There's a nature observation pavilion at the so-called 'Plessenteich', a renaturated excavation lake - located in the area of the Neu-Ulm districts of Reutti and Gerlenhofen, Bayern, Germany
Plessenteich
The gravel mining at the 'Plessenteich' had only been approved under the condition that the area would be restored after the end of the utilization. Gerlenhofen citizens, who rejected plans for an extension and expansion of economic use, founded the 'Working Group on Environmental Protection (GAU)' in 1980. The resistance in the population led the Neu Ulm city council to disagree with the extension of the rights to use at the 'Plessenteich'.
Four years later (1984) he adopted the GAU-concept for the 'Plessenteich', which envisaged an enlargement of the area of ??10 hectares with a simultaneous recultivation of the site which was no longer used. The Neu-Ulm district council agreed with the plans in the following year.
In 2003, the GAU finally acquired the lake for 215.000€. Since then extensive care and design activities have been carried out: flat water zones, parts of the terrain have been cleared, others have been replanted, breeding water has been laid and several observation points, including a tower, have been created. The terrain is now 26 hectares in size.
Birds at the Plessenteich
More than 200 different bird species have been observed at Plessenteich. Regular breeding of chimpanzees, marsh gulls, river terns, river rain pikes and lapwings are considered successfully by the GAU. Kingfishes are found all year round, but they probably have not been breeding there. Yearly returning transients include Krickente, Kolbenente, Schnatterente, Rostgans, Silberreiher and Bekassines.
On the first floor of the tower, which is made of native spruce and which is always open, large color photos with the most important bird species are hung up, such as lapwing, river whistles and mandarines.
source: [DE] Wikipedia
