I can’t believe how much the weather has changed in two and a half weeks. On ‘snow Monday’ all the buses in London stopped and I couldn’t get to work. Today it was 14°C and I was strolling around Tottenham Marshes enjoying a bit of birding on the way to Sainsburys.
It really was wonderful, we saw the local Egyptian goose, had great views of a Goldcrest and Chiffchaff and got very close to a beautiful female Kestrel just sitting on a branch watching the world go by. I think she may be one of the pair that nests underneath the roof of the North Stand at White Hart Lane, the world famous home of the Spurs, clearly a Kestrel with good taste!
But the highlight for me was the Song Thrush sitting high in a tree by the car park, singing away. His repertoire was impressive, switching effortlessly between car alarm and nightingale – all at top volume.
It’s amazing how relaxed you can get, even in under an hour, when you are strolling around in sunshine listening to birdsong and watching Coots fighting. And all this just a couple of hundred metres from a main road.
And I met a really nice bloke out walking his two dogs. As soon as he saw our binoculars he asked what birds there were in this part of the marshes that he might see if he could manage to remember to bring his newly purchased binoculars. When I told him about the Kestrel and that I’d seen a Peregrine Falcon there a week or so ago, he got really enthusiastic as he is a big fan of birds of prey.
And as I was pushing my trolley around Sainsburys looking at all the long faces and dodging the impatient crowds I still found myself smiling. And it struck me that if more people took a little time to look and listen to the wildlife around them they would be more relaxed and the world would be a better place!
After all, in these credit crunch times there can be few better ways of not spending money that walking around in the sun enjoying the birds!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Coming out of hiding into Siberian type conditions
As I type I'm looking out of my window and I can hardly believe the number of birds I'm seeing in the garden. This just goes to prove my theory that every bird checks out the RSPB website to see when Big Garden Birdwatch weekend is. They then all make sure they stay out of sight while we all sit there waiting to tick our boxes and submit our results. As soon as the last sighting is entered, out they all come again and go about their daily business. For example, today I saw four wood pigeons - four! Last Saturday, none! And so it goes on.
But, with temperatures dropping to below freezing and flurries of snow swirling in the wind, I really do worry about our smaller birds making it through the night. That is why it is so important to put food out for them, and to make sure that they have a supply of water easily available. That can be the difference between life and death for many species.
For example, we have been enjoying a fantastic pied wagtail roost near where I live in North London. Every evening at around dusk about 80 or more of these wonderful little birds fly into a tree outside our local Somerfield supermarket and settle for the night. Since the cold snap in early January we have seen far fewer and for the last week or so there haven't been any in the tree at all. We are not sure if this means they haven't survived the cold, or if they have picked another place to spend their nights. Watch this space and I'll let you know if we find them.
As well as putting food out for the birds in these cold conditions, you can help birds to survive by being extra careful when you are out birding. Birds do not need to waste vital energy flying away from us if we get too close to their perches or roosts. So, please try very hard not to cause birds to have to fly away from you and find another spot to perch. I was in Dorset at the beginning of January hoping to see a short-eared owl at dusk when a total idiot walked across the field clapping his hands. I presume he was hoping to make the owls fly, but all he succeeded in doing was disturbing lots of other birds on a brutally cold evening - making them waste energy they desperately needed to keep warm.
Finally, back to the Big Garden Birdwatch. I just wanted to say thanks to the volunteers from the City of London who came out to survey birds in city gardens. The rain could not dampen their enthusiasm, and we saw some great birds. It was also a treat to spend time in the gardens of St Paul's Cathedral with one of the gardeners, whose local knowledge was fantastic. It is always worth talking to the locals because you will learn a lot about the birds that are regular visitors and the best places to spot them.
But, with temperatures dropping to below freezing and flurries of snow swirling in the wind, I really do worry about our smaller birds making it through the night. That is why it is so important to put food out for them, and to make sure that they have a supply of water easily available. That can be the difference between life and death for many species.
For example, we have been enjoying a fantastic pied wagtail roost near where I live in North London. Every evening at around dusk about 80 or more of these wonderful little birds fly into a tree outside our local Somerfield supermarket and settle for the night. Since the cold snap in early January we have seen far fewer and for the last week or so there haven't been any in the tree at all. We are not sure if this means they haven't survived the cold, or if they have picked another place to spend their nights. Watch this space and I'll let you know if we find them.
As well as putting food out for the birds in these cold conditions, you can help birds to survive by being extra careful when you are out birding. Birds do not need to waste vital energy flying away from us if we get too close to their perches or roosts. So, please try very hard not to cause birds to have to fly away from you and find another spot to perch. I was in Dorset at the beginning of January hoping to see a short-eared owl at dusk when a total idiot walked across the field clapping his hands. I presume he was hoping to make the owls fly, but all he succeeded in doing was disturbing lots of other birds on a brutally cold evening - making them waste energy they desperately needed to keep warm.
Finally, back to the Big Garden Birdwatch. I just wanted to say thanks to the volunteers from the City of London who came out to survey birds in city gardens. The rain could not dampen their enthusiasm, and we saw some great birds. It was also a treat to spend time in the gardens of St Paul's Cathedral with one of the gardeners, whose local knowledge was fantastic. It is always worth talking to the locals because you will learn a lot about the birds that are regular visitors and the best places to spot them.
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