Animal Trumpet Concert
With their piercing trumpet-like calls, the cranes set out to forage at sunrise and return just as noisily in the evening. Their majestic slender bodies stand out darkly against the glowing red sunset as they fly to their roosts in the sheltered shore zones at dusk.
Twice a year, the cranes gather in the shallow Bodden and lake waters to rest in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and provide an incomparable natural spectacle for several weeks.
In spring, with a little luck, the "crane dance" - the courtship ritual of the cranes - can be observed on the wide pastures and meadows. In autumn, the cranes need sufficient energy reserves before their long flight south to their winter quarters. The harvested corn and barley fields are an ideal reservoir of food for this purpose.
Crane Watching
You can observe cranes in spring between mid-March and early April and in autumn from September to the end of October.
In the most important resting area of the cranes in Central Europe - the Bock-Rügen-Kirr region in the National Park Vorpommersche Boddenlandschaft - even up to 50,000 birds are expected at the same time in autumn. The observation point Pramort, a large white dune field on the Ostzingst, is the most popular migratory resting place of the cranes. To avoid disturbing them as they forage, visitor traffic is blocked throughout the area. Observe without disturbing: Only with the National Park Card can the shy large birds be observed.
But also in many other regions in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the cranes can be observed, like in the Müritz National Park at the Rederangsee near Waren/Müritz. With the crane ticket you go on a guided tour to the evening flight in at the roosting place of the cranes.
The large birds can also be seen up close at Schaalsee in West Mecklenburg, in the Langhägener Seewiesen near Parchim, in the Mecklenburgische Schweiz Nature Park and in the Peene Valley.
Interaction of Crane Protection and Nature Experience
To protect the crane and its resting and roosting places, special regulations apply in the nature reserves during the crane season. Please use only publicly accessible paths for your crane observation and stay only at the designated viewing platforms. Please pay attention to the information boards in the nature reserves. More information on how to watch cranes without disturbing them.
For the protection of the cranes and their habitat there is the possibility to buy a "Crane Protection Share" with a small donation.
Snapshot Crane
What is for some a musical observation of nature, is for many (amateur) photographers ubiquitously a popular photo subject. With large lenses and long focal lengths, the crane becomes the star of photographers. Conservationists have built special observation stands and photo huts for this purpose, so that the shy bird is not disturbed while resting.