Animals in their natural habitat

 Naturpark Südheide

Our Naturpark Südheide

The Lüneburger heath is home to many different wildlife 

Naturpark Südheide Wildtiere

Honeybees

Busy little bees are important for our nature. Bees are fascinating animals with amazing achievements. Did you know: Honey bees fly at up to 30 kilometres per hour and swing their wings 250 times per second. Their activity radius when collecting nectar is 2 1/2 - 3 kilometres. A bee flies about 8,000 kilometres in its lifetime. At the time of the bloom it hums and buzzes powerfully between the heather plants. 1 bee weighs about 0.1 grams. Around 50,000 bees live in a bee colony. Every day, a bee pollinates up to 1,000 flowers. 40 milligrams of nectar can carry 1 bee. For 1 kilogram of honey, 3 litres of nectar are needed. Celle is home to the internationally renowned Institute of Apiculture (competence center for all aspects of beekeeping).

Heidschnucken Naturpark Südheide

Heidschnucken (Heath sheep)

You might have seen this word a few times while researching about your trip to the Lüneburger Heide. If you haven’t yet, well now you have! The Heidschnucke is a moorland sheep typical for this region and in northern Germany in general. They have an enormously important role in maintaining the landscaping in the Naturpark Südheide. The word “Schnucke“ comes from the Low German "Schnökern" or "Schnickern" (meaning snacking), because the Heidschnucke loves variety and likes to eat heather, grass and wild herbs. The Heidschnucken are the most important landscape managers due to their constant browsing of emerging woody plants, grasses such as wiregrass and the heather itself. The heath therefore remains short and the nutrient-poor soil is preserved. Without the help of the Heidschnucken, the largest contiguous Calluna heaths in Central Europe (Lüneburger Heide / Lüneburg Heath) could not be permanently preserved.

Hirsche Naturpark Südheide

Deers & Stags

Pack of deer walking in the forest. The Naturpark Südheide is very rich in Wildlife. The red deer are the biggest wild animals living here. It always takes some luck to meet them in the wild.

Cranes

One of our regulars are our "house cranes" - they are near us all year round. The couple lives in a wetland of about 2 hectares directly at the TraumzeitHof. They come quite close enough that we can observe them well with the naked eye. Their calls resound especially in spring and fall.

Rotmilan Naturpark Südheide

Birds of prey

The red kite (in German Rotmilan) often circles over our heads. This bird is a constant guest in the area of our pastures.

Fox

Another regular to the TraumzeitHof, the fox.

And then there are: white stork, black stork, otter, white-tailed eagle, kingfisher, roe deer, brown hare, swan, gray heron, great egret and many more.

Experience flora and fauna up close - on our nature tours

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