Hike & Qnnect Walk with Building Ecologist
On March 22, 2024, the Quadrant4 team, along with the Building Ecologist, welcomed the spring! During a delightful walk in the Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park, Martijn Perk personally guided us through the natural area and told us more about his work as an ecologist.
The weather stayed dry in the morning, so we put on our hiking shoes and wind jackets and set off. We departed together from Oisterwijk to Kaatsheuvel where we met Martijn at the Roestelberg parking lot. After a brief introduction and getting acquainted, we began our journey in the shifting sands, heading towards the forests and heathlands, searching for traces of wildlife in the Netherlands.
The Loonse en Drunense Duinen National Park is one of the largest living sand drift areas in Europe. It spans 375 hectares of shifting sands, earning it the nickname the Brabant Sahara. Due to the recent heavy rains, the small ponds in the sand drift area have become enormous water surfaces, so we continued our hike in higher elevated areas, namely through the forests.
The diversity of plant species attracts various insects, which in turn attract different bird species. At the beginning of the hike, Martijn let us listen to bird sounds, and together we tried to identify the bird species. In the background, sometimes you could hear unique exotic bird sounds from the Quadrant4 team, setting a nice atmosphere! Chatting away, we continued our route.
The badger is a true master builder, how cool would it be if we could spot its burrow? We continue to search in nature, looking for an "elevation" in the landscape. Here and there, we come across some animal burrows, but these are significantly smaller. Martijn talks about the badger's digging method, which is sideways. This movement can be recognized in the displaced earth just before a burrow.
The badger is a true omnivore; while foraging, it mainly eats earthworms, snails, and beetles, but also fallen fruit, nuts, and mushrooms. These are mainly found on the ground surface, just below, or just above. Using its claws from the forefoot, the badger digs for them. This results in a 'rooting hole': a small pit with a rough, frayed surface. Could this one have been made by the badger?
We continue walking, and on Martijn's guidance, we come across a dung pit. Badgers often make pits in the ground where they defecate. They also urinate in them or deposit an excretion. The contents of such pits likely emit an odor signal to delineate the territory. The pits keep the contents concentrated.
The route also showcases traces from the past, such as a machine gun nest from World War II. The scannable QR codes in the area provide a brief explanation online about the points of interest on our route. At the edges of the ammunition complex, the Germans built machine gun nests to guard the camp. Such a nest consisted of two large holes. One hole was a shelter closed off with beams on top. The other hole was meant for the machine gun. The remnants of long trenches are still clearly visible in the landscape.
On the way back from our hiking route, several group photos are taken. It feels great to be out in the fresh air; the walk has done good for us as a team. When we return to our starting point from 2 hours earlier, a healthy snack awaits us for our first hunger. With a sense of satisfaction, we continue our route back to the office for a delightful Friday afternoon lunch, time to relax and share our discoveries and adventures with those who stayed behind.
