It's been decades since I was stationed in Germany and did opportunistic birding. May is a great time to be there, at the latter part of Spring migration and singing males of various species on territory.

Assuming one has a car at their disposal, I would recommend keeping an eye out for smelly old farms with lots of insects, in the hinterlands, for example on the west bank of the Rhine (Palatine). One could even pick up rarities like Woodchat Shrike. And Golden Orioles were also in that (Palatine) area when I was in Germany.

The famous Rheingau vineyard region is good. Go up behind the grapevine fields and listen for Wrynecks, an increasingly rare bird.

Kuhkopf (Gernsheim, I think) on the east bank of the Rhein is a sanctuary, good for Nightengales and Black Kites, among lots of other wetland types.

Switzerland, which I only fleetingly visited in the NE corner a couple of times, including the Falls of the Rhein, seems too well drained for great birding. But the confluence of the upper Rhein and the Bodensee at Bregenz, Austria, is a well known birding spot. Of course there are a few alpine species to see up high.

School children are enthusiatic birders in Germany, but adults seem to be interested in other things, for the most part.

Driving on the back roads can be irksome, with the farm machinery on the narrow roads. Be careful in passing, etc.

Well, that's my 2 cents worth - ha ha!

Phil Hotlen
Bellingham, WA
-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: jackie boss <jackieaboss at yahoo.com>
> This May I will be in Germany (central), Switzerland (Luzern, Zurich &
> Graubunden) & Croatia (Zagreb & the coast). I would greatly appreciate
> recommended "easy-to-get-to" birding hot spots.
>
> Thank-you in advance!
> --Jackie Boss
>
>
> *.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
>
> Jackie Boss
> 1501 16th Street
> Anacortes, WA 98221-2230
> U.S.A.
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> Tel: (970)449-3369 (Cell)
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> jackieaboss at yahoo.com
>
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