Dear Nico, as a ranger you spend a lot of time in the Schlaubetal, often in hiking boots. Do you sometimes look up to the treetops and clouds?
Yes, regularly. Because of the high proportion of forest in the Schlaubetal, you often can't see very far. Here, the beautiful lakes and fields offer the chance to see a little further. And looking up into the sky regularly allows you to see circling birds.
Which bird species are regular visitors to the nature park?
The typical bird species of the forest, such as the great spotted woodpecker and black woodpecker, but also the tawny owl, chaffinch and nuthatch, are regular visitors. Great crested grebes and goldeneyes can be seen regularly on the lakes, skylarks in the fields and woodlarks in the drier habitats.
Which encounters are you particularly looking forward to?
II am always delighted to see begging young birds that almost drive their parents crazy. For me, this is a sign that everything has gone well with the breeding and rearing of the young and that they will soon be able to start their own lives. Birds are like us humans, some live with their parents at home forever and others can't break away fast enough.
Are the same species out and about in the shimmering summer as in the icy winter?
Most species that spend the summer here migrate to warmer climes in the winter months. The most important thing is the availability of food, which is why the majority of insectivorous bird species head south. We then receive guests from the far north, such as bramblings and redpolls, for which the winter here is quite pleasant.
Birds are seen as a symbol of freedom and lightheartedness. A fascination that perhaps also carries over into a birdwatching tour?
Birds know no boundaries and sometimes fly halfway around the world in the course of a year. If you want to track down birds, you will often come across species of birds in the different habitats that you have already seen at your holiday destination or in a completely different corner. Their song mainly serves to mark territory against rivals, to woo a partner and is of course also the epitome of joie de vivre. On beautiful days in autumn, when courtship and territorial fights have long since ended, many birds still have a trilling song on their lips, which can only be an expression of good humor and lightheartedness.
There are certainly some special types, irresistible characters among the bird species – who would you like to introduce?
The black woodpecker. It is the largest woodpecker in our forests in the Schlaubetal and can often be heard at a high volume. The extremely fast and loud hammering against dry branches is also typical of the black woodpecker. This makes it even bigger than it already is, just like showing off. But if you get really close to it, it usually hides on the opposite side of the tree or flies away, cursing loudly.
Is the Schlaubetal the perfect place to combine being outdoors and birdwatching?
Definitely yes. Here you can experience peace and quiet and therefore have a very good opportunity to not only hear birds but also see them. The quieter and more undisturbed the landscape is, the more familiar the birds are and the more they allow us to see them. There are particularly good conditions for bird watching near water, on the edge of forests or in fields.