1.5 kmSkjern Meadows
Large wetland right by the tower with the same bird and meadow landscape
The bird tower at Lønborggård is a short nature stop in Skjern Enge, where the landscape quickly changes from shelterbelt to wetland. The path leads through vegetation and out to the tower, and from here meadow, reeds and water surfaces open up in several directions. It is a place for slow birdwatching and quiet rather than a long walk with many kilometers in your legs.
From the tower there are especially good chances to look for various ducks and other waterfowl. A pair of binoculars makes sense here, but the view can also be read without a bird guide: the water, the low meadows and the open river valley say a lot about the nature that has once again been given space around the lower part of the Skjern River.
What makes the place special is that the bird hide does not only face nature. To the west lies Lønborggård, the old bishop's manor, and to the east stands Lønborg Church as a fixed landmark in the flat landscape. The Skjern Enge nature exhibition on Gl. Botoftevej can be used as a nearby supplement if the birds and life in the river valley need more explanation than the tower itself provides. Out here, the horizon is both wet meadow and old power geography.
Skjern Enge Nature Exhibition is located at the Skjern Enge Nature Centre in Vostrup and is a practical starting point in the western part of the valley. The exhibition takes you close to the birds in the delta's meadows with text, stuffed specimens and bird calls, which can make the sounds out in the landscape easier to recognise again.
There is free admission from 9 am to 6 pm from 15 April to 31 October. Outside there are tables and benches, and it is a short walk to the southern cable ferry.
Lønborggård is not just a name by the birdwatching tower. A royal estate stood here in the Middle Ages, later a farm belonging to the Diocese of Ribe, and during the Count’s Feud the site was plundered by Skipper Clement’s troops.
Remains of the old moats can still be seen east and west of the farm. The location by the Skjern Å was also economically important: fishing in the river was a major historical source of income for the owners.
