Goshawks of Berlin 2026 - YCN Trip Report

Sun 15th Mar, 2026

Birding Tours 5th – 14th March 2026. Trip Report

After two very successful trips to Berlin in 2025 and wonderful reviews from our guests Mark Pearson and I immediately planned our YCN guiding dates for this year. 

As I arrived on the 27 February the weather improved dramatically and for the following three weeks we enjoyed many sunny days in this great city.

Northern Goshawk (female) - Berlin February 2026 © Richard Baines

In those first few days a big migration was underway involving Common Cranes and White-fronted Geese over central Berlin. It was such a thrill to see and hear these birds flying over the city. A few days later in the first week of March everything changed as larger numbers of Hawfinches and Bramblings started to appear in the parks, a new arrival was underway.

On the 11th March an early rain shower and cloud produced a big fall of Redwings in the city. Tiergarten was full of thrushes, many of them feeding on Ivy berries. On the same date we also noticed an increase in Goldcrests and Firecrests. 

Northern Goshawk (male) bill cleaning - Berlin March 2026 © Richard Baines

Spring starts early for resident birds and especially Northern Goshawks. February and March are key months for courtship, nest building and display. With no leaves on the trees this is the best time to watch these magnificent birds.

Throughout our time here this year we watched two active pairs. This is my sixth year watching these birds and I am still seeing and learning new things about their behaviour, they are not only charismatic but also endlessly fascinating.

Northern Goshawk (male) with food - Berlin March 2026 © Richard Baines

As I write this in the second week of March, the oldest pair of the two is further into their nesting cycle than the younger pair, the female spending a lot of time close to or on the nest. After several weeks of very cold temperatures in January and early February, the warmer weather appears to have had a big impact on breeding cycle timing.

My first guiding days started on the 5th and 6th with amazing views of Goshawks. My guests were truly blown away by the views and the opportunity to watch their behaviour. Everyone really enjoyed our focus on slow birding. Spending quality time with these amazing birds, learning about their breeding cycle, watching display and hunting flights and of course sharing experiences with others.

Our patience was always rewarded with stunning views of Goshawks and if you stay in one area long enough other great birds appear.

Firecrest - Berlin March 2026 © Richard Baines

Alongside the Goshawks we had close views of both Short-toed Treecreeper and Eurasian Treecreeper which emphasised how important the song of these species is for identification. Great-spotted Woodpeckers and Nuthatches are very common in the city. The large amount of standing and lying dead wood of native trees is a great resource for woodpeckers and many other types of wildlife.

Hawfinches are another big draw for our guests and this year didn’t disappoint. We could hear their calls and song almost everywhere on Pfaueniinsel and in Tiergarten but seeing them well was hard. At this time of year they spend a lot of time at the very top of trees chasing each other, barely staying in one tree long enough to get good scope views.

Black Woodpecker - Pfaueniinsel March 2026 © Richard Baines

The middle day of our three-day guiding experiences always involves a trip outside the city to Pfaueniinsel on the edge of Westlicher Düppeler Forst. On the 7th March we enjoyed prolonged views of a Black Woodpecker excavating a new nest hole in a Beech tree. Great views of Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Middle-spotted Woodpecker and Great-spotted Woodpecker alongside calling Green Woodpecker making this a very memorable five woodpecker species day for my guests.

YCN guests phonescoping Black Woodpeckers - March 2026 © Richard Baines

After finding the Black Woodpecker nest site I was keeping everything crossed that they would still be showing well for all of our three groups up until the 13 March and to our great thrill they performed for everyone. We all enjoyed amazing views of both the male and female working on the new breeding site. With big wood chips flying everywhere the power of that bill wowed everyone.

On the lake surrounding Pfaueniinsel there were good numbers of Common Goosanders, Common Goldeneye, Great Crested Grebes, Mandarins, Great White Egret and in the skies above White-tailed Eagles on two dates along with small numbers of migrating Common Cranes and White-fronted Geese. On the 13th March we even managed to see two Crested Tits before we boarded the ferry.

In between our guiding groups Mark and I continued our recon work. Every time we visited our favourite Goshawk sites we found something we hadn’t seen before. On one occasion a female Goshawk decided to perch on the top of a Red Squirrel drey! Good camouflage but a shock for any squirrels which were in the drey.  

Red Squirrel - Berlin February 2026 © Richard Baines

The Red Squirrels are lots of fun to watch and very common in urban gardens, my best Red Squirrel photo was from the back yard of our city accommodation!

Both pairs built new nests this year, making a total of seven nests between the pairs within the two territories.

Northern Goshawk (juvenile female) March 2026 © Richard Baines

Goshawks often hunt low to the ground so we had to have our eyes peeled at every level of the woodland to see them. Learning the alarm calls of woodland birds also helps a great deal. On the 10th March our leisurely birding stroll came to an abrupt stop as we heard the frantic sound of panicking songbirds. Marks sharp eyes then picked out a juvenile Goshawk sitting only 20m away from us on a low branch.

Watching Goshawks up close gives us a rare view of their breeding behaviour. Every day provided exciting moments such as being able to watch how the male Goshawk uses forks in trees and an old nest to cache food. On one occasion we even found part of a dead rabbit draped over a branch!

During the same week in March 2025, we were thrilled to see a male Goshawk land in a Yew tree. He then started breaking off branches and carried them in his talons to the nest. This year on two dates we watched the same male fly into a low Yew close to the new nest and start ripping apart branches. Once again, the branches were taken to the nest.

Happy YCN guests!

It has been a huge pleasure to guide our three teams of six guests in each group this year. Sharing our knowledge and hearing wonderful feedback from our clients:

If you asked me to name the highlights of the Berlin Goshawks trip, I’ve just been on I would be really struggling. Each day brought so many wonderful moments: goshawks, woodpeckers, hawfinch plus any number of others. I’m learning to listen a lot more too. Everything worked out to perfection. Even the weather was perfect. Many thanks Richard. Sue Perutz 

Fantastic trip and great company. Thanks to Mark for everything, great guiding. We only see what happens on the trip when you’re with us but we know there’s a hell of a lot more that goes on in the background to make these trips possible. Darren Best 

We can’t wait to get back to this wonderful place next year. Goshawks of Berlin 2027 tour dates are now live on our website. To see all the details and book CLICK HERE.