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Juist

Eastern Frisia  >  Germany

The island of Juist has a mosaic of habitats. The short distances makes for spectacular birding all year round. Excellent winter birding, too.

Added* by Nadja
Most recent update 2 February 2023

Description

Often overlooked, the lovable little island of Juist is a heaven for birdwatchers. It is easy to travel on foot or by bicycle and a variety of different habitats are nested in a small space. Mudflats, salt marshes, meadows, reedbeds, sandy beaches and a shallow fresh water lake alternate with woodland and rural habitats. Expect the unexpected!

Charismatic breedig birds include Eurasian Spoonbill, Short-eared Owl, Hen Harrier and Common Ringed Plover. Regular winter visitors include Smew, Common Scoter and Snow Bunting. In winter, watch the spectacle of tens of thousands of waders roosting during high tide including Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Sanderling, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwit, Red Knot. Hundreds of ducks flock on the small fresh water lake and are really easy to observe from November through February include Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Teal, Northern Shoveler, Common Goldeneye, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon and Northern Pintail.

Details

Access

Park at the "Inselparker" spots or take the train to Norddeich Mole and take a ferry, express ferry or a short flight to the island of Juist. On the island rent a bicycle from the many bike rentals to get around. Check the ferry/flight schedules regularly, as they change seasonally and due to weather conditions cancellations can happen especially in winter.

Terrain and Habitat

Scattered trees and bushes , Grassland , Sea , Dunes , Reedbeds , Mud flats , Beach , Lake , Wetland

Conditions

Flat , Sandy , Wet , No shadow , High water possible , Open landscape

Circular trail

Yes

Is a telescope useful?

Yes

Good birding season

All year round , Winter

Best time to visit

Spring migration , Autumn migration , Winter , Spring

Route

Paved road , Unpaved road , Narrow trail , Wide path

Difficulty walking trail

Average walk

Accessible by

Foot , Bicycle

Birdwatching hide / platform

Yes

Links

View other birding spots in the area that are published on Birdingplaces

Map

Top 5 birds

Hen Harrier
1. Hen Harrier
(Circus cyaneus)
Eurasian Spoonbill
2. Eurasian Spoonbill
(Platalea leucorodia)
Smew
3. Smew
(Mergellus albellus)
Short-eared Owl
4. Short-eared Owl
(Asio flammeus)
Snow Bunting
5. Snow Bunting
(Plectrophenax nivalis)

Other birds you can see here

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