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Description
The scenic valley of the river Havel near Havelberg, which is extensively flooded in winter and spring, is home to several species of water fowl, grebes (all four breeding species of Central Europe!), raptors and waders.
The connecting road between Havelberg and Jederitz runs above the river dike which crosses the area and separates the dike forland in the southwest from the actual floodplain in the northeast. The dike top provides a good overview of the surroundings. There is also a comfortable bird watching hide on the northeast side of the dike.
The southwest part is a grassland polder criss-crossed by ditches and flooded from winter to midsummer. A large Hættemåge colony is located here, which also contains colonies of Sorthalset Lappedykker and Hvidskægget Terne. The latter one is the most south-westerly regularly occupied breeding site in Central Europe and also the only one in central Eastern Germany. Other breeding bird species are Gråstrubet Lappedykker, Trane, Atlingand, Rørhøg and Bynkefugl.
Northeast of the dike lies the floodplain of the Havel with meadows, oxbows, reeds and willow trees. It’s regularly flooded in winter and spring. Nesting aids for the Sortterne are placed in an oxbow (“Trentsee”) every year and are well accepted. Sorthalset Lappedykker, Gråstrubet Lappedykker and Trane also breed here, as well as the Fjordterne in several years. In Winter nordic geese (mainly Blisgås) and Sangsvane use the floodplains as a roost. The Havørn visits the area regularly to forage.
Details
Access
The area is easy to get to by car and bicycle. The best starting point for explorations is the small parking lot at the observation hut. The best time of day for observations at the pumping station (850 meters northwest of the parking lot) on sunny days is the late afternoon.