Overview
Zürich is the biggest city in Switzerland and an important business place. The town is not a birding hotspot, but this article is ment for birders who just stay some days in the city (perhaps on a business trip) and only have limited time for birding.
Birds
Notable Species
The city lies at the end of the Lake of Zürich and is surrounded by hills, covered with forest. All woodland and town species can be found here. In the forests Black Woodpecker is quite common, so are Short-toed Treecreeper and Crested Tit.
In the city centre Alpine Swift is breeding in good numbers and Black Kite hunts regulary over the lake and the River Limmat.
Red-crested Pochard is breeding and wintering. Especially in winter more waterfowl can be seen on the lake, including Red-necked Grebe and Yellow-legged Gull.
The Chatzensee at the northern edge of Zürich is a reliable place for Great Bittern in winter. Red Kite can also be seen over the city, but is more numerous outside (for example at the airport).
In the industrial area a pair of Peregrine Falcon is breeding and Eurasian Crag Martin has breed once.
Rarities
Not much but still some are possible: 2005 Grey Phalarope, 2006 Ring-necked Duck and Slavonian Grebe, 2007 Arctic Tern, 2008 Great Northern Diver, Pomarine Skua, 2011 Sabine's Gull, 2012 Black-legged Kittiwake and Citrine Wagtail, 2013 Aquatic Warbler
Check-list
Birds you can see here include:
Red-throated Diver (rare), Great Crested Grebe, Red-necked Grebe, Little Grebe, Great Cormorant, Great Bittern, Great White Egret (Chatzensee), Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Mallard, Gadwall, Common Teal, Northern Shoveler(Chatzensee), Garganey, Red-crested Pochard, Common Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Black Kite, Red Kite, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Peregrine Falcon, Common Moorhen, Common Coot, Common Snipe (Chatzensee), Little Gull (rare), Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull (rare), Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull (scarce), Common Wood Pigeon, Stock Dove (rare), Feral Pigeon, Eurasian Collared Dove, Tawny Owl, Alpine Swift, Common Swift, Common Kingfisher (rare), Black Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Barn Swallow, Northern House Martin, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Eurasian Wren, Dunnock, European Robin, Black Redstart, Eurasian Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Common Reed Warbler, Blackcap, Common Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Common Firecrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Marsh Tit, Crested Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Wood Nuthatch, Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Treecreeper, Common Starling, Eurasian Jay, Common Magpie, Eurasian Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow, Eurasian Tree Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling (winter), Hawfinch, European Serin, European Greenfinch, European Goldfinch, Eurasian Bullfinch, Red Crossbill, Yellowhammer
Other Wildlife
Red Fox live in the city and can be seen sometimes. In the forests and parks Red Squirrel can be found and in the forests Roe Deer is quite common.
Site Information
History and Use
First mentioned some 2000 years ago as Turicum by the Romans, Zürich is nowadays the biggest city in Switzerland with 400'000 people living in it.
All described places are popular, so don't expect to be alone. Don't go birding in summer around the lake. You could create some confusion with your binoculars between swimmers and sunlovers...
Areas of Interest
Lake of Zürich Some ducks and gulls can be found year round (for example Red-crested Pochard) but the best time is from November to early April. A walk from Tiefenbrunnen (train and tram stop) to Bellevue (45min to 1 hour) should produce most species. A scope is an advantage but not always necessary.
Old Town Alpine Swifts are breeding in several places and are easy to see from April to July. From July to early September they are still present but sometimes hard to discover. At the Grossmünster some Eurasian Jackdaws are breeding too.
Hönggerberg One of the many forests around the city. Here you can find some old oak trees and therefore a good amount of Woodpeckers. An extensive net of paths leads through the forest. Possible starting places: ETH Hönggerberg or Segantinistrasse (both reachable with public transport).
Chatzensee A protected area at the northern edge of the town. From Holzerhurd (bus 32) you follow the yellow signs to Chatzensee and you will reach the area in 15 minutes. You can walk around the lakes in about 1 hour. From the path on the eastern side you have a good look over the lake and the reed. Search here for Great Bittern, Ducks and perhaps some waders. Bitterns are present from November to March.
Access and Facilities
All areas can be easily reached by public transport, which has an extensive network and is very reliable. Accomodation is plentiful and ranges from Youth Hostels to posh 5 stars hotels.
