Was that a cormorant flying? Not everyone has binoculars in their luggage on a hike and usually the birds are too far away to observe them closely with the naked eye. If you want to take a closer look at the bird life in the Eifel National Park, you should head for the Bird Watching Station Urftsee at the Urft Dam.

Not only can cormorants be observed from here, great crested grebes, ducks and grey herons can also be seen. Two high-quality telescopes with fifteen-fold magnification are installed at the station at different heights, so that even wheelchair users can comfortably watch the birds feeding their young or hunting for food above the lake.

For the cormorants, Lake Urftsee is perfect for raising their young. Rich juvenile fish stocks of the perch that dominate the reservoir provide a richly laid table for the young birds and their parents. Around 50 cormorant pairs have settled here. For centuries, the cormorant was persecuted and became extinct in inland West Germany after the Second World War. Thanks to extensive protection measures, its numbers have recovered well. On the information boards, which can be accessed from underneath, you can read a lot of interesting information about the landscape and the special features of the local bird life. In the Eifel National Park, animals find the peace and quiet they need to hunt and raise their young. So it is not surprising that, with a bit of luck, the Red and Black Kites and the Black Stork can also be seen at the Urft Dam, in addition to the cormorants.

Those who want to fortify themselves after extensive bird watching can use the nearby restaurant for refreshments. It is accessible without steps and there is also a public toilet for people with disabilities at the Urft dam.