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Description
The small river Selz has been renaturalised at this reserve and European Beavers have recolonised as well. Along with an area of flooded marshes, reedbeds, ponds, grassland and scattered riverine woodland, some regionally scarce breeders are present and over the years a wide variety of passage and winter birds have been recorded. Over 200 species are now on the reserve list. A concerted effort in Spring on a good day can produce 70 species at the reserve and along the river.
The main attraction for most will be spring and summer reedbed visitors, such as Варакушка, Соловьиный сверчок and Болотный лунь. Дроздовидная камышевка has become more regular. Усатая синица appears on passage and in some years has stayed to breed. Обыкновенный ремез has bred but nowadays is generally a scarce migrant. There is a Серая цапля colony and scarcer relatives such as Кваква, Малая белая цапля, Волчок, Рыжая цапля and Большая выпь have all been recorded in recent years, some regularly.
Passage waders can be found on the pools or flooded grasslands, but this is heavily dependent on weather and water level conditions. More regular are Черныш, Фифи, Перевозчик and Большой улит. Травник, Чернозобик, Малый зуёк, Галстучник, Турухтан and Щёголь are no longer regular but also possible. Local scarcities such as Большой веретенник, Шилоклювка, Средний кроншнеп, Краснозобик, Белохвостый песочник and even Плосконосый плавунчик have all been recorded here and along the river. Золотистая ржанка and Хрустан have been recorded migrating overhead on occasion.
Серый журавль, Чёрный аист and Белый аист are regular visitors, and the latter has started to breed. The woodlands hold good numbers of Южный соловей and Иволга. Средний пёстрый дятел has recently colonised the area. In adjacent meadows and scrub Обыкновенный жулан, Черноголовый чекан, Жёлтая трясогузка and Просянка can be found on passage and breeding. Домовый сыч and Ушастая сова breed, as does Чеглок, Красный коршун and Чёрный коршун.
Wildfowl numbers, mostly dabbing ducks, build up modestly in Spring and Autumn with Чирок-свистунок, Кряква, and Серая утка being the most easily encountered. Visibility can be a challenge with reeds obscuring the pools, so try using a scope from higher ground. In most winters, singles or low numbers of wild geese are recorded among the resident groups of Серый гусь, the most regular being Белолобый гусь, followed by Восточный тундровый гусь. A Лебедь-кликун was a recent and unusual overwinterer. Горный конёк is regular on passage and sometimes winter.
Details
Access
Limited free parking is available at a couple of small paved areas next to the L432 between Hahnheim and Sörgenloch. This road is also on a bus-route (652) with the nearest bus-stop at Wahlheimer Hof to the east of the reserve, or alternatively at Sörgenloch to the west. A path, paved only on most of the southern side, circumvents the pools, grassland, and reedbeds. Cycling this part of the southern edge is possible, but other stretches are often high grass (beware of ticks) and can be muddy depending on conditions. An official paved cycling route veers west of the reserve when at the south-western corner but returns to the Selz shortly afterwards. Beaver activity and excessive rain sometimes causes extensive localised flooding.