Berlin's Urban Goshawks: A Model for UK Urban Areas?
Emitting swift keck-keck-keck sounds that resounded through a downtown Berlin green space, the goshawks soared far over the treetops and circled before diving downwards to scatter a ragged flock of crows that had begun to harass them.
"They are basically a soaring Batman enforcing justice to the urban environment," stated a wildlife expert, observing the sizable pale-bellied birds through binoculars. "They're akin to stealth bombers."
The goshawk is an top predator – and conservationists hope it will soon bring wonder and joy to British cities, following its presence in European urban areas. In the United Kingdom, this swift raptor was persecuted to virtual disappearance and only began to recover in rural areas during the 1960s. It is still commonly targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.
Thriving in Continental Cities
In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy cities such as Berlin, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a public garden in the city, where a sizable nest rested in the crown of a tree under 100 metres from a monument, the "phantom of the forest" preys on pigeons in the roads and even perches on rooftops.
The birds have adjusted to heavy vehicle flow – while high transparent structures still pose a danger – and are far more at ease with the steady stream of pet owners, joggers, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.
"This is similar to any park in the UK, that's the magical aspect," commented the director of a conservation project, which plans to bring goshawks to two UK cities in the initial phase of a project introducing them to urban environments. "It demonstrates this can be done swiftly – with little difficulty, but with great enthusiasm."
Assisted Colonisation Plan
The expert is planning to present a proposal for the "urban reintroduction" of the goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the scheme foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the two cities, obtained as juveniles from wild continental eyries and UK breeders.
He expects they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered garden birds by hunting mesopredators such as crows, magpies, and small crows, whose populations have grown without control and threatened birds lower on the food chain.
Their presence should have an immediate impact on the "bold" medium-sized birds that attack smaller ones that the public adore, explains the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect documented in wolves. "This is what's known as an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the apex predators are in the city."
Possible Challenges and Risks
Conservation projects across the continent have faced strong opposition from farmers and political groups in the past decade, as big predators such as wild canines and bears have returned to lands now populated by humans. As their populations have expanded, they have started to consume farm animals and in some cases confront individuals.
The reintroduction of the goshawk into city England is not expected to spark a similar backlash – the species already reside in different parts of the nation, and pet-owners and urban gardeners have minimal to worry about from them – but the bird has created conflicts even in cities it has long called home.
In the German capital, where an approximate 100 breeding pairs represent the largest concentration in the world, and other German towns, goshawks have turned into the focus of pigeon and chicken breeders whose animals are being consumed.
A scientist who has studied raptor adjustment to city settings employed GPS trackers to follow 60 birds as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be possible advantages from using goshawks to regulate mid-level predators in UK cities, young birds removed from rural homes may struggle to adjust to urban life and stressed the need to involve all interested parties early on. "In general, it's a hazardous business."
Expert Views
An ornithologist who has examined goshawk behavior in rural Britain commented it was unclear if the birds would decide to remain in urban environments and unlikely that the proposed numbers would be sufficient to have a significant beneficial effect on backyard species populations. "What will happen of those 15 birds?" he said. "I suspect is they'll likely scatter into the nearest rural areas."
The conservationist is nonetheless optimistic about the initiative's chances. The specialist, who has in the past been granted a licence to tag the Highland tiger and was a scientific adviser for a project that brought the large bird back to the United Kingdom, argues that handling releases in a "welfare-based manner" is the key to success.
Previous Rewilding Attempts
The expert's first effort to reintroduce lynx to the UK was rejected by the environment secretary on the recommendation of the wildlife body in 2018. A preliminary application for a test reintroduction has also met opposition, even though the head of the nature body lately showed interest about the idea of releasing lynx during his two-year tenure.
If the goshawk initiative proceeds, the birds will be equipped with GPS transmitters – an task projected to account for almost 50% of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a steady source of nourishment for as long as is needed after being released. In the German city, the expert highlighted the mental benefit of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the raptor while they conduct their lives, rather than placing rewilding schemes only in rural areas.
"It'll inject such excitement," he said. "People visit the green space to give food to pigeons. In the future they'll be traveling to see hawks."
