Helgoland

This article is a stub. This article is short and lacking information. You can help the BirdForum Opus by expanding it.

Overview

Helgoland (or Heligoland) is just a small island in the North Sea, belonging to Germany. In fact there are two islands, the main island with a small harbour and the village and a smaller, sandy one, called Düne with the airport. Like other island as the Orkneys, the Scillies or Ile d'Ouessant, Helgoland attracts a great variety of migrating birds, including a lot of rarities. Until 2007 a total of 425 species has been recorded!

Birds

Notable Species

Helgoland holds the only colony in Germany of Common Guillemots, Razorbills, Northern Gannets and Black-legged Kittiwakes. Common Rosefinches are also breeding birds. Migration can be spectacular on and around the island. Ducks and Geese (eg Pink-footed Goose) are passing, Waders are restin, Passerines are looking for shelter, Skuas are chasing all species of Gulls (eg Sabine's Gull and Shearwaters are circling on the waves.

Rarities

To do

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Bewick's Swan, Brant Goose, Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Bean Goose, Pink-footed Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Greylag Goose, Common Shelduck, Gadwall, Eurasian Wigeon, Eurasian Teal, Mallard, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Greater Scaup, Common Eider, Long-tailed Duck, Black Scoter, Velvet Scoter, Common Goldeneye, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Common Quail, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Horned Grebe, Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Northern Fulmar, Sooty Shearwater, Northern Gannet, Great Cormorant, European Shag, Eurasian Bittern, Grey Heron, Osprey, European Honey Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Roughleg, Common Buzzard, Merlin, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Water Rail, Common Morhen, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Pied Avocet, Grey Plover, European Golden Plover, Northern Lapwing, Little Ringed Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Whimbrel, Eurasian Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Woodcock, Jack Snipe, Common Snipe, Common Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Ruddy Turnstone, Red Knot, Sanderling, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Purple Sandpiper, Dunlin, Parasitic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Great Skua, Little Auk, Razorbill, Common Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Black-egged Kittiwake, Little Gull, Common Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, work in progress

Other Wildlife

To do

Site Information

History and Use

To do

Areas of Interest

To do

Access and Facilities

To do

Contact Details

To do

External Links

• Website of the Ornithological Society Helgoland with latest sightings
• Official Website of the tourist board of Helgoland

Content and images originally posted by MonteCristo

Reviews

MonteCristo's review

Pros

• Best place for rare birds in autumn

Cons

• Too many constructions