Mertinger Höll Nature Reserve

Aerial view of the Mertinger Höll nature reserve, Mertingen, Donau-Ries, Swabia, Bavaria, taken on March 14, 2009.  

The March sun shimmers silver as it reflects on the water surfaces of the "Mertinger Höll" when the groundwater levels are once again high following the spring snowmelt. The approximately 1,200-hectare meadow area near Donauwörth is a nature reserve of supra-regional importance and an important refuge for many bird species of the Danube valley.  

(Hoch über Bayern, page 27)