Birding the Iron Curtain

For the decades following World War II, the Iron Curtain that separated West and East Germany was defined by “electrified fences, razor wire, land mines, trip lines, and machine guns,” writes journalist Phil McKenna. “Not exactly eco.” But for all its barriers, the no-man’s land was home to some 600 threatened species of animals and plants. And for two young men living on either side of the divide, that environmental haven helped create a lifelong friendship based on their mutual love of birds, as chronicled by McKenna in an engrossing feature published collaboratively by NOVA Next and  The Big Roundtable.

The story’s two protagonists, Kai Frobel of West Germany and Gunter Berwin of East Germany, came to birding on their own. Frobel would walk along the Iron Curtain scouting for birds as a teen, while Berwin became fascinated with the rook crows that were free to fly beyond the wall. Connected by Berwin’s aunt, the boys become pen pals, developing a lifelong bond.

McKenna captures the bird-nerdiness of the evolving friendship, sharing details like the  “crested tit nestled in an evergreen tree” stamped on one of their letters. Through the story, we get a glimpse at what life was during the fraught period: “Birding was tolerated, but discussing such serious environmental problems was verboten,” writes McKenna.

McKenna met up with Frobel and Berwin, who have both been involved in protecting the area near the divide, near their old stomping grounds—which included some traipsing through stretches still thought to be ridden with landmines. Today, this area is part of the European Green Belt, a preserve that stretches over 7,800 miles from Norway to the Black Sea, that retraces the entire former Iron Curtain divide. Today the area hosts some of the regions’ most important biodiversity hotspots, as well as an effort to bring back lynx and wolves. Frobel and Berwin “were pioneers in a movement that is spreading,” McKenna writes, “like so many furry creatures, across Europe.”

McKenna also introduces us to great grey shrikes, and long-whiskered nightjars that nest near a tunnel once used to smuggle East German spies. We meet vultures and white storks, which are being reintroduced to the continent. And of course, we contemplate the activities of Berwin’s rook crows, which Berwin studied for years while Frobel watched the birds from the other side.

The Cold War conditions in which they united—Berwin, Frobel, the birds—may be extraordinary. But the joys and heartbreaks should resonate with bird watchers of all stripes.

Read the entire story here.