We found this Redstart flitting around a playground in Tiergarten. He appears to be molting. It was quite hot and he seemed to be cooling himself in the dust.
Common Redstart, Molting Male
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Back in Berlin
After 9 years I’m back in Berlin for a short visit, this time with my daughter, Athena. We’re staying in the Tiergarten and finding the birds there to be just as interesting as ever. In fact we even have a pigeon family living on our rental balcony! We’ll be posting whatever we find here in the next week. It’s wonderful to be back!
Kestrel in Tempelhof – Guest Photo by Paul Miguel
Here’s a fantastic shot of a kestrel feeding on some kind of vole in Tempelhof, taken a few weeks ago by Paul Miguel of Nature Photography Courses UK.
His description of the encounter:
“I was out on an incredibly cold morning with a biting easterly wind. Whilst it was cold, the sun was shining with beautiful soft light. I watched a kestrel in the distance hover then dive. Very quickly it was flying in my direction. I couldn’t believe it when it landed in front of me and began to eat the vole it had caught. I slowly inched closer, checking the bird’s reactions each time I moved. Eventually I was within about 15 feet. I watched as it devoured the whole vole then preened before flying off.”
Wow. This is the kind of Tempelhof experience I dreamed of but never had. (Probably because I was always accompanied by exuberant small children when I was there.)
Thanks so much Paul!
And, dear reader, if you have any great photos of birds in Berlin that you would like to share, please send me a note or make a comment. I’d love to share your encounters with Berlin bird life.
It’s here! Birds in Berlin: The Guidebook
It’s here!
Birds in Berlin: The Guidebook is an interactive pdf featuring over 50 birds (plus a few animals) that can be seen in central Berlin. The book features id pages for each bird, with photo, description, and information on where to look and what to look for. In addition you’ll find sites, tips, and resources on bird watching in the Hauptstadt.
The book is suitable for beginning birders and experienced birders alike. Whether you’re curious about something you saw in the Tiergarten, or want to know where to look for warblers, you’re sure to find some useful information.
The book is an interactive pdf, readable on any smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
Coming soon – Birds in Berlin: The Guidebook
I’m hard at work creating a guidebook for birding in Berlin based on this blog. Look for it in the spring, when the blackbirds start calling! The book will be an e-book in the form of an interactive pdf, readable on any smartphone, tablet, or desktop.
Here are some sample pages:
From the Balcony: Redstart, Robin and Flycatcher
Just over a month ago the afternoons and evenings here in Berlin were still filled with the beautiful songs of blackbirds, blackcaps and nightingales. Now our yard is much quieter, with the exception of a few noisemakers.
This robin wakes early every morning and begin its many tasks, one of them being clucking at the neighbor’s cat. The robin must have a little brood somewhere in the yard that needs plenty of feeding and defending. While I took this picture, it had been clucking at the cat for some time, despite having a collection of insects in its mouth.
This beautiful Common Redstart is still busy defending his territory around our apartment. His song is loud, repetitive and insistent, and therefore tiring after about 15 minutes, but he is still endearing thanks to his beautiful coloration and cheery tail-bobbing.
The Spotted Flycatchers are very quiet, yet are actively swooping around the yard whenever I look out. Here is one in a rare moment of repose.
In addition to these birds, there are some tantalizing songs coming from the treetops lately. I don’t know if they are new or if I just never noticed them before, what with the pretty constant noise of blackbird excitement over the last few months. Unfortunately the leaves are so thick that I can’t yet identify the singers, but maybe in the coming days…
Juvenile Robin in the Englischer Garten
This little robin and his brothers and sisters and cousins were all making quite a ruckus in the Englischer Garten the other day.
He was curious about me, and I was curious about him.
Birds in Barcelona: About Town
I didn’t find a great variety of bird life in Barcelona, but the birds I did see had some great urban attitude.
A pigeon grooming herself on a martyr?
This Monk Parakeet knew that I wanted his photo and was not going to have it. After some chasing I captured this. He was the only one with a tag around the neck. I have no idea why.
Birds in Barcelona: the Monk Parakeets of Park Güell
Gaudi is not the only one to build fantastic structures in Park Güell. A loud and colorful band of Monk Parakeets build these enormous, fantastical nests in the palm trees there.
We ate lunch on a bench below this tree, where a very hungry young parakeet was squawking for his food.
We only had cheese and cherry pits, but luckily someone came with something good to eat!
A satisfied pair. Notice the family resemblance!
Grooming Crows
  
My husband took these shots of an adult Hooded Crow grooming an adolescent on an opposite roof the other day. They remind me of being a child and trying to stand patient and still while my mother combed my hair and fussed over my clothes. 
