Klingnauer Stausee

File:Klingnauer stausee.jpg

Overview

The "Klingnauer Stausee" is an artifical lake in the north of Switzerland. It's an important migration spot and a wintering site for waterfowl.

Birds

Notable Species

Wintering waterfowl including Great Bittern, Ruddy Shelduck (feral population), Gadwall, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Common Teal, Red-crested Pochard, Tufted Duck, Common Pochard, Common Goldeneye and Common Merganser. Sometimes rare species like Ferruginous Pochard or Long-tailed Duck. Migrating waders in spring and autumn, including Common Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover, Northern Lapwing, Dunlin, Ruff, Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Common Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Common Snipe. The woods are very good for woodpeckers. You can find Black Woodpecker , Grey-headed Woodpecker, Eurasian Green Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker! In May Eurasian Golden Oriole starts to sing in the trees. Good views of Spotted Crake and Little Crake are possible from late July to September along the reedbeds. Terns (mostly Common Tern, Caspian Tern and Black Tern) and Gulls are worth for checking carefully. Peregrine Falcon hunts regulary over the lake. If you're out on the weekend you will surely find some local birders who can inform you about rare species.

Rarities

Over 310 species of birds have been recorded at this site in the last 25 years. The rarest was perhaps a Slender-billed Curlew in 1973, the only Swiss record. The best months for rarities are April, May and September.

Check-list

Birds you can see here include:

Red-throated Diver, Great Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Cormorant, Bittern, Little Bittern, Night Heron, Little Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Black Stork, White Stork, Spoonbill (rare), Mute Swan, Shelduck, Ruddy Shelduck (category C), Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Pintail, Shoveler, Teal, Garganey, Red-crested Pochard, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Goosander, Black Kite, Red Kite, Hen Harrier, Marsh Harrier, Sparrowhawk, Goshawk, Honey Buzzard, Buzzard, Osprey, Hobby, Kestrel, Peregrine, Little Crake (rare), Spotted Crake, Water Rail, Moorhen, Coot, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Lapwing, Sanderling, Knot, Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Ruff, Curlew, Whimbrel, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Snipe, Mediterranean Gull, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Yellow-legged Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Tern, Caspian Tern, Black Tern, Woodpigeon, Stock Dove, Collard Dove, Cuckoo, Alpine Swift, Common Swift, Kingfisher, Black Woodpecker, Grey-headed Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Woodlark, Sand Martin, Swallow, Hous Martin, Water Pipit, Meadow Pipit, Red-throated Pipit, White Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Yellow Wagtail, Dipper, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Nightingale, Redstart, Black Redstart, Whinchat, Stonechat, Northern Wheatear,

Site Information

Use following subheadings if info is available:

Access and Facilities

The lake can be reached by train in 40 minutes from Zürich. Take a fast train to Baden and change there to a local train in direction to Zurzach. Leave the train in Döttingen. (Timetable: http://www.sbb.ch/en/index.htm) Walk down to the river, cross it and follow the shore to the right. Soon you're in the reserve. There is a new watchtower, but the best place is further down. Just before the river Aare joins the Rhine there are on both sides nice old riverine forests. You can cross the river over the weir or over the old train bridge. The next train station is Koblenz.

On this side you always have the sun in your back, except for early mornings. On weekends, the now paved levy road is a favorite of bikers and skaters which can become rather bothersome at times.

External Links

• Timetable of the Swiss railways
• Latest sightings in Switzerland
• All about the location in German
• Rarities in Switzerland

Accomodation

There is usually no need to stay at the Lake and it can be reached in short time from Zürich and other cities. If you like to stay you will find plentifull of accomodation in nearby Zurzach, famous for its hot springs.

Time

The lake is interesting all year round, but it can be quite unpredictable.

Summer

Breeding Waterfowl. Not the best season. But migration starts already in August.

Autumn

Osprey, European Honey Buzzard, Black Stork on migration over the lake. Waders passing on their way south (same species as in spring, everything possible). Good views of Spotted Crake and Little Crake. Terns (mostly Common Tern, Caspian Tern and Black Tern) and Gulls are worth for checking carefully. Peregrine Falcon hunts regulary over the lake. If you're out on the weekend you will surely find some local birders who can inform you about rare species.

Latest sightings

Informations about the latest observations at Klingnauer Stausee can be found on:

http://www.ornitho.ch/index.php?m_id=1&langu=en

http://www.chclub300.ch/

Content and images originally posted by wintibird, with comments added of Swissboy