Birding Germany's North Coast
Germany's Baltic coast was a wonderful getaway on this adventure. We love the coast where we live, so no surprise, we loved the coast in Germany! We found some great birds and relaxation to the north!
Germany's North Coast is genuinely beautiful and excellent birding territory. It sits right in the middle of one of Europe's major migratory flyways, it's packed with diverse habitats, and rarely crowded or bustling. That's a pretty good combination.
Here's a rundown of the spots we hit and why I loved each one:
Linumer Teiche, Brandenburg
Linumer Teiche is a network of shallow ponds in Brandenburg that dates back to medieval fish farming. The ponds were originally built in the 13th century to supply fish to local monasteries, and they've been creating excellent bird habitat ever since. This place is even more special because of a variety of water depths across the pond system: deep open water for diving duck, shallow muddy margins for waders, and dense vegetation for marsh birds. That range of habitats in a relatively compact area means a great variety of cool birds!
Jemnitzschleuse, Rostock
Jemnitzschleuse is a river lock on the Warnow just outside Rostock. The lock creates a habitat edge where slow, still water on one side meets faster-moving water on the other, and that kind of transition zone concentrates feeding activity in a way that open water simply doesn't. We stopped here just because it was the first look at the Baltic and we just had to see it!
Karrendorfer Wiesen
This is a coastal marsh reserve, a shallow lagoon system that runs along the southern Baltic coast. The habitat mix is excellent: extensive reed beds, open shallow water, and wet meadows that transition into drier grassland at the edges. That variety means the bird list changes depending on exactly where you are! The elevated viewpoints along the shore give you sight lines across the reed bed that path-level walking simply can't. This was a lovely place to walk around and we had it pretty much to ourselves, like more places on the north side. This is just such a lovely area. We had our first Kinder eggs at the end of this hike, and I got the Panda that I wanted in the first egg! He still sits on my desk at home today.
Nationalpark Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft & Prerow Westrand
This was our journey into a Nationalpark and it did not disappoint. The Weststrand is not a beach you stumble onto. Reachable only on foot or by bike through the Darßer forest, the approach matters as much as the destination. When the trees finally open up, the Baltic appears in front of you and the tourist infrastructure feels a long way back. This is as much of a natural beach as I could imagine, and its beauty is in the wildness it holds. These wild beaches were my favorite habitats of the whole trip! We walked a lot here, so we were glad we packed our lunches and got to sit and eat them on a windy beach! (More pickle and egg sandwiches, yes!)
Wampener Strand
After the wildness and wind of the Westrand, the Dampener Strand offered a more sheltered, yet natural beach. This is a more sheltered area of coastline, which means sea-watching here was a little more comfortable. Being on these beaches in Germany was a truly special part of our time there. If you know me at all, you know I love a beach with birds!
Our Stay In Sundhagen
Our mornings at the home we rented in Sundhagen were marked by a peaceful symphony of bird songs. The porch of our cozy accommodation became our favorite spot to enjoy breakfast while watching the birds. The surrounding hedgerows and fields were active with birds every morning. We may have missed out on seeing storks on the nest platforms, but we were so pleased to hear and see cranes every morning!
When we first started planning our time in Germany, I knew that I wanted to visit the north coast. I was hoping for some sandy beaches and weird birds, and was not at all disappointed. But we also met a much slower “small town” pace and it was an absolutely lovely part of our time there.
This is part three of a four-part series from our 2023 trip to Germany. Here are links to all four:
