When the first rays of sunlight wake Berlin from hibernation, it’s not only the sparrows that sit on the rooftops whistling joyfully in anticipation of spring. What could be better than being awakened by the song of the returning birds? To this day, I’ve always been fond of bird migration, but in my urban world, swallows, sparrows, gulls, crows and turtle doves dominated. Until I discovered the podcast “Gut zu Vögeln” by two hobby birders Antonia Coenen and Philipp Juranek. In their podcast, they lovingly introduce species that have been with them and their friendship over the years: Swifts, wagtails, wrens, skylarks, chiffchaff – which are all species that live in our cities too. Their songs accompany us in our everyday lives but are often lost in the noise of sirens, trams and car horns. Not only are they all pretty songbirds, but each one has its own habitat and is an important part of our ecosystem that deserves protecting. Now the book “Vogel entdeckt – Herz verloren” (“Bird spotted – heart lost”) by the two has been published. Based on childhood memories and shared experiences, they introduce us to 14 different birds: their habitats, recognition characteristics and flight patterns: mallards in the park, blackbirds in their parents’ garden in Cologne, skylarks in Tempelhof, nightingales on Choriner Straße and cranes on Linumer Bruch. The book is a longing homage to the kings of the air and also stirs the bird-watcher in me.
Text: Milena Kalojanov / Photos: Antonia Coenen und Philipp Juranek (Gut zu Vögeln), Zabriskie Buchladen & Steve B
Gut zu Vögeln & Vogel entdeckt – Herz verloren
Berliner Stadtspaziergänge with Antonia Coenen and Philipp Juranek: 20.05.2023 13h – Zabriskie Buchladen. You can get tickets here.
@gut.zu.voegeln.podcast
