Landshut – Philipp Herrmann’s bird song hotline ran for exactly four weeks this year: Because there have been so many inquiries in recent years, there was only a slightly scaled-down version in 2021. “I wanted to start the spring with the people this year and watch with them which birds are arriving back in Landshut,” says the “Vogelphilipp”. This always includes, for example, the common redstart or the fitis.
4,500 requests for the bird song hotline
Many people wanted to know again this year what is singing in the trees and bushes. The hotline had 3,000 participants in 30 days, and Herrmann had to answer 4,500 inquiries. Half of the inquiries came from new bird song hotline fans.
Most wanted to have the song of the great tit analyzed, followed by the blackbird and the chaffinch in second and third place, followed by the blackcap and nuthatch. There were 89 species in total. “It was similar to previous years: the most common species were sent most frequently,” says Herrmann, who every year aims to inspire laypeople with nature.
On the one hand, the blackbird is very easy to recognize – but on the other hand it is still or unfortunately not (anymore) known to many. “Still, I am of course happy when people listen more closely and want to know what exactly is singing.”
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Walkers could see the world with different ears – because they know who exactly is singing in their garden or on their doorstep. For this reason, the bird song hotline should be available again next spring together with the Bund Naturschutz. The Vogelphilipp still has one curiosity in store: a participant reported an unknown bird’s voice, which turned out to be a bird deterrent, which was obviously used to keep geese away from a pond.
Virtual bird song excursion: Take a stroll through Landshut via WhatsApp
Herrmann also has something in common for all bird fans with the Bund Naturschutz as a continuation of the hotline, a virtual bird song excursion every Sunday has been devised. You can follow him on his forays through Landshut via WhatsApp and guess which birds are singing in his short videos. They mostly come from the “wild 13”, ie 13 species that Herrmann presents on his homepage with pictures and short videos. The 13 species are those that Herrmann finds particularly interesting, including, for example, the skylark, the common buzzard and the song thrush on walks. They can be heard frequently and also have haunting singing and calling, which, according to Herrmann, are easy to remember. Every Sunday lunchtime he will upload the short videos to his status on WhatsApp, and there will also be little bird puzzles.
The free participation is very simple: Save the Vogelphilipp’s phone number: number 0160/4424450. Send the word “Vogelelstimmenwanderung” to him via WhatsApp. You are already there and can follow its activities in the WhatsApp status.
