Meadow Harrier Taubergrund

Bird sanctuary (SPA) "Meadow Harrier Taubergrund"
The bird sanctuary “Meadow Harrier Taubergrund” is the most important breeding area for the meadow harrier (here ) in Baden-Württemberg.
location	3 municipalities in the Main-Tauber district , Baden-Württemberg , Germany
WDPA ID	555537787
Natura 2000 ID	DE-6425-441
Bird sanctuary	16.922 km²
Geographical location	49 ° 32 '  N , 10 ° 4'  E Coordinates: 49 ° 31 '31 "  N , 10 ° 4' 22"  E
Setup date	November 20, 2007
administration	Regional Council Stuttgart
particularities	4 sub-areas

The Wiesenweihe Taubergrund area is a European bird sanctuary (protected area identifier DE-6425-441) in the Main-Tauber district of Baden-Württemberg in Germany, which was designated by ordinance of November 20, 2007 of the Stuttgart regional council .

location

The four parts of the bird sanctuary “Wiesenweihe Taubergrund”, around 1,692 hectares in total , extend along the state border with Bavaria , from Wittighausen in the north to Creglingen in the south.
They are distributed over the town of Creglingen (705.97 ha = 41.71%) and the communities of Igersheim (581.78 ha = 34.38%) and Wittighausen (380.30 ha = 22.47%).

description

The protected area “Wiesenweihe Taubergrund” is described as “an agricultural landscape on the foothills of the fertile Ochsenfurt Gäus , a productive cultural landscape with prosperous farming villages that has been used since time immemorial”.

meaning

The bird sanctuary “Wiesenweihe Taubergrund” is the most important breeding area for the meadow harrier in Baden-Württemberg.

Habitat classes

Deciduous forest			1 %
Mixed forest			1 %
Reclaimed grassland			1 %
Different farmland			97%

Protection purpose

The area-related conservation objectives are described differently depending on the species :

Breeding birds

Breeding bird species that are listed in Appendix I of the Birds Directive and for which special measures are to be applied across Europe. A total of 39 species fall into this category in Baden-Württemberg and three species in the "Meadow Harrier Taubergrund" protected area .

Red- backed shrike ( Lanius collurio )

Red backs 

Preservation of extensively managed orchards, grassland and heathland areas, of low and medium hedges from native species, in particular thorn or prickly wooded trees, preservation of litter meadows and open bog edges, preservation of individual trees and bushes in the open landscape, of field lines, grass paths, Ruderal and perennial corridors and fallow land, field and meadow margins, secondary habitats such as abandoned mining sites with the aforementioned habitats and maintenance of the food supply, especially with larger insects.

Marsh harrier ( Circus aeruginosus )

Marsh harrier

Preservation of silting zones, reed beds and large sedge beds, wet meadow complexes, in particular with litter meadows or extensively used wet meadows, habitats without sources of danger such as non-bird-safe overhead lines and wind turbines, preservation of grass and shrub fringes, secondary habitats such as abandoned mining sites or at least the aforementioned habitats and conservation low-disturbance breeding sites during the breeding season from March 15th to September 15th.

Montagu's Harrier ( Circus pygargus )

Montagu's Harrier

Preservation of wetlands with silting areas, reed beds, large sedge beds and litter meadows, habitats without sources of danger such as non-bird-safe overhead lines and wind turbines, preservation of agricultural landscapes with grassland, fields and fallow land, extensively used wet grassland complexes and reed areas, as well as maintenance of undisturbed or at least rest and sleeping areas .

Migratory birds

Other migratory bird species not listed in Appendix I that breed in the country and have been selected for the protected areas. A total of 36 species fall into this category in Baden-Württemberg and five species in the “Wiesenweihe Taubergrund” protected area.

Tree falcon ( Falco subbuteo )

Tree falcon

Preservation of light forests with bordering open landscapes, of old trees and islands of old wood, of overhangs, of field trees or groups of trees in fields or along waterways, of extensively used grassland, of waterways with structurally rich bank areas and silting areas, of nesting opportunities such as crow's nests, of the food supply, in particular with small birds and large insects as well as undisturbed or at least undisturbed breeding sites during the breeding season from April 15 to September 15.

Whinchat ( Saxicola rubetra )

Whinchat

Preservation of largely late-mowed extensively managed grassland complexes, large sedge areas, moors and heaths, fringing strips such as road and field borders as well as edge strips, old grass strips, fallow and wood-free embankments, isolated bushes, tall perennials, piles of stones and others as hunting, sitting and Singwarten suitable structures, secondary habitats such as abandoned mining sites with the aforementioned habitats, the food supply as well as undisturbed or at least undisturbed breeding sites during the breeding season from May 1 to August 31.

Gray bunting ( Emberiza calandra )

Gray bunting

Preservation of extensively used grassland areas and richly structured fields, fallow land, strips of field margins as well as grass and shrub fringes, grass and earth paths, field hedges, solitary trees and bushes, preservation of the food supply, in particular with insects as nestling food and wild herb seeds as well as maintenance of disturbance-free or at least low-disturbance breeding sites during the breeding season from April 15th to August 31st of each year.

Quail ( Coturnix coturnix )

quail

Preservation of a richly structured cultural landscape, preservation of widely used arable land, extensively used grassland, in particular of lean grassland with gaps in vegetation structure and a high proportion of herbs, small areas of land with sparse vegetation such as gussets, waterlogged small depressions, sinkholes, swelling patches, small hollows, stone fields , Patches of poor grassland and stone bars, from weed-rich field margins and smaller fallow land, grass, reed and perennial edges as well as maintaining the food supply, especially with various seeds and insects.

Yellow wagtail ( Motacilla flava )

Yellow wagtail

Preservation of a mosaic of arable land with various crops, preservation of the silting zones on bodies of water, preservation of edge structures at usage boundaries such as grass, reed and perennial borders at the edges of paths and fields, but also of fallow land, of temporally differentiated uses in grassland, of isolated bushes, Tall perennials and other structures suitable for hunting, sitting and singing stations, secondary habitats such as abandoned mining sites with the aforementioned habitats, as well as maintaining the food supply, in particular with insects.

See also

• List of EU bird sanctuaries in Baden-Württemberg

Web links

Commons : Wiesenweihe Taubergrund  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Ordinance, data evaluation sheet and map in the profile of the SPA area in the LUBW's protected area directory

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ordinance of the Ministry of Food and Rural Areas establishing European Bird Protection Areas (VSG-VO) of February 5, 2010
2. ↑ Profile of the SPA area in the protected area directory of the LUBW , with "Bird Protection Area Ordinance Annex 1"