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Description
The city of Lucerne has adapted a small section of its otherwise artificial lakeshore to provide opportunities for waterfowl, gulls, and birdwatching. Ufschötti, a park along Lake Lucerne, is marked by expansive lawns and minimal infrastructure (1). Nearby, between Ufschötti and the marina, are two small breeding islands (2). While it is disheartening that these are the bay’s only semi-natural spaces, it is this limitation that allows them to host a concentrated diversity of waterbirds. Established in the 1980s, the islands are slated for restoration and expansion in winter 2024/5. The marina pier, accessible to visitors, provides excellent views of the lake (3). Nearly 200 bird species have been recorded in the area.
Breeding birds are relatively scarce. A flock of siva gos at Ufschötti has been a fixture for some years; they are the offspring of escapees. mali ponirek, Mokož, čopasti ponirek (with their spectacular mating ritual), and veliki žagar nest in the area. In the park's hedges, pogorelček can be seen from spring to autumn, alongside črnoglavi muhar, sivi muhar, and šmarnica. During autumn migration, the rjava penica is a notable visitor.
More interesting are the gulls and waterfowl. Among seasonal guests, the rjavi galeb is frequently observed from April through July. Autumn brings the mali martinec and the vodomec, which remains through winter. He is then joined by the sivi galeb and the kostanjevka. This particularly noteworthy species can regularly be seen alongside a few žličarica and thousands of čopasta črnica, tatarska žvižgavka, sivka, and konopnica, that spend the winter in the bay (with a few breeding couples staying here). With non-native algae and mussles colonizing the bay since the 1980s, numbers of wintering ducks have been increasing. It is worth scanning those: In some years, žvižgavka also appears, and rjavka has been observed. The kozica might be seen on the islands. Winter visitors that are rare in Switzerland but more commonly seen here include srebrni galeb and rumenonogi galeb, but they are not always easy to tell apart from the more numerous rumenonogi galeb.
Significant rarities recorded in the area, but dating back to the 1970s, are snežni strnad, rjavoglavi srakoper, beloperuta čigra, progastorepi kljunač, and beloceli deževnik. More recent exceptional observations include azteški galeb, ameriški mali martinec, veliki prodnik, kaspijska čigra, and sabljarka. A cooperative ploskokljuni liskonožec drew some attention from birdwatchers in 2022. With restoration of the Brutinseln planned for 2025, the area is poised to attract exciting species in the future.
Details
Access
The Ufschötti and Brutinseln area is some ten minutes by foot from Lucern, Central station. There is a parking right in front of (1) (click P on the map for directions). Everything is wheelchair accessible.