This is where it started to go wrong, albeit that this wasn't clear to me at this stage. There was indeed a footpath, more like a farm track that one could have driven down, indeed it went past a small-holding with some cattle at one point, but it gradually got narrower and narrower before eventually petering out completely. Surely this wasn't right? I looked at my map again but I was exactly on a path that continued in the same direction. At this point I had walked probably three quarters of the distance so I did not feel like retracing my steps. And anyway the birding was excellent despite the mist, with loads of Geese calling overhead, Snipe and Wood Sandpiper everywhere, a Spotted Redshank calling, Marsh Harriers, Red-backed Shrike, Yellow Wagtails and so on. Nonetheless I should have turned back. But I didn't, I was within touching distance of the shore so ploughed on, returning and trying another path would have meant a two mile round trip. Onwards then, under a couple of fences that mysteriously crossed what on my map was a path, through deep stands of wet grass and sedge, over a ditch, over another fence, more sedge and then finally a proper footpath. Very wet grass.... I was soaked to the skin from the waist down, and in particular my shoes were full of water. I pondered my next move but there was no alternative but to take pretty much everything off, wring it out, and then squelch down the path. As soon as I put shoes back on my socks absorbed another quart of water, and so this process had to be repeated a number of times, but even when my socks were merely extremely damp rather than mostly liquid it was clear that walking was going to be highly unpleasant. Still, things could only get better.
And get better they did. Gradually I dried out as I walked along, and birding helped take my mind off my bedraggled condition. Willow Tits! Ravens! A couple of pairs of Crane, some Greenshank, more Snipe, a Cuckoo. Simply loads of birds, the full list from this section is here. I walked north initially, the lake still out of sight, finding a hide from where I added White-tailed Eagle, Bullfinch, loads of hirundines, a Whinchat, Stonechats and lots more. Still missing a lake, I turned back and walked past where I had emerged an hour or so previously. In better light and with the mist having cleared it was clear that there was no path whatsoever, despite what the map had suggested. I had passed an actual path, but it had a no-entry sign on it. It seemed that the only way to access where I now was was from the direction I was now walking - broadly south. I kept adding birds, including a Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in a hedge of all places, as well as Marsh Warbler, lots of Herons and Egrets on a marshy bit, a flock of Lapwing, and lots of House Martin, Sand Martin and Swallow. Still no lake, but after about a mile a clear path deviated east towards what had to be the water. Through woodland initially, where I picked out Spotted Flycatcher and Short-toed Treecreeper (does not sound like a Treecreeper at all), then onto a lethally slippery boardwalk and finally to a tower hide.
Wow, what a view! Flat calm, like a mirror, and much larger than I had anticipated, with birds all the way across. There was even a small island with some buildings on it and some tourists, the Insel Wilhelmstein. And there were hundreds if not thousands of birds - Greylag Geese and Mallard probably the most numerous, but lots of Mute Swan, Gadwall, Great Crested Grebe and various other species. I couldn't really linger on account of there being just two buses back to Wunstorf - I was already going to miss the first one and couldn't afford to miss the final one in a couple of hours. This next section as I walked back down the south-west track towards the village was probably the best. A marsh on my right hand side had over 100 Lapwing, Ringed and Little Ringed Plover, Redshank and a Little Stint. Meanwhile a field on the other side had 30 Great White Egret dotted around in it. Overhead were multiple Buzzards, a trio of Red Kite, and then quite remarkably a Black Woodpecker flew through my binoculars and into the woodland I had just left, calling very stridently as it landed somewhere in the trees.
As I still had a fair amount of time, rather than go back to the village I turned back into the habitat tracking back towards where I was sure I had likely started. Sure enough I found my initial 'path'. It was clearly a well-trodden path - perhaps to the paddocks - but I also found a "no access" sign that I had somehow missed earlier. Ooops. A bit further on I found the bottom of the next path with the same sign, but had I chosen this one at least I would have made it to the top without getting totally soaked. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I carried on birding past this point, picking up Hobby, more Raven, several more Red Kite, a Sparrowhawk and a Yellowhammer. Dampness aside it had been a great morning, I had walked five miles and seen 85 species.
I trudged back to the village and found my bus stop. I had about half an hour so I removed my shoes and socks and dried them a bit more on a fence. I suspected that they would not be especially fragrant and felt a little sorry for any passengers in my vicinity on my return flight. Here was my bus, right on time back to Winzlar, from where I caught a train back to the city.
It was now mid-afternoon and part two of my day could begin - a city break. Much as I enjoy birding I also really enjoy walking around European cities. I had a well deserved spot of lunch and then had a bit of wander. Unfortunately the cathedral was covered in scaffolding - this happens to me so often, the main attraction undergoing some kind of vital restoration work right at the time of my visit - but I enjoyed the paved streets, elegant old buildings and watching people. A small river flows around the edge of the old town and at one point there were some surfers who could basically stay in exactly the same spot on a weir whilst "surfing" the strong current.
