Like every year I'm looking forward to longer and brighter days. When I hear the first nightingale sing, I know, spring has finally arrived. The book "Die Nachtigall" by Silke Kipper provides much insight into this elusive bird. The nightingale is especially known for its complex and beautiful songs. Every year these birds enchant me. As it is almost spring, I'm happy to write here on the blog about this book. Unfortunately, the book is only in German. If you know German, this book is an ideal start into spring.

Title: Die Nachtigall
Author: Silke Kipper
Imprint: Insel Verlag
Length: 172 pages
Published: 2022
Language: German
Blurb
Jeder kennt sie, ihrem unscheinbaren Aussehen zum Trotz. In lauen Frühlingsnächten ist ihr Lied vielerorts nicht zu überhören. Die Nachtigall singt in abgelegenen Dörfern, wo ihr Klang ungestört in den Nachthimmel steigt, ebenso wie mitten in der Stadt, wo der Verkehr an ihr vorbeidonnert. Den Menschen gilt sie als Verkünderin des Frühlings – und der Liebe. Doch warum singt die Nachtigall eigentlich – und wie?
Ein kenntnisreiches Porträt des wohl berühmtesten Singvogels, seines Gesangs, und zugleich ein fundierter Einblick in die Nachtigallforschung und die faszinierende Geschichte unserer Beziehung zur Nachtigall.
Thoughts about the book
The nightingale is a rather inconspicuous and elusive bird. But still very well-known. Both among regular bird observers and among people who normally do not intensively look for birds. The nightingale's song is unique and I'm sure that everyone that hears this bird is immediately fascinated.
I'm fascinated by this bird already for many years. Therefore, every year I'm looking forward to spring and the arrival of the nightingales. When I hear them for the first time in a year, I know, spring is here.
By chance, I encountered the book "Die Nachtigall" by Silke Kipper. I was already mesmerized by the books "The swallow" by Stephen Moss and the "The Heart of the Valley" by Nigel Hinton. Did I become mesmerized by the book about the nightingale?
Yes, I also became mesmerized by this book, although it was a quite different book, because the author is a biologist and investigates nightingales. As researcher with more than 20 years of experience, of course, she knows a lot about these birds. Therefore, in her book, she shared the most-recent scientific knowledge about nightingales.
In her research, she studied the nightingales of the Treptower Park in Berlin. And yes. There are many, many nightingales. I have heard (bot not seen) there already many of them. It was quite interesting for me to read more about her research and her knowledge about nightingales in the Treptower Park.
How old can nightingales be? How many strophes is a nightingale able to sing? How do nightingales adapt to a louder environment? How to songs of males change through a season and through several years? Why do nightingales sing in duets? Which parts do females have?
Even though the author admits that there is still much research that has to be done, Silke Kipper could share lots of information about this special bird in her book. Therefore, I very enjoyed reading this book.
At the end I would like to mention that the author was several times concerned about ethics in nightingales research and that she had to struggle with some personal conflicts... Please read this section very attentively!
Conclusion
Fact-bound. Insightful. And exciting. A book with an easy to understand language about nightingale research. Who wants to know more about the nightingales, this book by Silke Kipper is an excellent start.
Do you know the book "Die Nachtigall"? Or is there another book about the nightingale which I haven't shown here so far? Please let me know in the comments.