Germany Special Protection Area for birds
Westermarsch
150 bird species recorded; the most in May.
Ulamm ( talk ) · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
92 species in January.38 species in February.63 species in March.74 species in April.116 species in May.73 species in June.45 species in July.68 species in August.75 species in September.71 species in October.41 species in November.54 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.




























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- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
150 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).
- 150Speciesrecorded more than once
- 67Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 4,573Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 11Raptors
- 4Owls
- 22Waders
- 7Gulls & seabirds
- 19Ducks & geese
- 5Herons, ibises & grebes
- 67Songbirds
- 15Other 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 150 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors11 species
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Montagu's HarrierCircus pygargus
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
- MerlinFalco columbarius
Owls4 species
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Waders22 species
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- RedshankTringa totanus
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Pied AvocetRecurvirostra avosetta
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresNT
- Grey PloverPluvialis squatarolaVU
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Spotted RedshankTringa erythropus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula
- Bar-tailed godwitLimosa lapponicaNT
- Red KnotCalidris canutusNT
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- American golden ploverPluvialis dominica
- Eurasian WhimbrelNumenius phaeopus
Gulls & seabirds7 species
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Black TernChlidonias niger
- Arctic TernSterna paradisaea
Ducks & geese19 species
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Brent GooseBranta bernicla
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common EiderSomateria mollissimaNT
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- SmewMergellus albellus
Herons, ibises & grebes5 species
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great White EgretArdea alba
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
Songbirds67 species
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- BluethroatLuscinia svecica
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- European Rock PipitAnthus petrosus
- Shore LarkEremophila alpestris
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- TwiteLinaria flavirostris
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Snow BuntingPlectrophenax nivalis
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Bearded ReedlingPanurus biarmicus
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
Other birds15 species
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- European SwiftApus apus
- CootFulica atra
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
- Indian PeafowlPavo cristatus
- 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.
- Jan4°/1°80 mm
- Feb5°/0°63 mm
- Mar7°/2°54 mm
- Apr12°/5°39 mm
- May16°/9°56 mm
- Jun19°/12°66 mm
- Jul21°/15°83 mm
- Aug21°/15°86 mm
- Sep18°/12°70 mm
- Oct14°/8°75 mm
- Nov9°/5°77 mm
- Dec6°/2°83 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Westermarsch.
Special protection area in the EU defined by the birds directive in Niedersachsen, Germany
Westermarsch is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Germany.
150 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 4,573 open records.
The most recorded are the Eurasian Blackbird, the Great tit and the Eurasian Chaffinch.
29 species come for the summer, 31 for the winter and 7 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Grey Plover.
The most species are recorded in May.

Get there and watch
- DKV Stationcampsite · 4.3 km · 11 within 10 km
- Fährhauslodgesplace to stay · 1.3 km · 371 within 10 km
- Osteelnearest town · 4.0 km in a straight line
- Groningen Airport Eelde (GRQ)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 63 km in a straight lineCar hire at GRQ airport (Groningen)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
- 1marked trails within 4 kmStörtebekerweg
- 1visitor centres within 6 kmKurverwaltung/Touristinformation Samtgemeinde Hage
- 4car parks within 3 km
- 11campsites within 10 kmDKV Station, Schwarzer Weg, Stellplatz Tjücher Moortun and 8 more
- 371places to stay within 10 kmFährhauslodges, Smutje, Hotel Ostfriesland and 368 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- viewpoints within 5 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Westermarsch.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q61040280) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 4,573 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 |
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.



