It’s a quiet winter’s morning at Lake Constance. Frost covers the banks and a thin layer of ice rests on the trees. Several black coots swim by. This is her world: the biologist and ornithologist Johanna Kronberger is standing on the shore wrapped up in her winter gear and is looking through her binoculars. “It’s possible to see many different species of bird at close range here in this European nature reserve that is the Rhine delta,” she says.

More than 300 different species of bird breed and spend their winters in the Rhine delta. “With a little luck, you can even see Bewick’s swans here in winter as well as different species of duck,” Johanna says. She’s regularly been taking interested visitors out on guided tours for the last three years. It’s possible to book the tours either directly through her or through the Hotel am See. “Out here, in nature, it’s all about the animals. I’m able to forget everything else for a few hours. It’s what I love about my job.”