December 2015, Berlin (1 Viewer)

This is not a birding holiday, although there's always a chance, but might be of interest to some non-local birders visiting.

We made the easy trip by train to Potsdam and then took the 92 tram from the station to the Russian colony at Alexandrowka (the railway station Tourist Info office can provide details and a map). We found a pair of active and reasonably vocal Middle-spotted Woodpeckers around the Alexander Nevsky church and possibily another pair around the belvedere about ten minutes further on from the church, where there were also Hawfinches. A big bonus, when we were walking back across Alexandrowka to the excellent restaurant there was a flock of 67 Common Cranes.

... And January 2016

A late start after the excesses of last night and bird of the day was a Goshawk over Tiergarten. If the weather is OK tomorrow we might head for Schloss Charlottenburg for a wander around the grounds.

No Goshawks seen at Schloss Charlottenburg today and Hawfinches not numerous but a couple of sightings of Middle-spotted Woodpeckers, 12 Whooper Swans over and 5 Red Squirrels kept us entertained.

Although it wasn't a birding break we weren't prohibited from doing some birding so we made the easy trip by U-Bahn and train to Karow for a look around the Karower Teiche area that looked like it might be good as per www.ornitho.de . Temperatures had dropped dramatically and it was -7C with most water courses and ponds frozen but a good sighting of 7 Common Cranes made the cold bearable. Lunch in the traditional restaurant on the way from Karow station to the reserve was splendid.