🔗 Share this article

Emitting quick keck-keck-keck sounds that rang out through a central Berlin green space, the large hawks climbed high above the treetops and wheeled before plunging downwards to drive away a disorganized flock of black birds that had begun to harass them.

"They are basically a soaring Batman bringing law and order to the urban environment," remarked a wildlife expert, observing the large light-breasted birds through binoculars. "They are akin to stealth bombers."

The goshawk is an apex predator – and conservationists hope it will soon deliver wonder and delight to UK cities, following its success in German metropolises. In the United Kingdom, this fast-moving raptor was hunted to virtual disappearance and just began to bounce back in countryside regions during the 1960s. It remains commonly targeted on private lands and hunting grounds.

Flourishing in European Cities

In different parts of the continent, the northern goshawk is doing well – even in busy cities such as the German capital, the Dutch capital, and Prague. From a park in the city, where a sizable eyrie rested in the crown of a tree less than 100 metres from a monument, the elusive hunter preys on pigeons in the streets and even perches on building tops.

The birds have adapted to busy vehicle flow – although tall transparent structures still present a threat – and are far more at ease with the constant flow of dogwalkers, runners, and kids than their forest-dwelling relatives would be with humans.

"It is just like any park in the United Kingdom, that's the magical thing," said the head of a conservation initiative, which aims to bring these raptors to Chester and London in the initial phase of a project reintroducing them to cities. "It proves this can be done quickly – with little difficulty, but with so much excitement."

Assisted Colonisation Proposal

The conservationist is preparing to submit a application for the "assisted colonisation" of the goshawk to the regulator in the near future; the plan foresees the release of 15 birds in both of the selected urban areas, obtained as chicks from natural continental nests and UK breeders.

He expects they will provide help of the UK's struggling garden birds by preying on mesopredators such as corvids, magpies, and jackdaws, whose numbers have increased unchecked and endangered birds further down the food chain.

Their arrival should have an immediate impact on the "brazen" mid-sized birds that prey on smaller ones that the public love, explains the scientist, referencing a comparable effect observed in canine predators. "It's what's called an landscape of fear. Everyone knows the big guys are in town."

Potential Hurdles and Dangers

Conservation efforts across the continent have faced fierce resistance from agricultural workers and political factions in recent years, as large carnivores such as wolves and ursines have come back to territories now inhabited by people. As their populations have expanded, they have begun to eat livestock and in some cases confront humans.

The reintroduction of the raptor into city Britain is unlikely to trigger a similar backlash – the species currently reside in different parts of the country, and pet-owners and city residents have little to worry about from them – but the bird has caused tensions even in cities it has inhabited for years.

In Berlin, where an estimated 100 mated couples constitute the largest concentration in the world, and additional European towns, these hawks have turned into the target of bird fanciers whose birds are being consumed.

A researcher who has studied goshawk adjustment to city environments used GPS trackers to follow 60 goshawks as part of her doctorate, and says that while there could be possible benefits from using these predators to control mesopredators in UK urban areas, chicks removed from rural homes may struggle to adapt to urban life and stressed the need to include all interested parties early on. "Overall, it's a hazardous business."

Scientific Views

An ecologist who has studied hawk behavior in rural Britain commented it was uncertain if the raptors would decide to stay in cities and improbable that the suggested numbers would be enough to have a significant beneficial effect on backyard species populations. "What is the fate of those 15 birds?" he said. "My guess is they'll likely scatter into the nearest countryside."

The conservationist is nevertheless upbeat about the project's prospects. The specialist, who has in the past been granted a permit to tag the Highland tiger and was a technical adviser for a program that reintroduced the great bustard back to the UK, contends that handling reintroductions in a "welfare-based manner" is the key to success.

Past Rewilding Efforts

The conservationist's initial attempt to reintroduce wild cats to the UK was rejected by the environment official on the advice of the wildlife agency in 2018. A draft application for a trial release has also faced resistance, although the head of the environmental body lately expressed interest about the prospect of reintroducing lynx during his two-year term.

If the hawk initiative goes ahead, the birds will be fitted with GPS transmitters – an endeavour expected to account for almost half of the projected project cost of £110,000 – and be provided a regular supply of nourishment for as much as is needed after being freed. In the German city, the conservationist stressed the mental advantage of city-dwellers being able to spot a hunter as secretive as the goshawk while they go about their lives, rather than locating rewilding projects only in countryside areas.

"It will inject such excitement," he said. "People visit the park to feed pigeons. In the future they'll be going to see goshawks."