Germany Special Protection Area for birds
Vogelschutzgebiet Buntsandsteinfelsen im Rurtal
143 bird species recorded; the most in May.
Leonhard Lenz · CC0
This month here
79 species in January.82 species in February.89 species in March.100 species in April.121 species in May.111 species in June.95 species in July.92 species in August.88 species in September.78 species in October.61 species in November.61 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
143 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 143Speciesrecorded more than once
- 71Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 13,583Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 254 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 14Raptors
- 4Owls
- 4Waders
- 3Gulls & seabirds
- 12Ducks & geese
- 5Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 77Songbirds
- 21Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 143 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Rough-legged BuzzardButeo lagopus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
- Little OwlAthene noctua
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
Waders4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
Gulls & seabirds3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Ducks & geese12 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
Herons, ibises & grebes5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- Black storkCiconia nigra
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds77 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Great titParus major
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- Ring OuzelTurdus torquatus
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Crested larkGalerida cristata
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
Other birds21 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- European SwiftApus apus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- CootFulica atra
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
- European NightjarCaprimulgus europaeus
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
- European Water RailRallus aquaticus
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species in May.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan2°/-2°86 mm
- Feb3°/-2°76 mm
- Mar7°/0°72 mm
- Apr12°/3°53 mm
- May16°/7°77 mm
- Jun20°/10°79 mm
- Jul22°/12°84 mm
- Aug22°/12°90 mm
- Sep18°/8°66 mm
- Oct13°/5°70 mm
- Nov7°/2°78 mm
- Dec3°/-1°90 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Vogelschutzgebiet Buntsandsteinfelsen im Rurtal.
Special protection area in the EU defined by the birds directive in Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany
Vogelschutzgebiet Buntsandsteinfelsen im Rurtal is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Germany, 254 m above the sea.
143 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 13,583 open records.
The most recorded are the Eurasian Blackbird, the Common Wood Pigeon and the Common Buzzard.
50 species come for the summer, 20 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
2 are threatened worldwide, including European Turtle Dove and Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded in May.
Get there and watch
- Wohnmobilstellplatz Danzleycampsite · 3.5 km · 23 within 10 km
- Ratskeller Hotel & Restaurantplace to stay · 3.3 km · 68 within 10 km
- Nideggennearest town · 3.1 km in a straight line
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 47 km in a straight lineCar hire at CGN airport (Köln)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 1bird hides within 6 km
- 2observation towers within 6 km
- 24marked trails within 4 kmPanoramaweg West, Mausauel, Heimbacher Burgen and 21 more
- 4visitor centres within 6 kmNationalpark-Tor Nideggen, Nationalpark-Infopunkt Zerkall, Eifelverein Winden and 1 more
- 43viewpoints within 5 kmEngelsblick, Felsenblick, Burgwand and 40 more
- 20car parks within 3 km
- 2restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 23campsites within 10 kmWohnmobilstellplatz Danzley, Hetzinger Hof 1, Haus Friedensthal and 20 more
- 68places to stay within 10 kmRatskeller Hotel & Restaurant, Dürener Hütte, Haus Mühlbach and 65 more
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Vogelschutzgebiet Buntsandsteinfelsen im Rurtal.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas164 mountains within 25 kmHill 400401 m · 6.1 kmSonnen-Berg393 m · 6.4 kmVerbrannter Berg516 m · 10 kmWildbretshügel525 m · 11 kmHerkelstein434 m · 18 kmStockert434 m · 19 kmEigart566 m · 20 kmDonnerberg287 m · 22 km
Lakeyas7 lakes within 15 kmNeffelsee0.6 km² · 6.6 kmTalsperre Obermaubach0.4 km² · 6.6 kmRur Reservoir5.9 km² · 8.6 kmZülpicher See0.8 km² · 9.6 kmUrfttalsperre1.4 km² · 13 kmDürener Badesee0.3 km² · 14 kmWehebachtalsperre1.1 km² · 14 km
Cavernyas1 caves within 20 kmKakus cave · 19 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Other places nearby.
Vogelschutzgebiet Buntsandsteinfelsen im Rurtal
Germany
- 60Birdyas Score
- 143Species
- 71Migrants
- 2Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet Drover Heide
Germany · 4 km
- 70Birdyas Score
- 168Species
- 92Migrants
- 4Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet Kottenforst-Waldville
Germany · 39 km
- 72Birdyas Score
- 197Species
- 85Migrants
- 5Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet Kermeter-Hetzinger Wald
Germany · 10 km
- 56Birdyas Score
- 128Species
- 54Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q61040476) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 13,583 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Lakeyas, Darkskyas, Cavernyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Visit mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Visit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit 
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Visit caves
Every cave with its real depth and length: the rock above, the temperature inside all year, and how to visit.Visit 
dark skies
Where the night is still dark: the sky of every place, the Milky Way month by month, the Moon, eclipses and auroras.Visit 
viewpoints
Every viewpoint with its real 360° panorama: the peaks you can name, how far you see and where the sun sets.Coming soonVisit 
birdwatching
Every bird sanctuary and wetland with the species recorded month by month: who is resident, who comes for the summer, who only passes through.You are here
forests
Every forest with its land-cover rings, what grows and lives in it, and the best months to walk it.Coming soonVisit