A rare moment in nature. It takes a lot of luck and a large portion of patience to get to see this shy and rare bird in the flesh during a hike on silent soles – the kingfisher.
Its colorful plumage makes it a very special eye-catcher among domestic birds. In Hude, especially in the primeval forest Hasbruch and on the hiking trail along the Huder Bäke (Berne) to the sculpture shore there is this opportunity. Time and again kingfishers breed here in undisturbed nooks and crannies along riverbanks. To do this, they dig burrows up to one meter deep.
These birds, which are particularly colorful in the sun, live on moderately flowing, clear waters such as the Hunte River. Only reluctantly are they disturbed. Especially when they hatch and raise their offspring. This is done up to three times a year in a burrow they have dug themselves. Kingfishers live on small fish and small aquatic animals such as tadpoles and dragonfly larvae.
In the Hasbruch, 78 different breeding bird species were detected during surveys, 16 of which are listed in the Red Lists. The species diversity in Hasbruch is the highest of 70 oak and hornbeam forests studied in northern and central Germany.
By the way:
One of our rooms bears the name of this beautiful bird. There they can view it up close and at their leisure.