Germany bird observatory
Institute of Avian Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland"
106 bird species recorded; the most in May.
Gerd Fahrenhorst · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
61 species in January.45 species in February.55 species in March.57 species in April.80 species in May.71 species in June.66 species in July.36 species in August.24 species in September.31 species in October.38 species in November.14 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.
NT
NT
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
106 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).
- 106Speciesrecorded more than once
- 49Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 0ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 2,572Recordsopen records within 2 km
- 7Raptors
- 3Owls
- 4Waders
- 7Gulls & seabirds
- 9Ducks & geese
- 6Herons, ibises & grebes
- 2Storks & cranes
- 55Songbirds
- 13Other 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 106 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- White-tailed EagleHaliaeetus albicilla
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
Waders4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
Gulls & seabirds7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Common GullLarus canus
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Pontic gullLarus cachinnans
- Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus
Ducks & geese9 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
Herons, ibises & grebes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodia
- Great White EgretArdea alba
Storks & cranes2 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds55 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- Great titParus major
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Common RosefinchCarpodacus erythrinus
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
Other birds13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- CootFulica atra
- European SwiftApus apus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
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°/0°76 mm
- Feb4°/0°60 mm
- Mar8°/1°52 mm
- Apr12°/4°38 mm
- May16°/8°54 mm
- Jun19°/12°64 mm
- Jul22°/14°83 mm
- Aug22°/14°79 mm
- Sep18°/11°65 mm
- Oct14°/8°71 mm
- Nov8°/4°74 mm
- Dec5°/1°78 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Institute of Avian Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland".
Research institute in Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Institute of Avian Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland" is a bird observatory in Germany.
106 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 2,572 open records.
The most recorded are the Eurasian Blackbird, the Great tit and the European Robin.
26 species come for the summer, 21 for the winter and 2 only pass through.
The most species are recorded in May.
Get there and watch
- Official informationAccess, hours and rules from those who manage the place.Official site↗
- Camping-Club Grüner Waldcampsite · 3.1 km · 20 within 10 km
- Hotel Restaurant Rüstersieler Hofplace to stay · 0.3 km · 150 within 10 km
- Wilhelmshavennearest town · 1.9 km in a straight line
- Sea-Airport Cuxhaven/Nordholz / Nordholz Naval Airbase (FCN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 43 km in a straight lineCar hire at BRE airport (Bremen)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
- 2visitor centres within 6 kmADFC - KV Wilhelmshaven, Wilhelmshavener Touristik & Freizeit GmbH
- 10viewpoints within 5 kmRüstringer Berg, Schleusenblick and 8 more
- 279car parks within 3 km
- 26restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 20campsites within 10 kmCamping-Club Grüner Wald, Wohnmobil-Parkplatz am Nautimo, Wohnmobilstellplatz Cleanpark Banter Weg and 17 more
- 150places to stay within 10 kmHotel Restaurant Rüstersieler Hof, Ferienwohnung Altengroden Süd, Nordseehotel Wilhelmshaven and 147 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 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 Institute of Avian Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland".
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas1 mountains within 25 kmWolters-Berg · 13 km
Coastya1 beaches within 10 kmFriesenstrand · 9.0 km
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmLake Bant0.8 km² · 6.2 kmAccumer See0.3 km² · 7.5 kmHooksieler Binnentief0.6 km² · 8.5 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Institute of Avian Research "Vogelwarte Helgoland"
Germany
- 51Birdyas Score
- 106Species
- 49Migrants
- 0Threatened
Niedersächsisches Wattenmeer und angrenzendes Küstenmeer
Germany · 13 km
- 56Birdyas Score
- 144Species
- 51Migrants
- 2Threatened
Ostfriesische Seemarsch zwischen Norden und Esens
Germany · 43 km
- 61Birdyas Score
- 159Species
- 69Migrants
- 2Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q879943) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 2,572 open bird records within 2 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, Coastya, Lakeyas |
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
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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