Panorama Photo

The Netherlands today is doing a great job to conserve nature. Although the Western Scheldt is the gateway to the ports of Antwerp, Ghent, Terneuzen and Sloehaven-Vlissingen, it is considered as the biggest natural reserve of the Netherlands. Of course the intense traffic will never end and constant dredging works, dike repair or reinforcement will always go on. Nonetheless, many areas along the dike, outside as well as inside are protected today. This pano shows such a classified area known as the 'Platen van Hulst (Plates of Hulst)'. Because this area is outside the dike, it is constantly influenced by the tide. Tide difference is huge: 4.5 m to 5.5 m.
We are at the foot of the dike. It is low tide and that is when many waterfowl are searching for food in the mud flats and gullies. As you can see it is something like a waterfowl paradise.
I often bike to this place, which is about 10 km from Terneuzen, to enjoy the relaxing sounds of nature.

Canon Eos M6 with EF-M 18-150 mm, 20 pics, 100 mm (160 mm KB, about 200 mm KB with pano crop), iso 200, f 6.3, 1/1000 s, PTGuiPro, 30000x2112, 21.7 MB jpeg, downsized 9018x500, 2.3 MB jpeg.