Every spring, Bote de Boer from Tjerkwerd waits for the black-tailed godwit. In the rest of Friesland this meadow bird has almost disappeared, but on his land it still breeds in large numbers. Bote keeps the groundwater high and the grassland rich in herbs, and accepts that his cows give less milk. His wife Astrid supports him, but their sons want to take over the farm, and would run it differently.

Barbara Makkinga turned it into an honest and warm film, spoken in Frisian. Vogels kun je niet melken (“You Can’t Milk Birds”) opened in Dutch cinemas in February 2024 and was broadcast by Human in the 2Doc strand on NPO 2. I filmed the nature footage.