Het Oerd nature reserve

Nature reserve Het Oerd is known for its beautiful old dune area (without and behind dunes) with high dunes and damp dune valleys, which make the hike a special experience. Furthermore, the area has rich and the varied vegetation. The highest sand dune is no less than +24 metres and bears the name Oerdblinkert. On Het Oerd nature reserve, you can take a beautiful walk and enjoy a unique view of the salt marshes.

Fun fact: the name Oerd comes from a village that was once drowned. The salt marsh is a large plain covered with salt-loving plants such as sea lavender, glasswort and marsh grass. The salt marshes are intersected by winding channels, the creeks. At high tide and during storms, salt marshes can be largely submerged and thousands of birds can be seen. When low tide comes, the salt marsh comes dry again. Many blue and marsh harriers can be spotted in the area. A colony of over 3,300 pairs of herring gulls can be seen in the eastern sand dunes.

Outside the breeding season, many birds seek refuge on the mudflats. When they return in search of food because of high tide, they stay on The Oerd and The Hon. You will see many birds such as the redshank, curlew, black-tailed godwit, sandpiper and dunlin, especially in autumn.