Along the Esterweger Dose nature reserve

The route through the Esterweger Dose via Jammertalstraße is always a pleasure. I love this track, even if the road surface is getting old. You can see how the rewetting is getting going again. In addition, the naval radio towers are of course something special here. After all, they serve as a reliable geographical orientation for the trained eye over long distances in all directions.
The 4746 hectare area was placed under nature protection in 2005 (NSG WE 245). Here, in addition to the high moor areas that can be renatured, we find e.g. Bog forests, mat grass and moor grass meadows, peat bog gullies, transitional and oscillating grass bogs and damp tall herb corridors. What initially sounds like positive news is clearly diminished by the fact that peat extraction is still permitted on a large part of the area until 2036. The Esterweger Dose belongs to a formerly 11,000-hectare area, which also included the 1,500-hectare Ostrhauderfehner Moor, the 3,800-hectare Saterland Westermoor and the 2,000-hectare Timpermoor.
The last breeding occurrence of the golden plover in Central Europe can be found in the Esterweger Dose. The golden plover needs raised bogs with low vegetation as habitat. However, all efforts were unsuccessful, in recent years there have been no more breedings, so that the protection program was discontinued.
Other rare species that we find in the Esterweger box are redshank, curlew, black-tailed godwit, crane, greater mermaid and sundew.

The Jammertal Straße is a quiet, almost car-free side route between Bockhorst and Rhauderfehn along the "Esterweger Dose" moor area. It is part of the approximately 100 km long "moor adventure route" between Esterwegen, Rhauderfehn and the Saterland. Beautiful in every season.

It was nice to cycle along here, there is always something to watch left and right 👀.