Farm Extension
Nuremberg County
City of Röthenbach with Moritzberg east of Nuremberg in the
Pegnitz valley
Environment is surprisingly green in and around the big city Nuremberg and the Metropolitan Region.
Kingfishers in the emperor's city
Exciting - the rather rare kingfisher needs waters rich
in fish and sandy steep banks for breeding. Near Heroldsberg in the
middle of the forest, in Feucht at the Gauchsbach, but also at the
Pegnitz in almost downtown Nuremberg. Once near the subway station
Wöhrder Wiese and once at the railroad bridge across the
Wöhrder See, I have already discovered them.
Good to have such a green axis through the big city.
Roes - tales of the road
Every (almost) hunter likes to claim that mountain bikers
scare and unsettle roes. That is not really conform to my own and other
bikers' experiences. Often the curious animals let one come so
close that one considers to ring the bell in order to cause them
clear the way. Obviously the don't feel threatened, because
apparently the hunters rarely come by bicycle.
The most astonishing encounter It experienced in the forest near Schnaittach. With
difficulty I fought up the roughly graveled path when suddenly
directly in front of me a deer crossed the path. I just found the
time to break. Scared the deer clashed into the wire mesh fence of
a plantation right over and struggles with its legs in panic. So
excessive that I was in fear of a fracture. I was already slipped
off my bike and now I went back three steps talking calming to the
deer. The deer attentively watched me, slacked of and slowly got
its legs out of the fence. Concentrated it examined me. Then it
looks along the fence - it ran several meters away from us, but
less than five meters behind me it ended - intensively and carefully
it snuffed and listen in my direction again and then it stalked at
a measured step in my direction and passed me in a distance of
perhaps two steps and turned around the corner of the fence and
disappeared in the forest.
Nuremberg: under the bridge over the Pegnitz - Lake Wöhrd
Heterogenic task force
Expecting high water at river Pegnitz in Nuremberg Mögeldorf. Slowly, but incessantly the water got higher and threatened the nest and four chicken of a pair of black coots. Fluttering the adult birds tried to secure the nest in the middle of the river. Some passing strollers stopped and watched interested. Suddenly the spell was broken. Like on a signal they swarmed out and brought back stalks, twigs and clumps of grass. And also the coots immediately recognized that support was on the way and swam to meet the helpers in order to receive the building material. The nest could be saved. Tired but obviously relieved coots took a rest in the now high water resistant nest and happy humans with a shining smile on their faces continued their walks.
Huey, Dewey and Louie
Experiments of Konrad Lorenz already clearly showed that graylag geese can be imprinted by humans. But how is the relationship between wild graylag geese and (not familiar) humans? At the Wöhrder See in Nuremberg a lot of graylag breed and raise their little ones. Partly they are so trusting that they accept feeding by hand. I tried with five goslings, maybe two days old, to carefully fetch one out of the water to scale it in my hand. No chance, clever they avoided my hand. Suddenly one out of three attending adult birds, which secured the group to the water side, came closer and »talked« to one of the goslings. At once completely calm it staid in the water, let glide my hand under it and let lift itself (as light as a feather, what else to expect? ;-) and have a look on it. Carefully put in the water again it swam around as if nothing had ever happened.
Swan Lake
Every now and then the river Pegnitz freezes in the Wöhrder See section so thick that it is suitable for skating. Of course, I took the chance, and some other brave people, too, to draw our circles in the ice. A hidden place on the bank where somebody had deposited a large amount of baked goods. I wanted to do something good to the water birds on ice and fetched a loaf of bread. Arrived in the middle of the icy surface I was encircled by dozens of hungry swans gliding in and striding up from each direction.
Mine! Mine! Mine!
Early professional wish - behavioral biologist - has been present for a long time. Although forbidden in the city of Nuremberg the feeding of birds was very interesting. Along the river Pegnitz gallery footbridges firmly invite you to find a feeding spot. Many seagulls come up and a lower percent fraction was keen enough to roughly fetch a peace of bread out of your fingers. That is close to their natural behavior, because they steal prey from other birds' beak in flight. But always there were a very few which stood still in they air just an arm length away clearly asking you to present the food and took it away out of your fingers extraordinary carefully. Often, and very fast, they learned how long you needed to break the bread and adjusted the radius of their turn to be in place when you have finished. Ready when you are!
Sheetpecker
Extended industrial area in the ass with a metal-lined tower. A woodpecker has discovered it for its purposes. Especially the acoustics of the flashing has been well received so that nothing can shoo the bird out of its territory with the awesome audio equipment.