) to insert bird names in your own language. The birdnames will automatically be translated for other users!
Upload images
Allowed image types are jpeg,png,gif
Max file size is 20MB
Description
The Schellingwouderscheg includes five city parks (marked on the map). From west to east: Vliegenbos (forest), Rietland (scrub, reedbeds, small lake, young forest), Schellingwouderbreek (lake with natural shores), Schellingwouderpark (meadows and hedgerows, plus the shores of the Y canal) and the Schellingwouder Ecozone (reedbeds, scrub, overgrown woods).
This area is very good for birds of prey with krahujec obecný, káně lesní, jestřáb lesní, puštík obecný and formerly ostříž lesní all breeding in this urban nature reserve. They are most easily seen in Vliegenbos and Rietland. There's a very good chance of finding ledňáček říční anywhere there's water . In addition to the ubiquitous alexandr malý the area also has a lot of alexandr velký, keep an ear out for their distinctive calls as they fly over.
Vliegenbos sometimes harbours birds like dlask tlustozobý and brhlík lesní among the more common forest birds and is the best place to find holub doupňák. The žluna zelená seems to have mostly disappeared since the football fields in the park were converted to tennis courts, but they are still seen every now and then. The industrial area just to the south of Vliegenbos has breeding rehek domácí.
Rietland and Schellingwouderpark have some more open areas of scattered trees and scrub that can be good for pěnice hnědokřídlá, pěnice pokřovní, pěnice slavíková, budníček větší and occasionally kukačka obecná or slavík obecný . There are some small reedbeds in Rietland and Schellingwouderbreek that sometimes have rákosník proužkovaný, rákosník obecný and strnad rákosní. The meadows in Schellingwouderpark often have čáp bílý, ústřičník velký and Brown Hares in the early morning before people arrive. During migration there's a chance of kos horský here.
In harsh winters, birds that normally reside outside of the city enter these city parks, and then you can see lžičák pestrý, hvízdák eurasijský, polák velký, morčák velký, volavka bílá, bukač velký, Chřástal vodní, sluka lesní, bekasina otavní, drozd kvíčala and čejka chocholatá. In the much more common icefree winters you can still find drozd cvrčala, čížek lesní, králíček obecný, králíček ohnivý and pěnkava jikavec.
Keep an eye out for kvakoš noční and overflying orel mořský, both are very occasionally seen here. Other interesting animals include Grass Snake and Red Fox. Just to the north of this area are breeding colonies of volavka popelavá and berneška bělolící, both are marked on the map.
Just to the east of this route is the Schellingwouder Ecozone (marked on the map). Another small but wonderfully wild area with rákosník zpěvný and cetie jižní and a reasonable chance of kukačka obecná and slavík obecný .
The Schellingwouderscheg is constantly under threat from development: there are plans to build houses, infrastructure and turn the parks from wild city nature reserves to boring run of the mill urban parks. Already it can be very busy with people and dogs.
Details
Access
The best way to explore the area is by bike, but you can walk as well. The car isn't very practical here, as there is little (parking) space and it isn't very convenient getting from one of the parks to the other by car.
If you walked or cycled from Vliegenbos to Schellingwouderpark and don't want to go the same way back, you can take a northern route from Schellingwouderbreek, through the Baanakkerspark (marked on the map).