From cranes to wild geese – bird spotting with the S-Bahn in south Berlin

Hiking Collection by S-Bahn Berlin

Tours

16:51 h

43.8 mi

1,200 ft

Gliding above your head in an arrow formation, you hear their squarks as they flap their wings in unison. Migratory birds bring with them a truly autumnal feeling. You will be amazed by how they fly south and back every year without any modern navigation systems. They rely on the position of the sun, star formations, and rivers to guide them. Some birds, like the proud crane, use Berlin and its surroundings as a stopover to re-energise during their long journey. Others, such as the white-fronted geese and bean geese, are just warm enough in Berlin to use our region as a wintering ground.

These seven wonderfully different Tours take you to places where you can have a good look at these feathered travellers. Far in the south on the outskirts of Berlin in Teltow-Fläming and also nearer the city centre, you can witness these feathery spectacles. There are often helpful information boards to help you distinguish a crane from a heron and immigrant Canadian goose from a native greylag goose. Don’t forget to pack your binoculars though!

You can leave your car at home and take the Berlin S-Bahn comfortably to the edge of numerous nature reserves. A little further out, you can take a walk along the Blankensee lake with its magnificent observation tower. Hop on the train and off to the south you go!

On The Map

Tours & Highlights

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Schnatternde Graugänse auf den Tiefwerder Wiesen – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Easy
01:53
5.64 mi
3.0 mph
250 ft
125 ft
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Well camouflaged, the gray goose hides in the bushes. The stately wild bird is the largest native species of geese and ancestor of the domestic geese. Greylag geese are absolutely communicative animals and chatter to themselves in all kinds of sounds. They are actually migratory birds, but for a few…
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Kanadische Gänse am Tegeler See – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Intermediate
02:06
5.02 mi
2.4 mph
150 ft
150 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
It all started with two escaped animals owned by a pet owner. The pair of Canada geese found a new home at Lake Tegel, bred and provided for a population of several hundred animals in the Berlin area. Many of them have remained loyal to Lake Tegel, so that you regularly encounter the chattering bipeds…
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Staksende Störche am Blankensee – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Intermediate
02:46
6.59 mi
2.4 mph
200 ft
200 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Dozens of storks, hundreds of swans and countless wild geese visit the beautiful natural landscape around Lake Blankensee south of Berlin every year. Make your way to beautiful Teltow-Fläming and find out why the region is a perfect area for numerous bird species.

Getting there is like a little adventure…
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Gans viele Gänse an den Karower Teichen – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Easy
01:02
3.19 mi
3.1 mph
25 ft
25 ft
Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
Berlin and Brandenburg are not only a popular intermediate destination for migratory birds on their way to the warm south. For some of them it is cozy enough in our latitudes that they spend the winter with us. The Karow ponds in the north of Berlin are a temporary home for white-fronted geese and bean…
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Jagende Kormorane am Gosener Graben – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Intermediate
03:59
9.70 mi
2.4 mph
150 ft
150 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
The cormorant is a controversial guest in our realms. He is often referred to as an insatiable immigrant who is robbing the fish stocks. The proud black bird has been a native species for more than 7,000 years. So it's time to get to know it better.

With the S-Bahn line S3 you get to the train station…
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Trompetende Kraniche in Hobrechtsfelde – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Intermediate
02:28
7.51 mi
3.1 mph
125 ft
125 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels.
You often hear them long before you see them strutting across the fields: we're talking about cranes. Every year, the grey-feathered, so-called lucky birds, rest on the meadows and fields in the north of Berlin. Then they move further south to spend the winter in warmer climes. The adaptable animals…
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Zum Kranichsturm am Flakensee – Mit der S-Bahn gen Süden
Intermediate
02:38
6.18 mi
2.3 mph
325 ft
325 ft
Intermediate Hiking Tour. Good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required.
Pack your binoculars and head to the Kranichsberg with the shimmering Flakensee on the edge of Berlin. Even if you will probably have to be satisfied with the mountain name when it comes to cranes, a magnificent view awaits you from its wooden observation tower. You will also encounter numerous wild…
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