Weltvogelpark Walsrode

Use the park’s circuit as a framework, pausing for bird houses, a timed event and play. The official map helps you choose connections when you want to shorten the day.

Choose the appropriate entrances and viewing positions with staff if using a wheelchair or mobility aid.

Choose one flight show or keeper feeding, then spend time at Uhu-Burg and the Freiflughalle. Add a playground break and leave the rest of the collection for another visit.

Explore the regular circuit with stops for the shoebill, birds of prey and tropical houses. Put lunch and playgrounds between longer bird-watching sessions, and let the day’s programme decide when you cross to the show area.

Sketch the ibis’s curve, the spoonbill’s broad tip and the shoebill’s heavy bill. Ask everyone to choose which looks best suited to probing, sweeping or grabbing, then compare with the exhibit information.

At Toowoomba, pause and watch the lorikeets drink nectar. Let children know beforehand that a bird may land on a hand or head, so they can decide whether they are comfortable going in.

Slow down in the planted tropical displays and look for different birds at different heights. Keep waterproofs handy for the outdoor links between buildings.

At the shoebill enclosure, look for the enormous shoe-shaped bill. Standing still is part of this bird’s hunting strategy, so give it time rather than expecting constant movement.

Watch the thin, down-curved bill in the Freiflughalle. It is a probing tool for finding food in mud and shallow water; compare its shape with the spoonbill nearby.

Look for the broad, flattened bill in the Freiflughalle. If a bird is feeding, watch for the side-to-side sweep that helps it locate prey by touch.

The dark-grey bird with curling white facial feathers is the Inca tern. Look around the wave installation in the Freiflughalle, and try a patient photograph when one settles.

Use the enclosure labels at the Uhu-Burg to find the eagle-owl among the different owl species. Compare its size with the smaller owls, keeping voices low around resting birds.

Find the barn owl at the Uhu-Burg and think about its connection with farms and old buildings. In the wild it hunts chiefly at night, using exceptionally sensitive hearing.

Look in the birds-of-prey area or check the flight-show programme. The park introduces a bald eagle in its demonstration; seeing how it flies adds context to an enclosure photograph.

At the birds-of-prey area, watch for the condor’s broad wings. Its natural wingspan can reach 3.2 m; males also carry a fleshy crest on the forehead.

When a bateleur takes part in the flight show, look for its very short tail. The species features in the advertised programme, although the birds taking part can change.

Scarlet ibises obtain the building blocks for their vivid plumage from carotenoid-rich food, including small crustaceans.

The Paradieshalle uses island habitats as a theme, with displays including birds from Southeast Asian islands and Madagascar.

Rosencafé serves sit-down meals; snack outlets are located at the adventure playground and Uhu-Burg, with ice cream by the flight-show area.

Use the rail journey planner for the complete trip, including local connections and walking sections. Check the journey home before setting out.