poppies were abundant. Insects visited flowers without taking notice of me and my camera. A drone fly posed for this shot. A drone fly is a European hoverfly, which likely gains some degree of protection from its resemblance to a stinging insect, like a bee. In biology this is called mimicry. The wingspan is approximately 15 mm and the eyes are black.
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| Eristalis tenax or drone fly |
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| A daisy on the banks of the Rovertse Leij |
After recreating at the banks of the Roverste Leij, I followed my trip to Bankven. The moors and fens of the estate, called Haneven, Biesbosch, Papschot and Bankven, are of interest partly due to the various birds that breed and rest here. Common sandpiper, curlew, common teal, redshank, spotted redshank and common greenshank are regularly seen. The moors and fens are also essential for vegetation like marsh gentian and white beaksedge.
Bankven is closest to my home in Goirle. It’s a very busy place, mainly people who are walking their dog. While sitting on a bench nearby, I spotted four grey herons lurking into the shallow to find fish and frogs. They kept at bay due to dogs running into the water, splashing and playing. I decided to walk around Bankven, through a field full of fallen trees and branches from the storm a few days before.
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| Bankven, grey heron and geese |
I waited in the cover of reed for birds to come closer. Eventually two sub-adult canada geese or hybrids decided to forage on the grass pasture near the reed cover. Somehow they intrigued me, due to their beak, being slightly bigger than usual. They might be intra-specific hybrids, mixing genes with grey lag geese. I am not really sure. Different subspecies of canada geese have led to confusion and debate among ornithologists for times now. Hybrid populations are quite common and add up in the debate about species, subspecies and variations.
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| A canada goose Branta canadensis or intra-specific hybrid coming close during foraging. |
The encounter with the geese was an extra. I went back through the battlefield of trees to the forest. The forests along the Rovertse Leij are home to many breeding birds such as tawny owl, black woodpecker, nuthatch, goldfinch, fire goldcrest, crossbill, golden oriole and warbler.
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| Tawny owl in the near dark. Tawny owls reside in the forests of Gorp and Roovert |
Besides natural forests the estate also consists of agricultural land. That’s where I mostly enter the estate, close to the factory of Puijenbroek and farmland. I must admit, I love the rushing of the wind through the leaves of trees and the fields of grain on the estate. It relaxes my mind. It makes me remember why I chose to change my career from commercial business to biology. After four hours of a damp atmosphere with warm rain and sunrays, I decided to stroll home listening to the wind on the way back.
