Tij (name explanation: This is a Dutch word joke. ?TIJ? means ?tide? which refers to the returning tides in the Haringvliet, but quickly pronounced it also means ?the egg?) Tij is the biggest and most striking of a series of objects designed to celebrate the opening of the Haringvliet sluices in November 2018.

The sluices were opened in order to improve water quality and biodiversity, while also stimulating fish migration from the North Sea to the river delta system of Maas and Rhine in the Netherlands. This will create a new, salt-resistant and salt-loving natural environment. The biodiversity in the surrounding nature reserves will increase and a more robust, healthier ecosystem will develop in the coming years.

To let people experience and explore these changes, a series of bird observatories have been designed in the Haringvliet area. Tij is an egg-shaped bird hide situated in Scheelhoek, a nature reserve close to the Haringvliet sluice near Stellendam, the Netherlands. The reserve consists of large reed beds on the inside of the coastal defences and some flat sand islands outside. These islands are breeding and feeding grounds for several species of birds like the common tern, spoonbill, and the icon of this area, the sandwich tern.
Tij observatory is part of a large scale landscaping plan where people can experience the Scheelhoek nature reserve in a walk from the car parking area to the Ei. Walking along the path, visitors can view several types of bird biotope fa...