September 5, 2024, 8:22 am | Read time: 5 minutes
If you want to go on vacation in Föhr, you don’t necessarily have to use the peak season in the summer months. A visit is also worthwhile in winter. For example, the fauna of the Wadden Sea can be explored on extended hikes.
Walter Stubenrauch carefully removes the orange-colored starfish from the large aquarium. An imprint is camouflaged in the sand at the bottom of the tank. There are crabs, mussels, and all kinds of other creatures behind the glass wall. These are all inhabitants of the Wadden Sea, which lies just beyond the shores of the island of Föhr.
The starfish’s stomach is rumbling with hunger. It’s eleven in the morning, the perfect time for a mid-morning snack. And Stubenrauch, head of the National Park House in the island’s capital Wyk, has already prepared it.
Emily, a five-year-old visitor from Bavaria, is allowed to hand out the food. And she wants to know how a starfish can actually eat. The answer is as surprising to Emily as it is to everyone else: “The starfish distributes its stomach in all five arms,” explains Stubenrauch as he places the echinoderm on Emily’s hand.
For a starfish, dining in the wilds of the Wadden Sea is a laborious and energy-intensive endeavor: “When it wants to eat a mussel, it attaches itself to the shell with its suction cups and pulls until the mussel can no longer defend itself,” says Stubenrauch. Then the starfish turns its stomach outwards, around the meat, and eats. Emily looks incredulous. “That can take a few hours,” Stubenrauch adds.
Seeing a starfish in the wild is unlikely at the moment – especially when it’s eating. It’s winter on Föhr. Venturing into the mudflats is possible, yet the pace of life within the sand and silt decelerates significantly compared to the warmer months. Near Nieblum in the west of the island, for example, the beach is empty. Every now and then, a few oystercatchers fly by and peck at the seabed, where the tides alternate every six hours. The odd pile of lugworms can also be seen. But otherwise the mudflats are quiet.
Although the winter sun is shining in Föhr, you need thick clothing on the beach, preferably in several layers. Because the wind blows against- albeit not as strongly as on Amrum and Sylt, the offshore islands in the Wadden Sea. They protect Föhr, which is closest to the North Frisian mainland. But it’s not just the big and small people on the beach who are cold, it’s also not the best time of year for all the life in the Unesco World Heritage Site. “The chilly conditions pose a significant challenge for the ectothermic creatures,” explains Stubenrauch.
Nevertheless, he is now standing in the mudflats with a fork and rain boots. But he doesn’t dig as much as he would on a mudflat hike in summer. “If we show a mussel in summer and put it back on the sand, it immediately buries itself again.” In winter, the water is cold in Föhr and the substrate can even be frozen. “It can take hours for it to get back into a comfortable position,” says the biologist.
Nevertheless, he still goes out in winter, preferably in Nieblum. “This is the most beautiful piece of mudflat we have,” he says. The village is also a sight to behold: because of the many thatched roofs and the pretty houses that line the few streets. However, there is not much to see in Nieblum in winter, from candle making to sweet making. Most businesses have shut for the season.
At the turn of the year, however, the island is always full, says head of tourism Jochen Gemeinhardt. “That’s when many families meet up here on the island, enjoy the stimulating climate – and lots of tea.” It’s a necessity for warming the soul from within. Aquaföhr – a swimming pool, spa, and thalassotherapy center all in one – also offers a whole host of options to warm up holidaymakers. Utilizing the island’s natural bounty: silt, algae, saltwater – and even hot mussels for a unique massage experience. Then, bundled up against the cold, it’s time to set out and discover the island’s treasures. There are the old churches with their cemeteries, for example, which tell of the long history of whalers and captains on the island, or the Frisian Museum in Wyk.
Speaking of Wyk: if you keep hearing a rattling sound in your ear as you stroll through the seaside resort, you are close to Villa Friede. The Art Nouveau house, built at the beginning of the 20th century by the poet couple Lisa and Richard Friede, was once a boarding house for girls and is now a guesthouse with a special view: Numerous storks have taken up residence in the immediate vicinity. They clatter their beaks and set off towards the North Sea in search of their next meal. Will the lugworms be deep enough in the mud?
The original version of this article was published in 2016.