The Boschplaat is the 10-kilometre long uninhabited eastern part of the Dutch Wadden island Terschelling. It is one of the largest salt marsh areas in the Waddensea. It covers almost 4,400 hectares of salt marshes, dunes, mud flats, dune forests and sandy beaches. The area is of great importance for 60-65 different species of breeding birds. For example, every year, hundreds of spoonbills, black backed gulls, short-eared owls and common eiders breed here. In spring and autumn the Boschplaat is of great international importance for 14 species of wetland birds according to the 1% of RAMSAR criteria. Many thousands of birds stop by to feed and rest; for example 18,000 dunlins, 25,000 bar tailed godwits, 13,000 red knots, 10,000 curlews and 3,000 brent geese. On a single day over 100,000 birds can be present.