I got sent Richard Crossley’s ID Guide today and I must say, believe the hype! The plates are incredible. I first came across Richard in a recent Birding World issue talking about the process that he went through to produce this book. It was a double page spread of text in which he talked about […]
Green Sandpiper (Luke Massey http://twitter.com/#!/LMasseyImages) Spent an enjoyable day traipsing around the urban birding spots of St Albans with photographer Russell Spencer and guided by Luke Massey. We visited some interesting spots including my first visit to Tyttenhanger Gravel Pits. Perhaps my favourite place was Lemsford Springs Nature Reserve where we had at least three […]
Brambling (Anthony McGeehan) I’ve practically become a hermit recently, shunning any public engagements and I’m probably also suffering from S.A.D due to the distinct lack of sunlight recently. It’s just been so grey and often wet outside plus it’s turned decidedly nippy recently too. I am most certainly a summer bod who loves to lap […]
Great Planes by Alastair Riley I’ve been keeping my head down recently as I write for England. I broke my silence today when I attended a public consultation by Hammersmith & Fulham Council and Groundwork the conservation body in charge of the biodiversity action plan at The Scrubs. To cut a long story short, the […]
Common Gulls Whilst the nation sweats over the Slaty-backed Gull that was at Rainham Marshes, on The Scrubs I’m sifting through gull flocks of my own. Okay, it’s nothing like the thousands that descend upon Rainham, but yesterday I had the pleasure of watching 400 plus Black-headed Gulls take off in unison all flapping lazily […]
Mark Reeder & TUB in Sheffield (Russell Spencer) I don’t like Monday’s or Wednesday’s for that matter. Sunday is the day of choice to spend in Sheffield for me. And what a nice day too, despite being in the minus degrees with thick ice everywhere and the remnants of the deep snow that dumped down […]
Get this book! Despite the dismal grey rainy day a lot occurred in The Urban Birder office. Firstly, I had a great meeting with the Tower 42 Management Team about this spring’s migration watch. They were delighted with last year’s results and are keen to push and nurture the Tower 42 Bird Study Group’s profile […]
Tell me why this bird isn’t a Common Chiffchaff. It was photographed at Fishers Green, Lee Valley, England last Sunday afternoon. Any thoughts? Chiffchaff (Russell Spencer) Chiffchaff – back end (Russell Spencer)
Waxwing (Sacha Barbato) Happy New Year everybody, may you all be bathed in love and light in 2011. I’ve been busy writing for the past few days hence the lack of updates and when not writing I was at The Scrubs trying to hit the magical 100 on The Scrubs 2010 year list. On New […]
Egyptian Goose in Africa (David Fettes) It was a dull though slightly warmer morning than of late at The Scrubs today. Comfortably above freezing, the sort of temperature that meant that you can go without gloves holding your bins without fear provided you dip your paws straight into the sanctuary of a pocket shortly after. […]
Rock Pipit (Andy Cook) Me and my fellow Scrubbers are desperately trying to reach the previously unreached target of 100 species for the year on The Scrubs. Regular followers of this blog will realise that the decision to go for a year list was only made last month when we suddenly noticed that we had […]
Great Tit (Jakub Puskas) With the country seemingly carpeted with Waxwings I was left wondering why there not any buzzing around my patch at Wormwood Scrubs this morning. It was a bleak start with low cloud, low light and low heat – it was freezing. The tips of my toes began to freeze after a […]
The Grazers (Alastair Riley) Last weekend was due to be one of discovery centering around a trip to Sheffield on Sunday to sample the urban birding. But Sheffield was frozen out and furthermore the PR company dealing with the visit contacted me to say that their client was a victim of the Government cutbacks meaning […]
King of New York (David Fettes) Having got over yesterday’s day of decadence (displayed by others and unfortunately not me) life swung back to normal. Whilst working at home I had a text for Scrubs stalwart, Anders Price, telling me that he had just discovered a Woodcock in the grassland. Unluckily for Anders, this wasn’t […]
The Sotheby’s auction catalogue This afternoon I sat in a room filled with extremely rich people mingled in with other less rich people that were either sent by someone infinitely richer or had that impossibly rich art dealer boss on the end of a phone signaling bids. Yes, I was at Sotheby’s to witness the […]
At last the snow is beginning to thaw and it’s got slightly warmer. Only slightly. Apparently, the freezing conditions will be making a comeback within the next few days. I’ve been wrapped up with writing for the past few weeks so I’ve been a bit slack when it has come to checking out The Scrubs […]
Juvenile Peregrine on Flores, The Azores October 2010 (Russell F Spencer) The same juvenile a bit closer (Russell F Spencer) Does anybody know the racial identity of this juvenile Peregrine?
Wilson’s Snipe over Iceland (Yann Kolbeinsson) I’ve been busily tapping away on the laptop keyboard for days finishing off articles (and starting others). I’ve learnt that I am totally disorganised and I’m always surprised to have finished an article or Urban Birder task. I was particularly happy to have finished my Iceland article for Bird […]
Azorean Yellow-legged Gull (Russell F Spencer) Tonight I attended the London Bird Club (part of the London Natural History Society) AGM for whom I used to be chairman. Afterwards, my amazing photographer Russell Spencer gave a brilliant talk on photography and his thoughts on photographing birds, particularly urban ones. Well done fella. I know that […]
Tonight I attended the BTO’s Awards Ceremony held in the plush Kohn Centre and the Marble Hall in the impressive The Royal Society. I’ve been hanging out in quite a few posh buildings recently and as usual I was dressed appropriately in jeans and a jacket! This awards ceremony is almost like the Oscars but […]