I grew up in Diepholz, 10 kilometres away from the Dümmer. I remember that the Dümmer was a local recreation area, but the areas around the Dümmer were used by the large farmers in the region for surplus manure. The meadows were rewetted at the end of the 1980s and designated a nature reserve in 1995.

The Ochsenmoor is now a bird paradise for waders, birds of prey and reed birds. I visit the Ochsenmoor regularly. The path to the south bank car park for hikers leads along a small road (Teichwiesen). Here you can photograph pileateds from your car. The birds do not perceive the cars as a danger and so photos can be taken from very short distances. Typical pile dwellers are: Black-tailed godwits, meadow pipits, redshanks. On the wet meadows, ruff, lapwing and, with luck, stonechat and white-tailed eagle can be observed. For more detailed information, I can recommend the brochure „Vögel beobachten im Naturpark Dümmer“ (see link below) to anyone who is interested. The brochure recommends several hiking routes with information on the species to be expected.

The territorial battles of the black-tailed godwits are a special experience in spring. With luck and perseverance, bluethroats can be seen singing in the reeds from March/April. A pair of long-tailed tits had been nesting near the south bank car park. I was able to take this picture from the road. I saw sea eagles flying over a few times. A very rare sighting was the peregrine falcon sitting on a pole near the pond meadows not far from the road.