Helgoland Lummenfelsen: guillemots, gannets and the 'Lummensprung'
Common guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake, northern gannet, fulmar; grey seals on the Düne. Helgoland, North Sea, Germany.
Best time: 15 May – 28 Jun (May to June). Where: Lummenfelsen (Verein Jordsand reserve, north-west cliff), Lange Anna viewpoint, Helgoland Düne (grey seal colony) (Germany). Time of day: Colony sound all day, cleanest before the day ferries land (from first light to 11:00) and after they leave (from 18:00).
- You can go on your own
- Free
- No binoculars needed
- Sound 5/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 May – 28 Jun. Mid May to end of June; chicks jump (Lummensprung) around 10–28 June at dusk — Lummentage festival mid June
Active from 15 Mar to 31 Jul (March to July) in a typical year.
Time of day
Colony sound all day, cleanest before the day ferries land (from first light to 11:00) and after they leave (from 18:00); the guillemot jump happens 21:00–23:00 as the light fades.
- Morning colony: sunrise → 11:00
- Evening colony: 18:00 → sunset
- Lummensprung: 21:00 → 23:00
What will you hear?
Germany's only seabird cliff: guillemot growls, kittiwake screaming, gannet colony grating, fulmar cackles; at the jump, chicks peeping and adults calling them down to the sea 40 m below.
Binoculars?
No binoculars needed. Gannets nest within 10 m of the cliff path; the guillemot jump is watched from the beach below with naked eye.
Where to go
- Lummenfelsen (Verein Jordsand reserve, north-west cliff) — Cliff-top path within 10 m of the nearest gannet nests; Germany's smallest nature reserve. Map
- Lange Anna viewpoint — Gannets and guillemots on the stack; wind-exposed. Map
- Helgoland Düne (grey seal colony) — Pups born Nov–Jan on the beaches; 30 m rule; separate ferry from the main island. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Ferry from Büsum, Cuxhaven or Hamburg (day-trip and overnight fares); the cliff-top path past the Lummenfelsen is free and open at night. Stay on the island for the early and evening hours; the Jordsand wardens run guided evenings during the Lummentage.
Cost: Free access to the cliff path; ferry fares apply: Cassen Eils from Cuxhaven €66–68 adult day return (MS Helgoland), €76–79 catamaran (2026); Büsum and Hamburg boats (check current prices).
Who runs access
- Verein Jordsand – Lummenfelsen guided events (NGO) — Warden-led walks and Lummensprung evenings in June.
Field-recording notes
Free access to the cliff-top path and no ticket, but the reserve is a few metres wide — no leaning over, no drones, no lights at the jump. Noise is not birds but people: day-trip ferries land 11:00–16:00, so mornings and after 18:00 are yours; the path is open at night. Wind is nearly always present; the cliff edge gives some lee below the fence line. The Lummensprung is best from the beach below (Nordstrand) with a long shotgun for the water landings; the Jordsand wardens run guided evenings. Gannets are still an Anthropocene story here — nests are full of plastic rope, and birds get entangled; do not intervene, report to the wardens.
Sources
- Verein Jordsand – Lummenfelsen
- Verein Jordsand – Lummentage 2026
- Institut für Vogelforschung – Vogelwarte Helgoland
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