Rare Birds And Ancient Trees In The Spessart

The Spessart is a Bavarian mountain with ancient oaks and beeches and a fascinating array of rare birds.

The Spessart is located in 2 lands: Bavaria and Hesse. With the Geiersberg culminating at 586 meters high, it is quite a mountain forest. The area is surrounded by the Main river and ends at the edges in hedges and orchards alternating with wine regions. No wonder that such a landscape is a sanctuary for European birds.

Because of its less fertile soils, the Spessart remained exempt of intensive agriculture. It was used to supply wood, minerals, and salts but was mainly a hunting area. Nowadays, the area is partially covered with houses (some of them are 200 years old). But the 500 to 800-year-old oak trees still remain.

Many species of Woodpeckers can be pictured in the Spessart: Black, Green and Middle-Spotted Woodpeckers are the first ones. The Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers occur a little later in the season. Collared Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, and rare Red-Breasted Flycatchers also stay in the old oak forest. Black storks and Kingfishers are more likely to be found in the watered valleys.

The Spessart offers the rare Honey Buzzards a habitat. Cuckoos, Whitethroats and Shrikes make homes in the surrounding orchards and the last Little Owls show up there. One can also check in the floodplains to find Redstarts, Red Kites and ThrushNightingaless.

Visit the Spessart Natural Parc with your camera and your Eschenbach binoculars. More info can be found on the park's website.

Find out more about Eschenbach binoculars ideal for birdwatching