Roadside Bird Gardens

[Marcellus]

Help required, please...

I'm sure I can recall a thread from a few years back from a UK-based Zoochatter who recounted a trip through an area of Germany where they encountered several small 'roadside' mainly bird-orientated collections, each attached to a cafe (I think, anyway).

Anyway, I've tried to find the thread without success, so I'm hoping someone reading this can either point me in the direction of the original thread or might be able to offer some suggestions as to whereabouts this might be the case.

My two daughters have developed a real interest in birds and I would love to take them on a road trip that encompassed some of these collections (if I haven't imagined them!), as well as a couple of the major zoos as well.

Any help will be greatly appreciated...

 

[Maguari]

I've certainly been involved in such a trip - the area is around Mannheim and Heidelberg (between Frankfurt-am-Main and Stuttgart). If you search up 'Vogelpark' in that area on Google Maps you should see the places show up.

Some of the parks from that trip are listed here - I'll be able to get the full list tonight:

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip - Page 4 - ZooChat

 

[lintworm]

I think @Maguari answered your question, but most of those birdparks are tiny and their quality has decreased quite a bit in terms of collection. Though with Zoo Heidelberg, Wilhelma and Zoo Karlsruhe there are some major zoos around which have a serious bird collection too. If you are keen on a roadtrip with birds, I would however suggest northern Germany. With Walsrode (the world's most species rich bird park), Marlow and Vogelpark Timmendorfer Strand you have three of the four largest German bird parks, each of them very different. With Hamburg and Rostock there are 2 major zoos with a good bird collection en route too. Add to that other good zoos like Schwerin, Ozeaneum in Stralsund and Hannover in the vicinity, so plenty of opportunities. Even Berlin is only 2 hours away, always a good option...

 

[Maguari]

If you are keen on a roadtrip with birds, I would however suggest northern Germany. With Walsrode (the world's most species rich bird park), Marlow and Vogelpark Timmendorfer Strand you have three of the four largest German bird parks, each of them very different. With Hamburg and Rostock there are 2 major zoos with a good bird collection en route too. Add to that other good zoos like Schwerin, Ozeaneum in Stralsund and Hannover in the vicinity, so plenty of opportunities. Even Berlin is only 2 hours away, always a good option...

Yes, agreed - if you want more birds rather than more different parks, that is a better option..!

(and I entirely agree with the inclusion of Ozeaneum Stralsund, which is really very good indeed - and does have penguins, so not entirely un-birdy!)

 

[Maguari]

I've certainly been involved in such a trip - the area is around Mannheim and Heidelberg (between Frankfurt-am-Main and Stuttgart). If you search up 'Vogelpark' in that area on Google Maps you should see the places show up.

Some of the parks from that trip are listed here - I'll be able to get the full list tonight:

Snowleopard's 2015 Road Trip - Page 4 - ZooChat

For the record, the full list of bird parks that trip was:

Vogelpark Neuthard
Vogelpark Erlenwald
Vogelpark Leopoldshafen
Vogelpark Heglachaue
Vogelpark Heppenheim
Vogelpark Biebesheim
Vogelpark Reilingen
Vogelpark Oberhausen
Vogelpark Schifferstadt
Vogelpark Birkenheide
Vogelpark Heddesheim
Vogelpark Viernheim

The other zoos on the trip were:
Burgers Zoo Arnhem
Opel-Zoo Kronberg
Darmstadt Vivarium
Frankfurt Zoo
Neunkirchen Zoo
Saarbrücken Zoo
Kaiserslautern Zoo
Wilhelma Zoo Stuttgart
Pforzheim Wildpark
Karlsruhe Zoo
Karlsruhe Museum Vivarium and Aquarium
Tierpark Oberwald Karlsruhe
Landau Reptilium
Landau Zoo
Heidelberg Zoo
SeaLife Speyer
Luisenpark Mannheim
Cologne Zoo

(Arnhem and Cologne were on the way from/to the ferry)

Fairly comfortably the most different zoos I've done on a single trip, I think - but many of those bird parks would struggle to fill half an hour - Walsrode they ain't..! For that matter, Birdland they ain't either..!

 

[Philipine eagle]

I am currently finalising a zoo tour of the Alpine countries in September.
Certainly in Switzerland, a number of towns have 'free' municipally-owned aviaries in the city centre with a range of local and tropical species..
Cities with this type of aviary: Sankt Gallen, Winterthur, Zurich, Arbon, Solothum, Sissach, Thun, Stansstad, Zofingen, Zug, Wild-Egg, Olten, Aarau.
Some of these aviaries are on my itinerary. I will post a trip report on these in the autumn.

 

[Marcellus]

For the record, the full list of bird parks that trip was:

Vogelpark Neuthard
Vogelpark Erlenwald
Vogelpark Leopoldshafen
Vogelpark Heglachaue
Vogelpark Heppenheim
Vogelpark Biebesheim
Vogelpark Reilingen
Vogelpark Oberhausen
Vogelpark Schifferstadt
Vogelpark Birkenheide
Vogelpark Heddesheim
Vogelpark Viernheim

The other zoos on the trip were:
Burgers Zoo Arnhem
Opel-Zoo Kronberg
Darmstadt Vivarium
Frankfurt Zoo
Neunkirchen Zoo
Saarbrücken Zoo
Kaiserslautern Zoo
Wilhelma Zoo Stuttgart
Pforzheim Wildpark
Karlsruhe Zoo
Karlsruhe Museum Vivarium and Aquarium
Tierpark Oberwald Karlsruhe
Landau Reptilium
Landau Zoo
Heidelberg Zoo
SeaLife Speyer
Luisenpark Mannheim
Cologne Zoo

(Arnhem and Cologne were on the way from/to the ferry)

Fairly comfortably the most different zoos I've done on a single trip, I think - but many of those bird parks would struggle to fill half an hour - Walsrode they ain't..! For that matter, Birdland they ain't either..!

Thank you so much for your response to this, I'll start making plans!

 

[TeaLovingDave]

For the record, the full list of bird parks that trip was:

Vogelpark Neuthard
Vogelpark Erlenwald
Vogelpark Leopoldshafen
Vogelpark Heglachaue
Vogelpark Heppenheim
Vogelpark Biebesheim
Vogelpark Reilingen
Vogelpark Oberhausen
Vogelpark Schifferstadt
Vogelpark Birkenheide
Vogelpark Heddesheim
Vogelpark Viernheim

The other zoos on the trip were:
Burgers Zoo Arnhem
Opel-Zoo Kronberg
Darmstadt Vivarium
Frankfurt Zoo
Neunkirchen Zoo
Saarbrücken Zoo
Kaiserslautern Zoo
Wilhelma Zoo Stuttgart
Pforzheim Wildpark
Karlsruhe Zoo
Karlsruhe Museum Vivarium and Aquarium
Tierpark Oberwald Karlsruhe
Landau Reptilium
Landau Zoo
Heidelberg Zoo
SeaLife Speyer
Luisenpark Mannheim
Cologne Zoo

(Arnhem and Cologne were on the way from/to the ferry)

Fairly comfortably the most different zoos I've done on a single trip, I think - but many of those bird parks would struggle to fill half an hour - Walsrode they ain't..! For that matter, Birdland they ain't either..!

Looking at that list, I've only visited four of the collections cited - even disregarding all the tiny birdparks this goes some way to demonstrating just how little experience of that corner of Germany I have as yet!