diff --git a/scripts/update_birdnet_snippets.sh b/scripts/update_birdnet_snippets.sh
index dea2fce..7d90cc3 100755
--- a/scripts/update_birdnet_snippets.sh
+++ b/scripts/update_birdnet_snippets.sh
@@ -63,10 +63,16 @@ ensure_python_package() {
   fi
 }
 
+# sed -i on /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf overwites the symbolic link - restore the link
+if ! [ -L /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf ] ; then
+  sudo_with_user cp -f /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf $HOME/BirdNET-Pi/
+  ln -fs  $HOME/BirdNET-Pi/birdnet.conf /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
+fi
+
 # update snippets below
 SRC="APPRISE_NOTIFICATION_BODY='(.*)'$"
 DST='APPRISE_NOTIFICATION_BODY="\1"'
-sed -i -E "s/$SRC/$DST/" /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
+sed -i --follow-symlinks -E "s/$SRC/$DST/" /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
 
 if ! grep -E '^DATA_MODEL_VERSION=' /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf &>/dev/null;then
     echo "DATA_MODEL_VERSION=1" >> /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
@@ -84,7 +90,7 @@ fi
 
 SRC='^APPRISE_NOTIFICATION_BODY="A \$comname \(\$sciname\)  was just detected with a confidence of \$confidence"$'
 DST='APPRISE_NOTIFICATION_BODY="A \$comname (\$sciname)  was just detected with a confidence of \$confidence (\$reason)"'
-sed -i -E "s/$SRC/$DST/" /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
+sed -i --follow-symlinks -E "s/$SRC/$DST/" /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf
 
 if ! grep -E '^INFO_SITE=' /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf &>/dev/null;then
   echo "INFO_SITE=\"ALLABOUTBIRDS\"" >> /etc/birdnet/birdnet.conf