Animal and Plant Species in the Project Area

Within the LIFE project area numerous animal and plant species have been identified, among them many endangered species that are on the so-called Red List. We will now give a brief introduction to the species inventory of some selected groups.

Birds:

Between April and August 2006, the breeding birds living on open land and those living at the edges of forests in the project area were counted. Four comprehensive checks were performed by the NLWKN nature conservation centre Unterelbe. A number of supplementary checks of part areas were contributed by Bernd Letto (landscape warden of the city of Cuxhaven) and Wilhelm Lemke (NABU Cuxhaven).

Bildrechte: Schaffhäuser

Male red-backed shrike

The most common bird species in open heath areas and at the forest edges were skylarks, tree pipits and yellowhammers. There is a significant population of all three species in the area. The table below shows the mapping result of 2006 for some characteristic bird species of open land.

Species		RL-G	RL-LS	Number of P/T	Density (P/T per 100 ha)
Sky lark	Alauda arvensis	N	3	115	19,8
Tree pipit	Anthus trivialis	N	N	90	15,5
Yellowhammer	Emberiza citrinella			55	9,5
Whitethroat	Sylvia communis			19	3,3
Stonechat	Saxicola torquata		3	8	1,4
Woodlark	Lullula arborea	3	2	5	0,9
Red-backed shrike	Lanius collurio		3	3	0,5
Nightjar	Caprimulgus europaeus	2	2	1-2	0,3

P/T = Pairs per Territory, 2 = strongly endangered, 3 = endangered, N = Near endangerment.
RL-G = Red List, Status Germany.
RL-LS = Red List, Status Lower Saxony.

To date 73 species of breeding birds and 88 species of migrant birds have been identified.

Reptiles and Amphibians:

For these two species groups, no current systematic mappings have been carried out. During the evaluation of results for the newly created small ponds, a detailed list of amphibians in the existing and new ponds as of 2007 will be compiled.

Bildrechte: NLWKN

Moor frog

The following species have been confirmed in the LIFE project area:

Species		RL-G	RL-LS
Sand lizard	Lacerta agilis	3	3
Viviparous lizard	Lacerta vivipara
Blindworm	Anguis fragilis
European adder	Vipera berus	2	3
European toad	Bufo bufo
Moor frog	Rana arvalis	2	3
Common water frog	Rana kl. esculenta
Common newt	Triturus vulgaris

Locusts:

To date, locusts have not been systematically researched in the LIFE project area. Due to the prevailing heaths and lean turf the inhabitants of open, dry and warm habitats are dominant.The relatively large population of the wart-biter cricket deserves special mention.

Species		RL-G	RL-LS
Lesser marsh grasshopper	Chorthippus albomarginatus
Duetting grasshopper	Chorthippus biguttulus
Field grasshopper	Chorthippus brunneus
Tetered grasshopper	Chorthippus mollis		N
Meadow grasshopper	Chorthippus parallelus
Stripe-winged grasshopper	Stenobothrus lineatus		3
Common green grasshopper	Omocestus viridulus
Mottled grasshopper	Myrmeleotettix maculatus
Sort-winged conehead	Conocephalus dorsalis	3
Great green bush-cricket	Tettigonia viridissima
Bog bush-cricket	Metrioptera brachyptera
Wart-biter cricket	Decticus verrucivorus	3	2

Dragonflies:

Despite the very few ponds and streams in the LIFE project area, the city of Cuxhaven proved in the years 2004-2006 to have a species-rich dragonfly fauna with 25 species of dragonflies and a large number of specialised species.

Bildrechte: Scherer

Darter

The dragonfly fauna is particularly species-rich in the marshland of the "Menyanthes-Sumpf" (17 species) and near the "Fasanerie" area (20 species). During the evaluation of results for the newly created small ponds, the compilation of a list of dragonflies in the existing and new ponds will be intensified as of 2007.

Species		RL-G	RL-LS
Emperor dragonfly	Anax imperator
Southern hawker	Aeshna cyanea
Brown hawker	Aeshna grandis	N
Common hawker	Aeshna juncea	3	3
Migrant hawker	Aeshna mixta
Subarctic darner	Aeshna subarctica	1	2
Small red damselfly	Ceriagrion tenellum	1	1
Northern damselfly	Coenagrion hastulatum	3	3
Azure damselfly	Coenagrion puella
Variable damselfly	Coenagrion pulchellum	3
Downy emerald	Cordulia aenea	N
Common blue damselfly	Enallagma cyathigerum
Blue-tailed damselfly	Ischnura elegans
Scarce emerald damselfly	Lestes dryas	3	2
Emerald damselfly	Lestes sponsa
Green emerald damselfly	Lestes viridis
White-faced dragonfly	Leucorrhinia dubia	2	3
Northern white-faced darter	Leucorrhinia rubicunda	2	3
Broad-bodied chaser	Libellula depressa
Four-spotted chaser	Libellula quadrimaculata
Large red damselfly	Pyrrhosoma nymphula
Black darter	Sympetrum danae
Yello-winged darter	Sympetrum flaveolum	3
Ruddy darter	Sympetrum sanguineum
Vagrant darter	Sympetrum vulgatum

In addition, an older observation of Leucorrhinia pectoralis exists from the Moorschlatt area near Altenwalde. However, this species has not been confirmed there for several years.

Vascular Plants:

Within the framework of the biotope and habitat cataloguing under the Habitats Directive, performed in the LIFE project area in 2006, the vascular plants and especially the growth areas of endangered groups were mapped.

Bildrechte: NLWKN

Sundew and marsh clubmoss

The list of plants consists of 189 species, but it can be assumed that this list is not yet complete.

Species		RL-G	RL-LS	Pop.-Size
Bog-rosemary	Andromeda polifolia	3	3	6
Arnica	Arnica montana	3	2	(6)
Vernal water-starwort	Callitriche palustris		3	6
Marsh marigold	Caltha palustris		3	3
Wooll-fruit sedge	Carex lasiocarpa	3	3	8
Carnation sedge	Carex panicea		3	7
Little green sedge	Carex viridula var. viridula		N	3
Heath spotted-orchid	Dactylorhiza maculata	3	3	5
Spoonleaf sundew	Drosera intermedia	3	3	6
Round-leaved sundew	Drosera rotundifolia	3	3	6
Many-stalked spike-rush	Eleocharis multicaulis	2	2	7
Petty Whin	Genista anglica	3	3	7
Silky leaf woadwaxen	Genista pilosa		3	3
Marsh Gentian	Gentiana pneumonanthe	3	2	3
Coral necklace	Illecebrum verticillatum	3	3	8
Common juniper	Juniperus communis		3	2
Marsh Clubmoss	Lycopodiella inundata	3	3	6
Bogbean	Menyanthes trifoliata	3	3	6
Sweet gale	Myrica gale	3	3	6
Bog asphodel	Narthecium ossifragum	3	3	7
Royal fern	Osmunda regalis	3	3	6
Lousewort	Pedicularis sylvatica	3	2	6
Bog pondweed	Potamogeton polygonifolius	3	3	6
Yello rattle	Rhinanthus minor		N	2
White beak-sedge	Rhynchospora alba	3	3	7
Brown beak-sedge	Rhynchospora fusca	2	2	8
Viper's grass	Scorzonera humilis	3	2	2
German deergrass	Trichophorum cespitosum ssp. germanicum	3	3	5

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Bildrechte: NLWKN

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