The last few weeks were abnormally cold and snowy here in Berlin. These conditions not only meant that the birds were hungry, but also that I didn’t get out much to observe them. To remedy this situation I covered the window boxes on my balcony with sunflower seeds every morning, and soon found that I had many visitors. Above is one of a troop of hawfinches that would appear every morning.
Last week, in a fit of spring fever, I decided to plant primroses and spring bulbs in my balcony garden. On pulling out the roots of last summer’s herbs I found a number of peanuts buried in my pots and window-boxes, and I left them there so they could be found again.
As I was walking through the Tiergarten on my way to the store this morning, I noticed some bloody feathers in the snow. On looking up, I saw a Northern Goshawk (Habicht) high in an oak tree, eating.
Yesterday was remarkable, as the sun shone for the entire day. I honestly can’t remember when that last happened. It could have been December. Yesterday I also heard the full, exuberant song of the blackbird for the first time this year. In the twilight, perched on a tree not far from our balcony, he sang for a while, occasionally echoed by another blackbird farther off. I can only think that he must have been as happy as me to finally have a sunny day, and he gave it a fitting end. Here is a recording of part of his song.
