Producing quick keck-keck-keck sounds that rang out through a downtown Berlin park, the large hawks soared far over the treetops and wheeled before swooping downwards to scatter a ragged group of crows that had begun to harass them.
"They are essentially a soaring Batman bringing justice to the city," remarked a wildlife expert, observing the large light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are like stealth bombers."
The goshawk is an top predator – and experts hope it will soon bring wonder and joy to UK cities, following its success in European urban areas. In the United Kingdom, this fast-moving raptor was persecuted to virtual disappearance and just started to bounce back in countryside areas during the mid-20th century. It is still widely targeted on shooting estates and grouse moors.
Thriving in European Capitals
In different parts of Europe, the goshawk is thriving – even in busy cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a public garden in Berlin, where a sizable eyrie sat in the crown of a tree under 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter hunts city birds in the streets and even perches on building tops.
The raptors have adjusted to busy vehicle flow – while tall glass buildings still pose a threat – and are far more comfortable with the constant flow of dogwalkers, joggers, and schoolchildren than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.
"This is similar to any green space in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," commented the head of a conservation initiative, which plans to bring these raptors to Chester and London in the first stage of a project introducing them to cities. "It proves this can be accomplished quickly – with little difficulty, but with so much enthusiasm."
Urban Reintroduction Plan
The conservationist is planning to submit a application for the "urban reintroduction" of the northern goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in each of the selected urban areas, sourced as chicks from wild continental eyries and UK aviaries.
He hopes they will come to the rescue of Britain's beleaguered garden birds by preying on mid-sized predators such as crows, black-and-white birds, and small crows, whose numbers have grown unchecked and endangered birds lower on the ecological pyramid.
Their arrival should have an immediate effect on the "bold" medium-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that people love, explains the conservationist, pointing to a comparable effect observed in wolves. "It's what's known as an ecology of fear. Everyone knows the apex predators are in town."
Potential Challenges and Risks
Conservation efforts across the continent have faced fierce resistance from farmers and political factions in the past decade, as big carnivores such as wolves and ursines have returned to lands now populated by humans. As their numbers have grown, they have begun to eat livestock and in some cases attack individuals.
The reintroduction of the raptor into city Britain is unlikely to spark a similar resistance – the species currently live in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and city residents have little to fear from them – but the species has caused conflicts even in urban centers it has inhabited for years.
In Berlin, where an approximate 100 mated couples constitute the largest density in the world, and other European towns, these hawks have become the focus of bird fanciers whose birds are being consumed.
A scientist who has studied raptor adaptation to urban environments used GPS transmitters to monitor 60 goshawks as part of her PhD, and states that although there could be possible benefits from using goshawks to control mid-level predators in UK urban areas, young birds taken from countryside nests may find it hard to adapt to urban life and emphasized the importance to involve all stakeholders from the start. "In general, it's a risky business."
Scientific Opinions
An ornithologist who has examined hawk behavior in non-urban England said it was uncertain if the raptors would choose to remain in urban environments and unlikely that the proposed quantity would be sufficient to have a significant positive impact on backyard species numbers. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll likely disperse into the closest countryside."
The conservationist is nevertheless optimistic about the project's prospects. The expert, who has in the past been awarded a licence to tag the Scottish wildcat and was a technical consultant for a program that brought the great bustard back to the UK, contends that approaching reintroductions in a "humane way" is the key to achievement.
Previous Rewilding Efforts
The expert's initial attempt to reintroduce wild cats to the UK was refused by the environment secretary on the advice of the nature agency in 2018. A preliminary proposal for a test release has also faced resistance, even though the head of the nature organization lately showed enthusiasm about the idea of reintroducing lynx during his two-year term.
If the hawk initiative proceeds, the raptors will be equipped with GPS devices – an endeavour projected to account for almost half of the estimated budget of £110,000 – and be given a steady supply of nourishment for as long as is required after being released. In Berlin, the expert highlighted the mental benefit of urban residents being able to observe a predator as elusive as the goshawk while they conduct their lives, rather than placing conservation schemes exclusively in rural areas.
"It will inject such excitement," he declared. "Individuals visit the green space to feed birds. In the future they'll be traveling to observe hawks."
