Flora and Fauna at the Airport

Airport Weeze is beautifully nestled in the middle of the Lower Rhine countryside near the border with the Netherlands. The area is not densely populated and offers numerous hiding places for wild animals with its forests, pastures and meadows. Airport Weeze promotes the “airport living space” and is aware of the great potential of its natural areas on its more than six million square meter site. Beyond the terminal and runway many animal species, also endangered ones, are at home, and the grounds offers perfect living conditions with renatured areas and gravel pits in the neighbourhood. Since many areas of the airport are not open to the public for security reasons, wild animals live there almost undisturbed.

The “inhabitants” include birds of prey such as eagle owls, foxes, rabbits, wild birds, bees, squirrels as well as many amphibian and insect species and bats. Airport Weeze is “one of the best habitats in the district of Kleve” according to Stefan R. Sundmann from the “North-Rhine Westphalian Ornithologists Society”. The biodiversity and number of breeding birds around the airport is unique, more than 100 breeding bird species have settled there. In comparison: there are about 180 throughout North Rhine-Westphalia. One of the special types of bird is the European nightjar, also known as the night swallow, which is relatively rare, but has the largest population in the district of Kleve at Airport Weeze. Better known are the nightingales, whose song can even be heard from the terminal in spring. Natterjack toads and smooth snakes have also discovered the airport grounds for themselves.