Lütje Hörn

Template: Infobox Island / Maintenance / height missing

Lütje horn is an uninhabited East Frisian Island, which lies about four kilometers east-southeast of the eastern end of the island of Borkum in the East Frisian Randzelwatt.

History

It is first mentioned Lütje horn in 1576 in a sailing instruction as " Hooghe horn ". Since 1859, the island in the topographic maps is listed on the located southeast of Borkum Watt back.

Geography

In contrast to all other East Frisian Islands Lütje has horn on a north-south direction elongated shape. This is due to the location of the island in Osterems power forth. Since its first documentary mention of the situation of the island by about two kilometers has moved further to the southeast. Alone from 1961 to 1999, the island has shifted by about 600 meters east and 150 meters to the south. This corresponds to a speed of 15 meters per year in the east and four meters per year in the south. In the years from 1999 to 2005, this eastern migration of the island has continued for a further 100 meters. Due to erosion Lütje has continuously lost Horn of area. The size of the island was in the first half of the last century, but still relatively stable: in 1891 it stood at 61 and 1937 at 54 acres. In 1957, the flood- free area was 58 acres, including an approximately one -acre dunes core. The storm surge in February 1962 caused considerable loss of land and dune erosion, further losses caused by the winter storm floods 1989 /1990. In 1987, the area was above the Middle Tidehochwassers ( MHT ) only 23, a few years later only about 11 acres. According to the Lower Saxony Water Management, Coastal Defence and Nature Conservation Agency (NLWKN ) Lütje pointed horn in the summer of 2006, still on a flood -free area of ​​approximately 6.5 hectares.

Affiliation

The uninhabited North Sea island belong to any church, but is an unincorporated community in the district of Leer in Lower Saxony, though it is geographically the district of Aurich in front (similar to the island and town of Borkum ). Lütje horn is the smallest area of ​​unincorporated territory of Germany. The Birds Island is in Zone I of the National Park Lower Saxon Wadden Sea and may be entered only with permission from the National Park Service.

Flora

On Lütje horn the dunes so far only reached the stage of development of individual young secondary dunes in the north of the island. This rose in 1989 up to 1.5 meters above MHW on, went in 1990 but due to severe storm surge exposure sharply. However, the main part of the island were wide primary dune fields in the south and the extensive " intermediate sand " between the two dune areas. This showed in 1989 there are still elements of salt marshes, which were no longer present in 1990. The process of constant reduction in the area and the number of plant species has decreased significantly. Found in 1988 in addition to Dune grasses and salt marsh flora still an elder tree as the largest plant on the island, so there was not much to see in 2006 by plant growth. Many roots were spared, however, so that the plants in sturmflut dry years also can regenerate. Of the former secondary dunes elements nothing is left, it can be found only nor primary dune fields of about 3.5 hectares and small -scale salt marshes residues.

Fauna

The most common breeding birds are on Lütje horn silver and gull, eider and oystercatcher. Were counted in 1994 about 450 breeding pairs of birds on Lütje horn, so in 2006 it was little more than 200 pairs. A special case is the 1994 also represented cormorant. On the mainland, the bird nests usually in trees, but has evolved to Lütje horn in the absence of larger trees for ground-nesting birds. After an investigation of the biologist Armin Rose of the University of Oldenburg in 1990 were on the island insects such as rove beetles ( Staphylinidae ), spiders (Arachnida ) or beetles (Carabidae ) are detected.

Miscellaneous

In the book " The North Sea Coast, part II, River Elbe to the IJsselmeer " by KH Neumann ( 1983) tells of a beacon on Lütje horn. Nowadays the beacon no longer exists.