It is evening. A cloud bank blocks the sun. There will probably be rain. A flock of small reaptors flying gracefully low over the grasslands fascinates me. They look like falcons, I still think. Suddenly someone comes flying at high speed over the grove in front of me. Yes, definitely Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo). They fly low over the grasslands, obviously looking to catch flying insects.
A few days later. The treetops rustle in the wind, there is a mysterious rustling in the undergrowth and in the distance the hasty, high call of a falcon, perhaps a tree falcon, sounds. My heart skips a beat, it’s been so long since I’ve seen the small, skilful aerobatic raptor. And indeed, I am privileged to watch him fly from the treetops of the forest onto the open grassy landscape and catch a dragonfly in flight. Unbelievable how he manages to catch his prey in the air. Grateful for this rare encounter, I go deeper into the forest again – one of the last natural forest pieces in the Nuthe-Nieplitz-Niederung. A feeling of calm and humility accompanies me. By preserving natural forests, we protect the home of endangered bird species. Natural forests are full of fascinating creatures. And yet we humans have destroyed them more and more in recent decades. Old, lofty trees were felled and dreary coniferous forests created for the timber industry. But there is hardly any life in these monocultures. More and more bird species are threatened with extinction or have already disappeared irretrievably. A forgotten piece of forest in the middle of an intensively managed pine forest south of Berlin has become a bird paradise. Here the Eurasian Hobby has built a nest high in a thin pine tree right next to the nest of a Common Wood-Pigeon (Columba palumbus). One day I find a young Eurasian Hobby in the tall grass under the pine trees. I can take him to a bird of prey sanctuary and save him.
We urgently need more of this natural forest in Germany. Fortunately, there are still forest areas in the relatively sparsely populated Brandenburg that are not intensively used as pine forests.
To meet the growing demand for top-of-the-line images of the rarer Palaearctic species, Bird-lens.com strives to expand the range of images of Western Palaearctic birds. Keeping your eyes open in the immediate vicinity is always crowned with beautiful impressions and some rare observations. The blog’s nice picture is just a first impression, which you can find in the gallery in the “Picture Shop” very soon. Please leave a message if bird-lens.com can provide a picture.