What do the dock green weevil, the nurse thorn finger, the inclined spiral toothmoss and the green jellyfish have in common? The answer is easy: They feel like the whinchat – they were chosen to draw attention to the diversity of nature and thus to promote its protection. However, the bird of the year, the butterfly of the year, the spider of the year, the moss of the year and the protozoa of the year were not represented at the Residenz last Friday, at the Bavarian Prime Minister’s New Year’s reception – which was surprising given the extremely extensive guest list , which Markus Söder had set up on the occasion of the event. After a two-year break, things should get really busy. In the Kaisersaal, the Spider Murphy Gang up, so the band of the year 1981.
The pandemic is over and Bavaria has come through well: That should be the message of the evening. Next fall, when the migratory birds gather, there will be an election. It can’t hurt the incumbent to raise their spirits early. The magnificent building in the center of Munich offered a formidable backdrop for this. On nice days, this city, with all its long-accumulated splendor, is simply a heart of good humor. And good times are coming now that the days are getting longer, but soon more often – right? Well, the Spiders’ “Oh oh oh, now I have to go” had not long faded away when nature sent a sign of its omnipotence and unpredictability: a sick swan.
The plague bird was found not far from the Thalkirchner Bridge on the Isar. A little later, a conspecific staggered at the Großhesseloher bridge, and in both cases the analyzes showed: influenza viruses, type H5N1 – bird flu. One plague goes, the next comes. Avian influenza does not pose a threat to humans. But dogs should now be on a leash on the Isar and the birds in the zoo have to go into lockdown. So it hits those who benefited from the Corona measures because they got run out or were simply left alone for a long time. Nobody is safe from epidemics, but maybe the attention that this knowledge brings now will help the swans in the future: in the next election for the bird of the year. It’s been around since 1972. Since then, the kingfisher and white stork have each been chosen twice, but the large ducks have never been chosen.