Birdwatching at Lake Scharmützelsee

The Scharmützelsee in facts:

• 1200 hectares in size
• 30 metres deep
• 10 kilometres long
• 1.5 kilometres wide

Bad Saarow in the north of Lake Scharmützelsee is worth an ornithological excursion in itself.

The oriole sings in the beautiful spa gardens in summer, and many other songbirds such as blackbirds, song thrushes and hooded crows - yes, they are songbirds too - can be observed at close range. If you are out and about at night, you will often hear the eerie lament of the tawny owl.

At the footbridge on the promenade, reed warblers creak out their harsh song. This characteristic summer bird of the lake district is easy to observe here. In winter, the view of the water is particularly interesting: goldeneyes and goosanders often stay close to the shore; you don't even need binoculars. It is also hard to miss the coots, hundreds of which can be found on the lake.

Tip 1:

A QR code from ‘ornitho.de’ is attached to the footbridge. Simply scan the QR code and an up-to-date list of recently observed bird species will appear.

On the western shore of Lake Scharmützel, opposite the Kleiner Werl, an island in the lake, another good observation point awaits ornithological enthusiasts. Cormorants can be seen particularly well from here.

Tip 2:

Another good observation point for water birds in winter is the shore near Diensdorf-Radlow on the eastern shore of Lake Scharmützel.

Further south at Wendisch Rietz, a canal branches off to the north-west, connecting the Scharmützelsee with the Großer Storkower See. The surrounding canal meadows, a Natura 2000 and nature reserve, which includes a marshy meltwater channel and the foothills of an inland dune range, can be clearly seen from the moor footbridge in the south-east of the Großer Storkower See.

Both Bad Saarow and Wendisch Rietz offer numerous places to stop for refreshments. If you take a short detour to Storkow, don't miss Storkow Castle and the Dahme-Heideseen Nature Park visitor centre.

A look at the surrounding area

The ideal way to experience and ‘cycle’ the entire observation area is on the 46-kilometre Adler trifft Zander circular tour. The start and finish are at Bad Saarow and Storkow railway stations.