A nice long weekend in late May visiting friends, with many thanks to all for the kind hospitality.
We had good birding about the Rhine rift valley north of Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemburg. The weather was also good, mainly cloudy with sunny intervals but one overnight front with light rain moved through quickly the following morning, temperatures around 20C. Please find a summary of the birding available in and around the Rhine rift valley at this time of the year.
Waghäusel, officially known as Wagbachniederung is essentially a wetland habitat located in the rift Valley a few kms east of the Rhine, in between Karlsruhe and Mannheim. Characterised by reedbeds, water meadows and basins this is a well known birding site. The main entrance is from the south, heading in just north and across the road from the church. On passing through the treelined southern perimeter the cover gives way to meadows flanked by plentiful hedges, then onto the basins and extensive nettlebeds meet reedbeds in the northern section of the reserve. Here an expansive 180 degrees view can be had overlooking pools and reedbeds to the north. In the main the paths are elevated throughout and this allows for extensive views and especially from the ‘Bluethroat’ benches at the T-junction overlooking the northern reedbed and accompanying pools, a favourite spot.
The hedgerows held many Nightingales and Blackcaps, from where several Turtle Doves 'purred', one of which appeared to be defending a territory. Red-backed Shrikes present across the reserve, usually found accompanied by or near to a disgruntled Blackcap. The nettlebed interior home to many singing Marsh Warblers. The areas of water held a variety of birds be it Greylag, Canada or Greylag Geese, Red-crested and Common Pochards, Mallard, Shoveler and Gadwall. The Purple Herons showed well on feeding flights or atop their tower nests, single Grey Heron and Great White Egret noted. A pair of Little Ringed Plovers were on a distant muddy area viewed from the 'Bluethroat' benches, a patch which held 2 Greenshanks and 3 Ringed Plovers on one of the two visits to the site. Black-necked, Little and Great Crested Grebes noted and several Yellow-legged Gulls in the area including a pair on a tussock in exactly the same place as the previous year, but Black-headed Gulls most common. A Black Kite tried several attempts of raiding the Black-headed Gull colony. Other raptors included Marsh Harriers, Red Kite, Buzzard and Kestrel throughout, with a brief flyby of a Hobby. Not to forget a passage Osprey that circled the reserve for at least 15 minutes inspecting the pools from up high without making a dive, before being escorted off site by a Corvid. White Storks plentiful either seen up above or feeding in a field. Back to the 'Bluethroat' benches where Bluethroats sang from reedbed bushes and showed with increasing confidence as time passed. Here, Bearded Reedlings glimpsed, Reed Warblers plentiful and a very showy and loud Savi's Warbler was present. Cuckoo regularly flew over the reedbed where Swifts, Swallows and House Martins were seen overhead. Away from the birds and several butterflies seen including Painted Lady. Onto the mammals that included a Red Squirrel bounding along the entrance track looking for the trees, a most unexpected sighting. A Fox seen sneaking up on waterbirds along the edge of one of the pools was too slow! Nutria (Coypu) swam slowly across the areas of water, this introduced species added to the variety this marshland has to offer.
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| Marsh Warbler |
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| Osprey |
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| Purple Heron |
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| Red-backed Shrikes |
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| Savi's Warbler |
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| White Storks |
Derdinger Horn Weinplateau, as may be inferred an area of vineyards, found a few kms beyond the eastern edge of the rift variety to the north east of Karlsruhe. The southern facing slopes offer walking trails below woodland, which itself offered mainly birds in song out of sight in the canopy or undergrowth, with a few species glimpsed. Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs the common songsters, Robins walked the shaded paths and a Hawfinch seen in the canopy. Outside of the wood and both Kites, Common Buzzard and Kestrel seen frequently as were Swifts. Along the vineyard slopes down to the shallow valley bottom characterised by small holding orchards, Red-backed Shrikes were present throughout some in scratchy song and Black Redstart plus Spotted Flycatchers noted. Cirl Buntings and Yellowhammers sang from cover, one without commenting on "no cheese", and the other with clear instruction. Other calling birds that remained out of sight along the walk down to a small lake included a mournful Grey-headed Woodpecker and monotone Wryneck. The latter only one of a few times that I've heard that species, sounds either like a Woodpecker or Falcon. The small lake held dragonflies including Broad-bodied Chasers.
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| Black Redstart |
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| Red-backed Shrike |
Weingartenermoor, a wet woodland nature reserve with marsh fringed lake near the town of Weingarten along the eastern edge of the rift valley, to the north east of Karlsruhe. A bird hide overlooking a large lake accessed along a woodland boardwalk, walking along becomes more precarious as the visits over the years tick by. The lake was calm and yielded expected species such as Cormorant and Coot plus a subadult Yellow-legged Gull stopped off. Black Woodpecker sounded off many times from tree cover and a brief distant calling Golden Oriole was also out of sight. Again both Kites were in the air plus Buzzard and Kestrel. Blackcaps and Chiffchaff sang from the woodland against a backdrop of calling Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
Elsewhere, local walks near Karlsruhe along trails of woodland fringed meadows characterised by a patchwork of small orchards and paddocks saw the hedgerows and bramble clumps home to at least 4 Red-backed Shrike territories and the occasional singing Nightingale. (Common) Redstart showed well here as did a Marsh Warbler in a bush along a reed-fringed ditch. A Reed Warbler sang from the same ditch only a few yards away, allowing for good study of the two different songs. White Storks in the area as were Common Buzzards and the two Kites. The woodland full of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs plus a family party of Short-toed Treecreepers and Nuthatch seen. Towards the end of the visit 3 calling Bee-eaters flew low to the south, sadly in silhouette against the mainly cloudy sky. Finally, a Honey Buzzard wing-clapped overhead continuing with such vigour over the nearby town, record photo below, where suburban Black Redstarts could be found singing from several rooftops. One morning a Serin was in full rattle on the top of a TV aerial.
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| Buzzard |
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| Honey Buzzard |
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| Red-backed Shrike |
