IN PROGRESS Last updated 17 May
28 April – Second International Organ Festival – more in this post.
29 April – got lucky with a Nightingale at Urbanhafen
Arrived home to hear a Blackcap on top of the tallest tree in the backyard:
One more photo, on my way out to a Weinmaleins (Tip Berlin) dinner with my two favourite Berlin-based foodies:
30 April swung by my local cemetery on my way to my favourite bio supermarket
Returned home to find a, or the, Mönschgrasmücke in the backyard, this time very close to our entrance door. I am starting to suspect they are nesting in the bushes just outside. Must investigate further.
1 May
Got up JUST in time to catch the last of the full moon setting. Then checked on the crow in the nest near the top of the tall tree at the back of the courtyard.
Attended a very successful birdwatching walk with Benedikt Jackowski, Freilandlabor Britz. I was able to not only see, but to photograph three birds which I had never knowingly seen before.
A couple of the many relics on Tempelhofer Feld:
And Gallery Weekend is starting. Most galleries opened this evening at 18.00. I visited the ones in my neighbourhood. A couple of photos on instagram and facebook.
For a photography webinar, the assignment was photograph loneliness. This was one of my solutions:
And finally, the (almost) full moon rose:
2 May
Full moon setting at around 5 AM. In the ten years I have been living here, noone has found the funds or the will to fix that clock.
Some photos taken on or from my balcony on 3 May. There now appear to be at least two mouths to feed in the crow’s nest, and for that photo, I am quite pleased with my – relatively – inexpensive Fujifilm 70-300 with the extension tube.
Saturday and Sunday, Gallery Weekend continued.
5 May had an errand in Steglitz and tried to take some creative photographs of the monstrous “Bierpinsel”. Has anybody ever managed that? Maybe I will keep trying. Or not.
7 May the start of a new webinar with Blende2 Hamburg, which I always look forward to.
8 May had a ticket for the guided tour of the new elephant (and more) enclosure in Tierpark, so took the opportunity to spend most of the day there, and perhaps start finding photos for the webinar which started yesterday.
9 May again swung by my local cemetery.
10 May a birdwatching tour on Tegeler Stadtheide with Grün Berlin, Campus Stadtnatur, led by Erik Tamsen. Great to be back there. More information in the posts about my visits there last year here:
Tegeler Stadtheide is reknowned, a.o. for a population of Wheatear/Steinschmätzer, and we did see a few of those in addition to several other birds. Also a Yellow Wagtail/Schafstelze (which I did not manage to photograph) which the guide said was a first for him in that location. And we heard very clearly but did not see a Golden Oriole/Pirol.
The weather was lovely so I swung by my local cemetery on the way home:
Week 20 starting with cold, grey, and slightly drizzly weather, but a blackbird serenaded the area at length nonetheless:
12 May trip to Cottbus to visit the museum of modern art in the former Dieselkraftwerk. Probably my third time in Cottbus. Pleasant place with lots of nature. Note to self for next time: Weekly organ concerts Tuesdays at noon at the Eule organ in the big church near Altmarkt (where there is also a very nice cafe :-)).
14 May birdwatching with Benedikt Jackowski, Freilandlabor Britz, on Tempelhofer Feld, weather permitting.
First a check on the Crow family, where both adults are busy feeding both chickss. And then I did – rather stupidly – decide to ignore the bleak weather forecast and made my way to the – for me – farthest entrance to Tempelhofer Feld. A lot of rain. Not much of a birdwatching walk, but did take some photos nonetheless. Warmed up on the way home with breakfast at By Schicksals.
Some random photos from my balcony:
15 May two exhibitions: the Bauhaus Women in the photography museum which I hate visiting :-), and the Schinkel Pavillon with art from Ukraine, followed by an invitation to dinner in Moon Exquisite, which I very much look forward to (conclusion afterwards: Good food, great service, but they claim to be an Asian restaurant. I did not detect any Asian flavours at all.
In between, I tried to take some photos for a course assignment: Photograph movement. Not sure if I will use any of them:
16 May photo workshop on Tegeler Stadtheide
A large-ish group of people spent a great four hours in one of my favourite places in Berlin. It was relatively cold (but dry) and windy, so we did not see that many birds, but there are always things to look at – and photograph – there. I am already looking forward to the next two, to which I have signed up.
18 May meeting a friend for coffee in Kaffeebar Jacobi, so taking the opportunity to check out birdlife etc. in the adjacent Alten Sct Jacobi Friedhof. Hopefully in photography-friendly weather.
19 May still unplanned. Weather permitting Tempelhofer Feld from U Leinestraße to U Tempelhof. Perhaps.
20 May 16.00-18.00 a nature walk with VHS.
21 May checking out some (on the map) green areas before meeting my favourite foodies for asparagus in Clärchens.
22 May daytime still unplanned. 20.00 Concert (2xHören – a great initiative) in Konzerthaus.
23 May 9-11 Birdwatching Tempelhofer Feld with Benedikt Jackowski, Freilandlabor Britz, and then time to start thinking of what to pack for Zingst.
24 May 8-10 Birdwatching Tempelhofer Feld with Benedikt Jackowski, (yes, again 🙂 – he IS one of the best birdwatching guides in Berlin, this time with Campus Stadt Natur – Grün Berlin GmbH.
25 May time to start getting the flat ready for friends who will be staying here while I am in Zingst.
26 May
27 May one suitcase will be picked up and transported to Zingst – luxury – this allows me to bring tripod, gym mat etc.
28 May off to Zingst, leaving plants in the capable hands of friends. Especially the ones on the balcony will – hopefully – need watering while I am away (unless it rains all the time …..).
To be continued in the separate post.