The Biological Field Station "De Herdershut" is located on the east side of the polder of Schiermonnikoog. The station is only useable for members and students of the university and their guests. The Field Station consists of three buildings: the large hut, the small hut and the barn.
Staff at the Field Station
The Computer Facilities
The large hut contains to laboratorium spaces for dirty and clean jobs. There are about 30 beds, divided over two large sleeping rooms and 3 small bed rooms. Cooking facilities and and a living room make a comfortable living. Computing facilities are available. On the roof of the large hut, there is a small tower which allows a view over the saltmarsh. The small hut is the former house of the shepherd. Now it is a cosy place to live with four beds. The barn contains various rooms for storage and an extra kitchen for large groups.
The Field Station is close to the saltmarsh, which is the main study site for most of the research. The Oystercatcher population has been intensively studied for many years. Barnacle and Brent Geese utilize both the polder and the saltmarsh. There is a Starling colony nesting in boxes on the barn. Spoonbills are nesting on the saltmarsh and Waders are regularly caught and ringed on the mudflats.
Most of the activities are observations of colourmarked individual birds. During the field season, several observation towers are erected on the saltmarsh and even on the mudflats. From these hides, the animals can be observed without disturbance.
Supervisor of the Field Station is Jouke Franke.
Observation Tower
Last modified:
August 02, 2011 11:08
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Shellfish dredging pushes a flexible avian top predator out of a marine protected area
