Op 25 september 2025 vond in Pakhuis de Zwijger het eerste symposium plaats van het nieuw geïnitieerde internationale stadvogelnetwerk UrBI: Urban Birding International. Vijf internationale sprekers deelden hun ervaringen, kennis, gevoelens en passie over stadvogels in hun steden. Vervolgens gingen zij in gesprek met de ruim 100 bezoekers over hoe mensen en vogels beter samen kunnen leven in steden.
“Vogels en mensen delen de ruimte en infrastructuur in de stad. En ze zijn helemaal niet zo verschillend als je misschien denkt,” aldus Loeka Jongejans, één van de organisatoren van het symposium en actief lid bij de Vogelwerkgroep Amsterdam. Zij schreef het onderstaande gedicht waarin haar passie voor vogels en wetenschapscommunicatie naar voren komen, en sloot hiermee de avond af.
They are everywhere
They can be so loud
They’ve adapted so well to urban life
These are things PEOPLE often say about BIRDS living in cities
Birds can be so annoying, in the morning
Their young screaming and stirring, the parents not hearing
Birds are always moving places, their daily migrations
From their roosting site with the first light
Towards the squares and the plazas
Some are really smart, it’s crazy
They can solve puzzles, even remember faces!
Others excel at engineering Building complex homes, towers and domes
Recycling in foundations of modern creations
And oh, birds can be so beautiful
All different, going their ways, at their own pace
In bright colors, caring for others
Carrying their young, singing their song
Melodious, harmonious, competitive, repetitive
Birds gather in crowds and chatter around
Dialing down for the night their pace, retreating to their home base
And then come out the night owls, filling the air with different howls
When the nocturnals return, the leaves filled with dew, the day starts anew
As you listened to these lines, you might have noticed that these are all things that BIRDS also can say about PEOPLE living in cities
People can be so annoying, in the morning
Their young screaming and stirring, the parents not hearing
People are always moving places, their daily migrations
From their roosting site with the first light
Towards the squares and the plazas
And oh, people can be so beautiful
All different, going their ways, at their own pace
In bright colors, caring for others
Carrying their young, singing their song
Melodious, harmonious, competitive, repetitive
People gather in crowds and chatter around
Dialing down for the night their pace, retreating to their home base
And then come out the night owls, filling the air with different howls
When the nocturnals return, the leaves filled with dew, the day starts anew
