As in the previous years, reviews of the monitoring at the Dümmer lake are in full swing. Many positive developments can be observed with respect to the breeding and resting birds. An osprey is breeding at Dümmer lake again. The number of breeding pairs of the rare black tern has risen from just 20 previously to nearly 100, which makes the lake an important German centre for black terns again. Many meadow birds are breeding in this year in great numbers again. Black-tailed godwits, redshanks, snipes and lapwings show very high breeding densities in the flooded or very wet sites.

Bird counts and monitoring show that nature conservation has achieved significant success. There is hardly any other project in Europe, which has comparably good results. Starting from 1990 sustainable usage of the grasslands began to extend in Dümmer lowlands. In the year 2000 the first LIFE-project "Rewetting of the Southern Dümmer lowlands” was successfully finished. From 2002 on measures of the second LIFE-project began to influence sustainable usage of grassland positively in a growing scale.

Due to the construction of the dyke around lake Dümmmer in the year 1953 and the successive drain of lowlands many breeding bird species had disappeared.  However since nature conservation measures began many species that once had disappeared have returned to the wet grasslands. Even very rare and demanding species such as the corncrake or the ruff came back, that’s the only currently known breeding spot in Northwest Germany’s inland.

Breeding birds of selected species at Dümmer lowlands in 2007

(from: KÖRNER, F., MARXMEIER, U., RICHTER, M., OSBURG, K. (in preparation): Brutvogelerfassung im Natura 2000 - Gebiet Dümmer 2007. Unpublished report of Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V. by order of Niedersächsischen Landesbetriebes für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz (NLWKN), Naturschutzstation Dümmer, Hüde.)

Breeding success of selected meadow bird species at Dümmer lowlands in 2007

(from: KÖRNER, F., MARXMEIER, U., RICHTER, M., OSBURG, K. (in preparation): Brutvogelerfassung im Natura 2000 - Gebiet Dümmer 2007. Unpublished report of Naturschutzring Dümmer e.V. by order of Niedersächsischen Landesbetriebes für Wasserwirtschaft, Küsten- und Naturschutz (NLWKN), Naturschutzstation Dümmer, Hüde.)

The populations of meadow birds are increasing significantly in Dümmer lowlands. The numbers of curlews for instance grew continuously since nature conservation measures started. The breeding pairs doubled up to their actual number of 70.

The development of black-tailed godwits deserves a special focus. During the last 15 years their total number dropped down from 100,000 to only 30,000 breeding pairs in North Germany and the Netherlands. Most areas, especially inland, still suffer from a continuous decline. In contrast to the common trend the decline of black-tailed godwits had been stopped. Their numbers are increasing here since the first LIFE-project at Dümmer lowlands was successfully finished in the year 2000.

Since rewetting of Dümmer lowlands began the numbers of migratory birds are rising too. About ten years ago only a few hundred greenland white fronted geese came to rest during short terms at lake Dümmer. Meanwhile many thousand greenland white fronted geese stay in the lowlands during the whole winter season, sometimes their numbers reach 20,000.

Every year during migration time the numbers of lapwings reaches possibly up to 30,000 birds. That is about one third of their total number in Lower Saxony.