Birdwatching at Bislicher Insel in spring

Between 2019 and 2024, my wife and I visited the Bislicher Insel nature reserve about fifteen times for birdwatching and photographing the birdlife there. Each visit offered a different mix of species, depending on the season and weather conditions.

In the following sections, I would like to introduce some of the birds we observed throughout the year. I’ll start with spring — the season when activity is at its peak and when I have taken most of my photos.

Spring

Let’s begin with the white stork, which can often be seen striding through the meadows

White stork striding through the meadows

in search of food and returning to claim its nest.

Songbirds are everywhere — perched in the trees and on the rooftops, their songs creating a constant background to the landscape.

A male chaffinch sits in a roadside tree, its colorful plumage standing out against the new spring leaves.

A female common linnet busily collects twigs and grass for her nest,

while the male perches close by, singing to defend his territory.

From within the dense bushes, a common whitethroat appears for a moment, watching its surroundings before slipping back into cover.

A common whitethroat peeks out from the bushes

A common chiffchaff perches on a branch in the warm spring sunlight, calling softly between pauses.

A stock dove perches on an electricity pylon, warming itself in the morning sun.

A black kite rests on a bare tree in the distance, scanning the meadows below.

The waterways and floodplains of Bislicher Insel are home to a large number of birds. A northern shoveler and a mallard swim peacefully side by side, while a Eurasian coot carries material for its nest. Nearby, a great crested grebe is already out and about with its chicks, navigating the water with careful precision.

At the edge of the flood basins, Northern lapwings, common redshanks, little ringed plovers, and Blue headed wagtails dart about, while greylag geese graze quietly on the neighboring meadows.

In addition to the many bird species, other animals can also be observed on Bislicher Insel — sheep that keep the vegetation short, a hare appearing at dusk, and butterflies basking in the sun.