Thursday, March 26, 2026

Goshawks in Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany

A few short videos from our few days watching goshawks in Tiergarten, Berlin. Sorry, hand held recorder so a bit shaky !

Oh my goodness, it was a fantastic short trip. Highly recommended and so easy to do.






Wednesday, March 25, 2026

A couple of waxwings, Goole

 


















A few years since we have seen a waxwing in the UK so a trip to Goole was on the cards today. There they were at the side of the main road with cars and lorries hurtling past, not bothered at all. Viewing was from the river bank and the parking was very limited. A good, friendly crowd and a playful dog kept us going for a couple of hours.  The waxwings showed the whole time we were there so a very pleasant morning ! 

A few more goshawks from Tiergarten

 

The nest !  Very active and the male did bring in many twigs on our first day. The afternoon on our second day, their behavior changed, not calling as much and the female staying put in the nest even when a tasty morsel of food arrived on a nearby branch. She was well and truly sitting and his job was done !  We timed our visit just perfect x
















The first goshawk we saw in Tiergarten. We were more than happy with this view but what was to follow was simply breathtaking. Never had views of goshawk like this before.....simply stunning ! One then has to ask the question.......why are these not in our big parks ????

A few snaps from Berlin

 



Tiergarten in Berlin, our place for 2 days. The park is absolutely massive and on the first morning we did well in excess of 20,000 steps before we found an active goshawk nest. We did find quite a few but wasted time at them before we realised they were probably last years. But we did find a nest with a nearby bench where we sat for 2 days and watched and listened to them calling and it was absolutely fantastic. The park was so busy with runners, cyclists, dogs and masses of strolling folk.  The birds were not bothered in the slightest. The park was totally litter free. Our hotel (the Pastana), which was lovely and good value,  was just a short walk away but we did lack a supermarket for a cheap sandwich. 

One of the many nest sites


Tiergarten



This is the gravesite for more than 2000 Soviet soldiers who were killed in April and May 1945 in the Battle of Berlin. It stands as a memorial of the Soviet Army for the victory over National Socialism.


The Reichstag



This is the sire of the former Kroll Opera House. It was here that on 1st September 1939, Adolf Hitler announced the German attack on Poland. The building was constructed in 1844 as a theatre. It became the seat of the National Socialist parliament after after the Reichstag (which was opposite) was burned down. On 30 January 1939, Hitler gave a speech at this location in which he threatened the annihilation of the Jewish population. 
In December 1943 the building was severely damaged in air raids by the British Royal Air Force.
The remains of the Kroll Opera House were removed in 1957.

The Brandenburg Gate

The woodland floor in the Tiergarten held some beautiful flowers. 

Even the small park bridges were stunning

Tuesday, March 24, 2026

Red Squirrels, Tiergarten, Berlin

 Lots of red squirrels in Tiergarten, always good to see