From blackbirds to chiffchaffs

Bird concert: Who’s chirping in my garden?

Despite its small size, the robin can really put its foot down: its song has already been measured at a volume of 100 decibels.

(Bild: Leserreporter / Renate S.)

If the weather hasn't been quite right recently, at least the increasingly diverse birdsong is creating a cheerful spring mood. However, experts are concerned that the songs are starting earlier and earlier.

What few people probably know: The tawny owl is one of the first to raise its voice during the course of the year. In addition to the familiar eagle owl cry, the impressive bird also makes "kow-wow" calls. It usually starts in January and the male's long, howling call can be heard from afar on quiet nights - provided you live in the countryside, of course.

Graz ornithologist Andreas Tiefenbach.

(Bild: Julia Fellner)

In February, the woodpecker awakens from its "hibernation". The song of the green woodpecker is particularly characteristic. The dynamic, usually multi-syllabic call resembles a shrill laugh: "Kjückkjückkjück". However, this specimen contributes more to the beat than to the melody: "The woodpecker does not sing, we speak here of vocalizations. The male makes these to mark out his territory or to impress the female," says Styrian ornithologist Andreas Tiefenbach.

Varied soloists
Blackbirds and great tits raise their voices at around the same time. Here, too, it is naturally the males that are particularly prominent. The blackbird - like the thrush or starling - appears as a soloist. The males want to stand out from the colorful choir in order to impress the females with their rather loud and varied song. It's only logical that the one who sings convincingly ends up with offspring.

In March, the local bird choir really takes shape. "You can already hear the nuthatch, for example, but the chiffchaff is also one of the first short-distance migrants to return from the south in March," says Tiefenbach. The ornithologist goes into raptures about the latter: "The chiffchaff sings so beautifully onomatopoeic and calls its name in a similar way to the cuckoo."

Blackbirds and tits are now creating a spring atmosphere in the garden. There are already a few reports of babies hatching - which could be problematic due to the lack of food.

Johannes Gepp, Naturschutzbund

Bild: Jauschowetz Christian

The blackcap also starts singing in March and is expected to arrive these days. The cuckoo will then follow in April, for example, and the marsh warbler and red-backed shrike will join in at the end of May. "But the red-backed shrike is not a good singer, it croaks more," says Tiefenbach and laughs.

Climate change postpones the start of the season
Experts are concerned that the birds are starting to sing earlier and earlier in the year, which means that the breeding cycle is also starting earlier. "There are already isolated reports that the first baby blackbirds have hatched," says Johannes Gepp from the Styrian Nature Conservation Association. "No wonder, after we recently had over 20 degrees."

The problem is that there is still hardly any food. "Only when the leaves unfurl on the trees do the insects wake up."

However, Gepp reassures us that calls for help from desperate garden owners saying that there are suddenly no more birds to be seen around their homes usually have a harmless reason: "Even if the population decreases slightly every year, it's not really possible for the birds to disappear completely from one year to the next," says Gepp. In most cases, the reason for the sudden silence would be a neighbor who is particularly keen to feed. Gepp adds: "This year, the birds had a particularly rich supply of food in nature, as the fruit trees bore a lot of fruit. Of course, that could also be a reason."