The birds of Ringkøbing Fjord: the great spring migration right outside the door
Something remarkable happens at Ringkøbing Fjord in spring. Thousands of birds gather in the shallow water and on the meadows, some to breed, others to rest on their long journey north. It is one of northern Europe's most important bird sites, and it is right outside the door if you are staying in our part of West Jutland.
Why the birds gather here
Ringkøbing Fjord is a shallow lagoon of brackish water, meadows and reed beds. The shallow water and wet meadows are an enormous larder for waders, ducks and geese. In spring migrating birds use the fjord as a staging post on the way to breeding grounds further north, and many stay here to breed as well.
Depth is what decides it. Large parts of the fjord are so shallow that a wader can feed for hours without swimming, and the bottom is soft enough for a bill to reach what lives in it. Such a place is rare, and birds that have flown thousands of kilometres know exactly where they are.
That is why you can see enormous flocks at once, and why what you see differs from week to week. The fjord is not one bird area but a station on a route.
Tipperne, the protected corner
At the southern end of the fjord lies Tipperne, a peninsula of meadows and one of the country's oldest bird reserves. The area matters so much that access is restricted to protect the birds, but in season it can be visited at set times.
The restriction is not bureaucracy. Breeding meadow birds leave the nest when people approach, and eggs left unprotected in sun or rain for even a quarter of an hour are lost. The rules exist because they work.
Check the current opening times with the Danish Nature Agency before driving out. They change through the season, and a wasted drive is a shame.
What you can see
Depending on the season you will see large flocks of waders such as dunlin and black-tailed godwit, geese, ducks and birds of prey hunting over the meadows. Spring and autumn are the most dramatic, when migration is at its peak.
- Spring: the northward migration, breeding birds establishing themselves, and the most sound. Meadow birds are clearest now.
- Summer: fewer species but young birds. Calmer, and better with children, because something is always happening close by.
- Autumn: the southward migration and the biggest flocks. This is when you see the movements that make people stop the car.
- Winter: geese and swans in large numbers, and a completely different, harsher landscape.
You do not need to identify anything to get something out of it. A flock of several thousand lifting at once is an experience whether or not you know their names.
How to see it at its best
There are hides and good viewpoints round the fjord, including at Tipperne and along the coast. Come early in the morning or late in the day, when the birds are most active. Stay on the paths and keep your distance.
Practically, having the right things with you makes a big difference:
- Binoculars. Without them they are flocks, with them they are birds. Even a cheap pair does the job.
- Windproof clothing. There is no shelter at the fjord, and it is colder than it was in the car.
- Wellingtons if you are walking out towards the meadows after rain.
- Patience rather than distance. Sitting still for twenty minutes shows more than walking two kilometres.
With children
Bird trips with children work when there is something to do and not only something to look at. Give each child the binoculars in turn, and let them count rather than identify. A hide helps, because you get some height and can see what is happening without standing still in the wind.
Keep the trip short. Forty minutes at the fjord with a hot drink in the car afterwards beats two hours where the last ninety minutes are spent asking when you are going home.
Where else to stop
The fjord is large and there are viewpoints all the way round. From Bork Havn it is a short hop to the innermost, shallowest part, which is the best for waders. To the north lies Skjern Enge, where the river meets the fjord, an area of its own with its own bird life. To the west is the sluice at Hvide Sande, where sea and fjord meet, and where there is nearly always something to see.
It is also worth knowing that the fjord does not look the same from one day to the next. Wind direction moves the water level noticeably, and a strong westerly can put meadows under water that were dry the day before. That changes where the birds stand too.
The rules, and why they exist
There are only a few rules and they are easy to follow. Keep the dog on a lead, even with nobody else in sight. Stay on the paths, and do not walk out onto the meadows in the breeding season. Do not fly a drone over the reserve.
The reason is the same every time: meadow birds nest on the ground. A nest is almost impossible to spot, and a couple of steps in the wrong place, or a dog running loose, costs that pair an entire breeding season. This is not a theoretical risk, it is the most common reason breeding birds decline in an area.
Being there, on the other hand, is not a problem. The birds are used to people on the paths and in the hides, and they only react when you leave the pattern they know.
And the house afterwards
A day at the fjord means wet boots, mud in the hallway and binoculars on the kitchen table. We are a local cleaning company based in Bork, minutes from the innermost part of the fjord, and we clean holiday homes between guests in Bork Havn, Hemmet, Hvide Sande, Søndervig, Nymindegab, Henne Strand and Blåvand.