Long weekend in Berlin (1 Viewer)

This hardly warrants the title "report" however I feel the need to relate my experience of Berlin's Tiergarten.
My wife and I travelled to Berlin to see Fleetwood Mac on Thursday 06/06/19 and to do some sightseeing.
I had heard that there were Goshawks within the city and was hopeful, although doubted, that we may be lucky enough to see one.
Whilst travelling around the city I scanned buildings and the thousands of trees that grow there, to no avail.
On our final afternoon, Saturday we took an all to brief walk around the Tiergarten where I hoped we had the best chance of seeing a Gos'.

We tried to keep to the less travelled areas imagining this would increase our chances. We stopped to read a "you are here" map in an area with lots of people sunbathing and cycling when we heard the unmistakable call of a raptor, and into a tree in front of us flew a Gos'!! It was only there about thirty seconds before it flew off calling and we weren't able to locate it again, however I did get a photo' before it disappeared. Nobody else seemed to notice or care that a bird regarded as a ghost in the UK had just put in a somewhat noisy appearance in a public park on a Saturday afternoon!

I don't know if we were incredibly lucky or this is the norm, what I do know is we will be returning to Berlin, with more time.

I was in Berlin for a couple of days last August and spent some time wandering round the Tiergarden - must have seen at least 6 different Goshawks, some incredibly close. They don't seem bothered by the people and the people don't bother them.

An interesting account from Berlin. Martin regarding your August sightings of Goshawk, were any of those seen at the Tiergarden adult birds, also did you note any Hawfinch present?, as I hope to go later this year.

Cheers

My girlfriend went to Berlin for a long weekend last May and went for a walk in that garden and altho not having binoculars described several sightings of birds that she said were Goshawks and i thought no not in somewhere with people mooching around but there you go who would have thought and they are obviously being ringed by the looks of that bird.....

Laurie:t:

There are a few cities in which they occur regularly.

In January I saw one above the moat of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and in April one flew past my hotel room in downtown Helsinki!

Cheers
Mike

KenM said:

An interesting account from Berlin. Martin regarding your August sightings of Goshawk, were any of those seen at the Tiergarden adult birds, also did you note any Hawfinch present?, as I hope to go later this year.

Cheers

Click to expand...

Ken,

All those I had good looks at were juv's, or immature birds.

I had some great views of Hawfinch coming down to drink by one of the streams running through the park. They dropped into a thick tangle but could be made out drinking at the waters edge. There were at least 6 birds but could have been more if it was a turnover of birds rather than the same birds returning.

rollingthunder said:

My girlfriend went to Berlin for a long weekend last May and went for a walk in that garden and altho not having binoculars described several sightings of birds that she said were Goshawks and i thought no not in somewhere with people mooching around but there you go who would have thought and they are obviously being ringed by the looks of that bird.....

Laurie:t:

Click to expand...

I watched one fly in low through groups of people to try to take a pigeon or House Sparrow from a flock feeding on the path within Berlin Zoo - it missed.

Martin Bell said:

Ken,

All those I had good looks at were juv's, or immature birds.

I had some great views of Hawfinch coming down to drink by one of the streams running through the park. They dropped into a thick tangle but could be made out drinking at the waters edge. There were at least 6 birds but could have been more if it was a turnover of birds rather than the same birds returning.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info.Martin much appreciated. :t:

I was in teirgarten from 4 th may till 9 th may found a gosses nest 2 nd day. Female sitting so il come back for photos 1 st week of July also saw nice immature female perched in a tree this morning. May 8 th and a couple of days back an immature male. Last years bird , gosses nest near to footpaths . It’s no good going through the middle of the wood they use alternative nests each year. The pair I found have another nest in the wood opposite. You have to walk slowly and quietly and you will see them

Sausagesandwich said:

I was in teirgarten from 4 th may till 9 th may found a gosses nest 2 nd day. Female sitting so il come back for photos 1 st week of July also saw nice immature female perched in a tree this morning. May 8 th and a couple of days back an immature male. Last years bird , gosses nest near to footpaths . It’s no good going through the middle of the wood they use alternative nests each year. The pair I found have another nest in the wood opposite. You have to walk slowly and quietly and you will see them

Click to expand...

Sausagesandwich said:

I was in teirgarten from 4 th may till 9 th may found a gosses nest 2 nd day. Female sitting so il come back for photos 1 st week of July also saw nice immature female perched in a tree this morning. May 8 th and a couple of days back an immature male. Last years bird , gosses nest near to footpaths . It’s no good going through the middle of the wood they use alternative nests each year. The pair I found have another nest in the wood opposite. You have to walk slowly and quietly and you will see them

Click to expand...

Wish I took a look when I visited Berlin a few years ago. Wanted to add welcome to BirdForum from all the staff and moderators.

Rich

Wonder how numerous Sprawks are there…or have the Gos’s taken them all? 😮