The Dutch bird protection society (Vogelbescherming) has webcams on the birds of eight nests so people can watch the birds from a safe distance and maybe catch a glimpse of eggs hatching.

“Among the birds being monitored are various owls and birds of prey, a stork and a coal tit. It is the fourth year in a row that the bird society has installed webcams close to nests.”

Pick a webcam here.

(Link: dutchnews.nl, Photo: beleefdelente.nl)

The zoo in Emmen, Drenthe found male Kodiak bear Mato dead last Tuesday night. Nobody knows why the 23-year-old bear died, it wasn’t sick or anything. The zoo is hoping a necropsy will give them some indication.

As a young cub, Mato ‘played’ in the film L’Ours (The Bear) by Jean-Jacques Annaud back in 1988.

(Link: rtvnoord.nl)

Every year around the holidays some of the same complaints rear their ugly heads and every year nothing is ever resolved except for the papers having something to polarize readers about. Although many people do celebrate Christmas in the Netherlands, the real gift-giving was last week, and as one person mentioned on Twitter, it’s time for lists of the best this and that and counting down until 2010.

Back by popular demand, animal activists whining about foie gras in restaurants. Ah yes, the decadent French and their foie gras. They mistreat animals and not serving it in the Netherlands is taking a stand. Why isn’t it banned then? Get on with it. And then list all the other bad things we do to animals and move on and leave Christmas alone!

Not being sure about putting up a Christmas tree in the lobby of a higher vocational school in The Hague because that’s not the best choice for a multicultural society. Excuse me? Nonsense. And it was nonsense, and misinterpretated and the Minister of Education, Ronald Plasterk apparently has time for this nonsense, too.

And in regional news, how about the city of Nijmegen digging a big hole to plant Christmas right in front of your store for Christmas as a recession gift? I can imagine that the big store is not amused with the city’s idea of decorating the square in front of it. The store found out in a letter sent on 3 December that was not even addressed properly.

Companies are apparently going to keep their Christmas parties cheap and I bet the traditional Christmas packages employees receive (I get people’s leftovers, I’m self-employed) won’t have anything special in them, never mind some employees having to drive to their office headquarters (!) to pick up the orange-flavoured powdered hot chocolate and the tuna with tomato and veggies in it.

Eiko Ishizawa, a Japanese designer living in Amsterdam designed this fun sleeping bag that doubles as a bear suit or maybe it’s the other way round, I can’t tell. If you do get attacked by a bear — surely not in the Netherlands — you can’t sue him, he explains. “Leave your bear sleeping bag in the tent and don’t turn the light on for the bear’s sake”.

I think someone’s been watching too many nature films, but inspiration is inspiration. I can see before me an entire cool collection of fun sleeping bag for kids if someone hasn’t picked up on this idea already.

(Link: idealize.nl, Photo: eikoishizawa.com)

After giving birth to a total of 170 piglets, breeding sow ‘Fokzeug 1281’ (’fok’ means ‘breed’ in Dutch before anyone asks) is getting a proper retirement instead of being turned into pork roast. Pig breeder Edwin Snoek from Heerhugowaard has decided that 1281 gets to spend the rest of its days at Het Beloofde Varkensland (The Promised Pigland) in Amstelveen with its last piglet, 170.

The picture here is of Caesar, a pig who had its own webcam at Promised Pigland.

(Link: meatandmeal.nl, Photo: varkensgeluk)

Way back in January 2008 we wrote a story about Shin-Chan, a giant Ashera cat (pic) that had been caged up at Schiphol Airport and not allowed to enter the country. The cat had been bought by a couple from Eindhoven for EUR 14,695 (US$22,000) from Lifestyle Pets in the United States.

According to Dutchnews.nl, owner Jeffrey Borrenberg told newspaper De Telegraaf he had never been allowed to know where the cat was and if it was being cared for properly. “This is what we were always afraid would happen,” he said. “Don’t tell me this is not an easy way to get rid of a difficult problem.”

The cat has been in custody for almost two years and just died.

(Link: dutchnews.nl)

No idea what to get your cat for Christmas? Well, your search is over! Get them something they’ll cherish forever: a cat sauna!

That’s right! Keep your feline friends toasty warm and at no more than 50 degrees celsius with their very own cat sauna from Interhiva. To see what it really looks like, cat and all, check out the pics and videos.

(Link: Bright.nl, Photo: Photo of Cat in human sauna by jsade, some rights reserved.)

Due to an unexpected rise in beached seals, seal rehabilitation centre Lenie ‘t Hart in Pieterburen, Groningen has called out for help in the form of bathtubs and pools. Yesterday morning, Radio 538 personality Edwin Evers told listeners to contribute, and so they did.

A spokesowman said that “more than 100 swimming pools and bathtubs were offered to them, even a jacuzzi.” The centre can handle about 80 seals a year and at the moment, they have more than 100 seals at one time. I suppose anyone who wants to help after reading this is more than welcome (info in English).

(Link: telegraaf, Photo: Photo of Seals by GerardM. Used under the terms of GNU FDL)

Two weeks ago I had the fattest herring I have had in a long time, but thinking that it might be fluke, I did not post about it. However, yesterday I went to the same fish store, and had the same experience. Highly recommended.

If you are currently in the Netherlands, this appears to be one of the better years to try this Dutch delicacy. Just in case the quality of the herring is a function of the store I bought it at, I buy mine at the Volendammer Vishandel J.C.M. Koning on the Eerste van der Helststraat in Amsterdam, just off the Albert Cuyp market.

Traditionally the herring is sold with onion bits and gherkin, but I usually leave out the latter as it tends to neutralize the already delicate herring flavour. The best herring is greasy and soft. In lesser years, the herring tends to be ruddy and firm.

Christien Meindertsma documented 185 products contributed to by a single pig in an exhibition at the Kunsthal in Rotterdam last year, and in a book (also available in a pigskin bound version, of course). Pig 05049 won her one of the five 2009 Index design awards in August.

The list of good things coming from a pig includes bacon of course, yoghurt, pudding, paints, enamels (bone china!), cigarettes, brakes, bullets, and washing powder. The distinct smell of crayons is pig.

The Index Award prize money, 100,000 euro, will go in part to making the book available on the web, but if you want print copies you can buy them via Amazon and so on. The print version shows all the products life-sized.

(Via Jason Kottke. Source photo: Indexaward.dk.)