Germany Special Protection Area for birds
Vogelschutzgebiet Wahner Heide
145 bird species recorded; the most in May.
A.Savin · CC BY-SA 3.0
This month here
95 species in January.87 species in February.87 species in March.107 species in April.129 species in May.110 species in June.88 species in July.89 species in August.85 species in September.84 species in October.69 species in November.53 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
145 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).
- 145Speciesrecorded more than once
- 67Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 2ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 17,607Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 76 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 13Raptors
- 4Owls
- 3Waders
- 3Gulls & seabirds
- 14Ducks & geese
- 5Herons, ibises & grebes
- 3Storks & cranes
- 78Songbirds
- 22Other 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 145 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors13 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European Honey-buzzardPernis apivorus
- Eurasian GoshawkAccipiter gentilis
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Western Marsh HarrierCircus aeruginosus
- Black KiteMilvus migrans
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Hen HarrierCircus cyaneus
- Short-toed eagleCircaetus gallicus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
Owls4 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Long-eared OwlAsio otus
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Northern Eagle OwlBubo bubo
Waders3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
Gulls & seabirds3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Common GullLarus canus
Ducks & geese14 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- Greater White-fronted GooseAnser albifrons
- Ruddy ShelduckTadorna ferruginea
- Red-crested pochardNetta rufina
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
Herons, ibises & grebes5 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Great White EgretArdea alba
Storks & cranes3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common CraneGrus grus
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
- Black storkCiconia nigra
Songbirds78 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great titParus major
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Short-toed treecreeperCerthia brachydactyla
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Red-backed ShrikeLanius collurio
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- WoodlarkLullula arborea
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- European Crested TitLophophanes cristatus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibillatrix
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- European Pied FlycatcherFicedula hypoleuca
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Common NightingaleLuscinia megarhynchos
- Melodious WarblerHippolais polyglotta
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Lanius excubitorLanius excubitor
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- WhinchatSaxicola rubetra
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- European SerinSerinus serinus
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Marsh warblerAcrocephalus palustris
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Eurasian Golden OrioleOriolus oriolus
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- African StonechatSaxicola torquatus
- Common crossbillLoxia curvirostra
- Northern NutcrackerNucifraga caryocatactes
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Icterine warblerHippolais icterina
- Iberian ChiffchaffPhylloscopus ibericus
Other birds22 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- European SwiftApus apus
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Middle Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocoptes medius
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- CootFulica atra
- Black WoodpeckerDryocopus martius
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Alexandrine ParakeetPsittacula eupatria
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Grey-headed WoodpeckerPicus canus
- European Turtle DoveStreptopelia turturVU
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- WryneckJynx torquilla
- Bee-eaterMerops apiaster
- CockatielNymphicus hollandicus
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°74 mm
- Feb6°/-1°62 mm
- Mar10°/1°59 mm
- Apr15°/4°44 mm
- May19°/8°64 mm
- Jun22°/12°68 mm
- Jul25°/14°75 mm
- Aug24°/14°79 mm
- Sep20°/10°57 mm
- Oct15°/6°61 mm
- Nov9°/3°70 mm
- Dec5°/0°77 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Vogelschutzgebiet Wahner Heide.
Special protection area in the EU defined by the birds directive in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Vogelschutzgebiet Wahner Heide is a Special Protection Area under the EU Birds Directive in Germany.
145 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 17,607 open records.
The most recorded are the Great tit, the Eurasian Blue Tit and the Eurasian Blackbird.
42 species come for the summer, 25 for the winter and 0 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
- Campinggemeinschaft Rösrath 1973 e.V.campsite · 5.1 km · 18 within 10 km
- Hotel Neoplace to stay · 2.1 km · 162 within 10 km
- Eilnearest town · 2.7 km in a straight line
- Cologne Bonn Airport (CGN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 4 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
- 33marked trails within 4 kmKölnpfad, [<4] Erna-Schreiber-Weg [Bergisch-Gladbach], X22 Kurkölner Weg [Köln] and 30 more
- 5visitor centres within 6 kmDB Reisezentrum, Infozentrum Wahner Heide and 3 more
- 14viewpoints within 5 kmAussicht auf Becken 3, Seerosenblick, Besucherterrasse and 11 more
- 934car parks within 3 km
- 49restaurants and cafés within 3 km
- 18campsites within 10 kmCampinggemeinschaft Rösrath 1973 e.V., Camping Berger, Camping Sülztal and 15 more
- 162places to stay within 10 kmHotel Neo, Gasthaus Wessel, Forsbacher Mühle and 159 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 Vogelschutzgebiet Wahner Heide.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas62 mountains within 25 kmLüderich260 m · 7.4 kmKleiner Heck-Berg348 m · 19 kmHeckberg383 m · 21 kmDollendorfer Hardt247 m · 22 kmWeilberg242 m · 24 kmStenzel-Berg287 m · 24 kmPetersberg336 m · 24 kmNonnenstromberg336 m · 25 km
Lakeyas4 lakes within 15 kmWeilerhofer See0.2 km² · 8.3 kmStockemer See0.2 km² · 8.9 kmRotter See0.2 km² · 10 kmHöhenfelder See0.2 km² · 11 km
Darkskyas2 dark-sky places within 30 kmPlanetarium KölnBortle 8 · 14 kmAlte SternwarteBortle 8 · 19 km
Cavernyas2 caves within 20 kmZwergenhöhle · 13 kmNibelungengrotte · 20 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.
Vogelschutzgebiet Wahner Heide
Germany
- 60Birdyas Score
- 145Species
- 67Migrants
- 2Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet Kottenforst-Waldville
Germany · 24 km
- 72Birdyas Score
- 197Species
- 85Migrants
- 5Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet Drover Heide
Germany · 44 km
- 70Birdyas Score
- 168Species
- 92Migrants
- 4Threatened
Vogelschutzgebiet 'Unterer Niederrhein'
Germany · 96 km
- 86Birdyas Score
- 211Species
- 99Migrants
- 9Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q2530104) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 17,607 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