Steinhorster Becken Nature Reserve

Great circular route, easy to hike, very interesting bird watching possible (storks, barnacle geese, gray geese, grebes, coot, mallards, cuckoo, nightingale), and many more. Nice restaurant at the parking lot with great map!

One, also for evening, very relaxing round with view of the bird world.

Steinhorst basin - thumbs up for me...
Wki says:
emergence
The course of the Ems and parallel watercourses repeatedly caused flooding in the towns of Rietberg and Rheda-Wiedenbrück in the Gütersloh district. It was therefore decided in 1972 to build a water retention basin in the Steinhorster Bruch in the north of the Paderborn district and east of Westerwiehe. An area through which the Ems flows was surrounded by dikes; if there is a risk of flooding, a weir should be closed so that the water can collect in the basin. The dyke and dam structures are managed by the Obere Lippe Water Board. During a test damming, it was found that waders and waterfowl settled in this basin.
wildlife
The nature reserve serves as a resting, feeding and moulting place as well as a wintering site for migrating bird species. It is also a breeding and retreat area for birds that are typical of wetlands. In winter, Pippin Ducks, Diving Ducks, Arctic Geese, Gray and Great Egrets, Cormorants and Goosanders retreat here. In spring, the cranes take a break when returning from the south, while ospreys, black storks and peregrine falcons also use the basin as a resting place during migration. Breeding birds include black-headed gulls, lapwings, curlews and great crested grebes. In 2010, a pair of white storks successfully bred on a stork pole for the first time.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steinhorster_Becken