RUITENBEEK W, K SCHARRINGA & P ZOMERDIJK (2012) Changes in the breeding bird community of the Dutch provence of Noord-Holland in the past 20 years. LIMOSA 85 (3): 117-130.

The distribution of the breeding birds of the Dutch province of Noord-Holland was investigated during the 1980s on basis of atlas squares (1x1 km; Ruitenbeek et al. 1990). This survey was repeated between 2005 and 2009, to investigate changes during the last 20 years (Scharringa et al. 2010). Both atlases were based partly on professional fieldwork with a large contribution by volunteers.
Between 1990 and 2009, 196 bird species plus two subspecies (of wagtails) bred with some certainty in Noord-Holland. The balance between species with decreasing and increasing populations is positive: 59% were new or increased, 12% were more or less stable and 29% decreased (Fig. 2). The majority of the most abundant breeding species (Table 1) increased in number and distribution, while 12 of 26 rare species (fewer than 100 pairs; Table 2) declined. In line with the coastal location of Noord-Holland and the predominantly open and wet character of its landscapes, species of which a disproportionately large part of the Dutch population breeds in this province are predominantly birds of water, shore, marsh and meadowlands (Table 3).
Change maps for seven groups of breeding birds characteristic for certain habitats show a general increase of species of woodland and shrub and a decrease of birds of various open habitats over the past 20 years (Figs 3-9). This is explained by a substantial increase of the amount of woodland and shrub, due to urbanisation and vegetation succession in reed marshes and dunes, caused by pollution, lack of management and the decimation of rabbit populations by diseases. Moreover, the meadowland birds suffered from intensification of agricultural management. Herbivorous waterfowl however profited from the latter development and are the only opencountry group showing a clear increase.
While breeding birds of open landscapes, like meadowlands, reed marshes, open dunes and dynamic coastal habitats are in trouble, more species increased than decreased in the province during the last two decennia, since woodland and bushes are richer in breeding birds (species and numbers) than open habitats. As a result, the breeding bird community of Noord-Holland increasingly resembles those of the rest of the Netherlands. This homogenisation occurs throughout the Netherlands and entails a loss of avian biodiversity on a national and European scale.

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