Helgoland

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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, Brent 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, Great Bittern, Grey Heron, Osprey, European Honey Buzzard, Northern Harrier, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Rough-legged Buzzard, Common Buzzard, Merlin, Eurasian Hobby, Peregrine Falcon, Common Kestrel, Water Rail, Common Moorhen, 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 Jaeger, Pomarine Skua, Great Skua, Little Auk, Razorbill, Common Guillemot, Black Guillemot, Black-legged Kittiwake, Little Gull, Black-headed Gull, Mediterranean Gull, Mew Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Caspian Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Little Tern, Black Tern, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Common Woodpigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, European Turtle Dove, Common Cuckoo, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher, Eurasian Wryneck, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Eurasian Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike, Great Grey Shrike, Common Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Hooded Crow, Eurasian Penduline Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Woodlark, Eurasian Skylark, Horned Lark, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, Bearded Reedling, Long-tailed Tit, Wood Warbler, Pallas's Leaf Warbler, Yellow-browed Warbler, Willow Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Green Warbler, Common Grasshopper Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Marsh Warbler, Eurasian Reed Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Barred Warbler, Lesser Whitethroat, Common Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Bohemian Waxwing, Eurasian Treecreeper, Winter Wren, Common Starling, Mistle Thrush, Ring Ouzel, Eurasian Blackbird, Song Thrush, Fieldfare, Redwing, Spotted Flycatcher, Red-breasted Flycatcher, European Pied Flycatcher, Whinchat, European Stonechat, European Robin, Common Nightingale, Bluethroat, Black Redstart, Common Redstart, Northern Wheatear, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Tree Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, Rock Pipit, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Brambling, Hawfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Common Rosefinch, European Serin, Red Crossbill, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Siskin, Eurasian Linnet, Twite, Common Redpoll, Lapland Longspur, Snow Bunting, Yellowhammer, Ortolan Bunting, Reed Bunting

Other Wildlife

Grey Seal and Common Seal are easy to see all year around. They usually rest on the beaches of the Düne. Be careful and don't go closer than 30 metres! If the sea is calm it's possible to see Harbour Porpoise around the islands.

Site Information

History and Use

Populated by Frisians, the island was a pirate base in the Middle Ages. It first became Danish but was conquered by the British in 1807. 1890 Helgoland was swapped with Sansibar and became a part of Germany. As an important strategical naval base it was heavily used during both World Wars. After Word War II the inhabitants had to leave the island. The British tried to destroy all military tunnels and bunkers, bombing the island in 1947 heavily. Thus the created the Mittleland, destroying the southern part of the ancient Oberland. 1952 the islanders were allowed to return and to rebuild their village. Today the make their living mainly with tourism and with selling alcohol and more, as the island is VAT-free. Most tourists come in summer, but day tourists visit the island year round.

Most of the main island is built. Only a part of the Oberland is used as meadows for sheep. The northern part of the Unterland is a park with many bushes. The Düne holds the small airport and a camping ground.

Areas of Interest

To do

Access and Facilities

You can reach the island by ferry or by plane.

Ferries run from Cuxhaven (daily all year), Hamburg, Büsum, Wedel, Bremerhaven, Wilhelmshaven and Emden. The ship from Hamburg is a catamaran and therefore the fastest. However, seawatching is much better from the slower ships. Planes run from Hamburg, Bremerhaven, Cuxhaven and Heide.

There is plenty of accomodation on the island. The website of the tourist board is very helpful for finding something suitable.

Contact Details

To do

External Links

• Website of the Ornithological Society Helgoland with latest sightings
• Official Website of the tourist board of Helgoland
• Society for the protection of Nature in the North Sea

Content and images originally posted by MonteCristo

Reviews

MonteCristo's review

Pros

• Best place for rare birds in autumn

Cons

• Too many constructions