On April 17, Philipp Herrmann remembers hearing the song of the nightingale for the first time this year. This is not so easy in the Lower Bavarian district capital Landshut, because the poet Hans Carossa once described this region as “home without wine and nightingales”. Normally, the nightingales return from their winter quarters in Central Africa at the end of April. When one arrives, the others all follow at once, says Herrmann, also known as Vogelphilipp. “It’s amazing,” he says, and he’s always amazed at how smoothly it all works, even though the birds’ travel system is inscrutable to humans. In fact, the nightingale is only sparsely represented in southern Bavaria. It occurs more frequently in Franconia. Bird connoisseur Herrmann still has to answer a lot of questions because he has been running a bird voice hotline together with the Bund Naturschutz for several years. Callers from all over Germany are now contacting him.
Despite its bright yellow color, the oriole can hardly be seen. He prefers to hide in the bushes of alluvial forests.
(Photo: WildMedia/imago images/Panthermedia)
The nightingale, which is rather rare in southern Bavaria, returns from its African winter quarters in April.
(Photo: imago)
At the end of April, the blackcap is the most frequently asked question among bird call experts.
(Photo: imago)
You can get his information via the Internet service Whatsapp, but only until the end of April. Interest is growing from year to year, this year Herrmann answered more than 3000 inquiries about bird calls. More than 250 species are at home in Germany as breeding birds, more than half of them are songbirds. And at the beginning of the mating season in March, they ensure a loud concert that begins between 4 and 5 a.m. and continues until dusk. Blackbirds and great tits are already singing at the beginning of April, and the blackcap is then most frequently in demand at the end of April. She will arrive here in mid-April, says Herrmann. The singing of the birds has two meanings: it is supposed to keep competitors away and to attract females.
Since the bird call determination is only offered in April, Herrmann and the Bund Naturschutz started last year to offer digital bird call tours in May. Anyone who is enthusiastic about birds and their songs can contact Herrmann using the keyword “bird voice hike” and follow his digital excursions via “Whatsapp Status”. “The idea for this came up in 2021 as part of the bird voice hotline,” explains Martina Gehret, head of the hands-on projects of the Federal Nature Conservation Agency. “Despite the ban on assembly due to Corona last year, we wanted to make an additional offer to experience nature and get to know new species – and only digital training offers remain without contact.” And they were very well received in the first year. More than 2000 interested people followed the tours on their smartphones. The knowledge acquired can be tested and further trained using bird voice puzzles.
And this is how the offer works: 1. Save Vogelphilipp’s telephone number: 0160/4424450. Then send the word “bird voice hike” via Whatsapp. And finally follow Vogelphilipp’s activities in Whatsapp status.
The population of starlings is declining. This is not least due to the disappearance of insects.
(Photo: imago)
The long-eared owl is the most widespread owl species in southern Bavaria.
(Photo: imago)
The very variable Kleiber in singing is not easy to recognize in the voice.
(Photo: Manfred Delpho/AFP)
Night birds have often been in demand recently, says Herrmann. Robins and blackbirds also sing at night, which amazes people. The nuthatch, which has a very variable sound, as well as the shy oriole are not immediately recognized. During the Easter holidays he also received inquiries about the scops owl. But that rarely happens in Germany. “It always tears me up when I get a request like this,” says Herrmann. But the solution was quickly found. The scops owl lives in the Mediterranean region, so it was clear to Herrmann: the questioners would be in touch from vacation.
Long-eared owls are more common in Bavaria, as are barn owls and tawny owls. Rarer is the owl, which loves quarries. What is striking is the high pitched sound of the young long-eared owls, which can now be heard when passing through forests bordering on meadows. They prefer to go mouse hunting on them. Their roosts are on tall forest trees, where they huddle together even in winter.
In general, a decline in bird species can be observed, says Herrmann. No wonder, because the insectivores are dependent on insects, which also suffer from severe loss. Above all, the population of tits and starlings has decreased. “Birds no longer go into many nesting boxes. In our row of houses at home, only two of the six nesting boxes are occupied,” says Herrmann. There are no niches for building breeders such as sparrows, swifts and swallows, because nowadays everything is closed during construction and the birds can hardly find any loopholes. The Bund Naturschutz (Bund Naturschutz) provides tips and instructions on its website on how to make your own garden bird-friendly. First and foremost by leaving a wild and untidy corner. Then it is not difficult to attract birds to the garden.