Evening Walk through the Stork Village — NABU Bergenhusen

Bergenhusen — the Stork Village

With around 25 breeding pairs of White Storks for approximately 950 inhabitants, Bergenhusen has the highest stork density in Germany. The municipality is located in the Eider-Treene-Sorge lowlands, a vast lowland river landscape in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, with wet meadows, brackish ditches, and salt marshes — the ideal mix of stork habitats. The success is also the result of decades of conservation efforts by NABU and the farmers of Bergenhusen.

Michael Otto Institute at NABU

The Michael Otto Institute, named after the mail-order entrepreneur Michael Otto, who generously supports NABU, is the most important stork research institute in Germany. It manages the stork population statistics, the ringing of young birds, habitat maintenance, and environmental education. Based in the stork village, the institute conducts all significant stork studies in Germany.

Walk Series May to July

The guided walks take place several times a week during the breeding season from May to July:

• Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays — 2:00 PM, meeting point at Landgasthof Hoier-Boier
• On selected weekdays — evenings 7:00 PM–8:00 PM (May 12, May 29, among others)
• Duration approx. 1–1.5 hours, easy walking route

Content of the Tour

The nature guides show the individual stork nests on the farms and roofs, explain the breeding biology (eggs, young birds, molt cycle), explain the migration routes of the White Storks (via Israel, Sinai Peninsula, Chad to Sub-Saharan Africa), talk about the ringing of young birds, and answer questions. In spring, the adults are busy with nest building and incubation; in late spring and summer, the young birds hatch and grow — the changes are easily observable throughout the season.