Bathing time for the Tufted Ducks

Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes - collection

Two pair of Tufted Ducks, bathing in one of the many canals in the 'Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen' (the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes)

The Tufted Duck (Aythya fuligula) is a medium-sized diving duck with a population of close to one million birds.
The adult male is all black except for white flanks and a blue-grey bill. It has an obvious head tuft that gives the species its name. The adult female is brown with paler flanks, and is more easily confused with other diving ducks. It breeds widely throughout temperate and northern Eurasia. It occasionally can be found as a winter visitor along both coasts of the United States and Canada. It is believed to have expanded its traditional range with the increased availability of open water due to gravel extraction, and the spread of freshwater mussels, a favourite food. These ducks are migratory in most of their range, and winter in the milder south and west of Europe, southern Asia and all year in most of the United Kingdom. They will form large flocks on open water in winter.

Endangered
Tufted Ducks are on the IUCN list of threatened species, status: Least Concern
(source: Wikipedia )

The Amsterdamse Waterleidingduinen (the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes) have supplied drinking water to the capital since 1853. Before that the people of Amsterdam used to get their water from the canals. The same canals into which they threw their rubbish. Only the rich could afford clean drinking water. It was brought from the de Vecht river and sold in the city by the bucket. With their rich flora and fauna the water supply dunes have now become much more than just a supplier of drinking water.

Water galore in Amsterdam
A large proportion of Amsterdams tap water comes from the Amsterdam Water Supply Dunes between Zandvoort and the Langevelderslag beach. Large amounts of pre-cleaned rainwater and water from the Rhine are infiltrated into the dunes. Further purification takes place there using biological processes. There is sufficient water in this area for the people in Amsterdam and the surrounding area to shower and drink for two months without any problem.

New opportunities for nature
Nature conservation has become an increasingly important responsibility for the water company. Much is being done to give the original environment new opportunities. The landscape around the water collection system is particularly varied: high dune tips, moist dune valleys and old deciduous forests. The area has rich flora and fauna. More than 100 types of summer birds have been observed, among them the hen harrier and the bittern. Source: Coast alive



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