During May last year I was sprinting around London bird frantically trying to find as many species as humanly possible in the Oystercatcher Bird Race in which my team controversially came second. This year I will be racing on the behalf of the Alderney Bird Club on the lovely island of Alderney at the end of May as part of the inter Channel Island bird race.

You would be forgiven for thinking that London will be bereft of a bird racing frenzy well not if Harry Boorman and his cousin Luke have their way. They are racing around the London area on May 28th and 29th seeing and hearing as many birds as possible to raise money for the RSPB.

Give the guys a helping hand by checking out their blog and donating.

http://harryandlukeslondonbirdrace.blogspot.com/2011/02/harry-and-lukes-big-bird-race.html

Good luck chaps!

A couple days ago I was wishing for a Hobby to appear at my patch before I board the plane to Ethiopia next Monday. Well, the higher powers that be sent me one! I was delighted to have one drifting and circling over the grassland at The Scrubs this morning for at least 10 minutes. It was practically the first bird I saw!

I also watched a female Sparrowhawk perform an interesting hunting strategy. As I was parking my car on Braybrook Street, which borders the western edge of The Scrubs, she appeared from out of nearby Braybrook Wood flew right past me and into the playground of the school across the road. She was bombing at full tilt, seemingly heading into a brick wall as she chased after a sparrow. All the while she employed a undulating flight pattern like an enormous finch. The hunt was unsuccessful and she landed on a wire fence appearing to pump her tail before taking off with a crow in hot pursuit.

In recent years I have noticed that Sparrowhawks sometimes adopt different flight modes whilst hunting, perhaps to try and camouflage themselves as they approach their prey. Once, I watched a female fly the entire length of the grassland in a flight pattern not unlike a large Mistle Thrush – strong wingbeats with a slight undulation when her wings were closed. Her quarry, a flock of feeding Starlings, sussed her in the last minute and spooked. Last winter, whilst standing in the snow covered grassland watching a flock of finches, I was aware of a male that flew quite close to me trying to sneak up on the finches. The thing that initially threw me was that his flight pattern seemed quite Swallow-like with deep languid beats. Anyone else seen Sparrowhawks behave like that?

Anyway, any chance of a nice rarity dear Birding Gods?

While most of the world ponders if Bin Laden has truely been slain I’m sitting here wondering when I will see my first Hobby of the year. They seem to be all over the place now with one seen down the road from me at the London Wetland Centre and over at Rainham in Essex they had 22 of the blighters!

The Dawn Chorus that I led yesterday morning went well with a reasonable turnout of bleary eyed interested parties. We had nothing out of the ordinary with at least 20 singing Common Whitethroats, around 12 singing Blackcaps, 8 Chiffchaffs and a solitary Lesser Whitethroat and Willow Warbler. I also though that I heard a Sedge Warbler but dismissed it only to be told this morning via text that one was in full song in the area where I thought I had one.

Next week is the last full week of May that I’ll be spending London as I will be in Ethiopia the following week on an expedition with BirdLife International until near the end of the month. After a couple of days on British soil I will then be heading out to Alderney in the Channel Islands to compete in the inter-island bird race, amongst other things.

I have a week to find a Hobby – so to speak!

Trawling through my Facebook newsfeeds earlier today, I noticed that the London Wildlife Trust are encouraging Londoners to count Kestrels across the capital. Brilliant idea! It’s all part of the Trust’s 30th anniversary celebrations. They conducted a count 23 years ago that indicated the presence of around 400 nesting pairs around the metropolis. Since then it has been common knowledge that their populations have taken a plunge not only in London but across the nation.

I heard the other day that the humble Kestrel is Britian’s only decreasing raptor and has been overtaken in terms of populations by the Common Buzzard and Sparrowhawk – facts that I find totally unbelievable. I think that I heard a figure of around 30% decrease in population being mooted, which is unthinkable. (Perhaps someone could let me know the official figure.) Also, their decline seems to be inexplicable. A drop in vole numbers?

I have noticed a sharp fall in the sightings of these lovely falcons in recent years. My Kestrels at The Scrubs have gone from being a daily occurrence to a once a month treat. Are there still many of these adorable ‘motorway hawks’ where you live?

Other news in The Urban Birder world included being a judge in the Observer Ethical Awards 2011 at the Guardian’s plush offices in Kings Cross, London. It was great hanging out with my fellow judges, all of whom where great fun. I rubbed shoulders with people like Rob da Bank (founder of Bestival), Lily Cole (model), Ben Fogle, Deborah Meaden (businesswoman supreme), Sue Perkins and Gordon Roddick (co-founder of Bodyshop). The entire proceedings was chaired by my mate Lucy Siegle, the Green Goddess and The One Show presenter. The results of our debating will be announced in early June.

I think that’s it. Oh and by the way, there’s supposed to be a wedding going on in London somewhere…..

I’ve come back from Bonny Scotland to the sights and reports of more migrants flooding through Wormwood Scrubs – my inner city Fair Isle.

Today, a cracking male Ring Ouzel was discovered along the ‘Forbidden Path’ in the grassland, making it our 5th spring 2011 record of this enigmatic montane thrush. Easily the record spring showing for our site.

I still feel that a biggie is on its way.

Has anyone ever heard of Blackcaps eating sunflower hearts?

A good day in the office was had at The Urban Birder Towers. United beat Chelsea and I finally finished proof reading my book. Well, to be honest, you never finish proof reading when you’ve written a book. Like a vulture circling over a carcass you find yourself forever picking at pieces moving off only to come back to pick again.

Wrote an article on urban wildlife for BBC Wildlife sitting in bed at 6.30am whilst taking a break from laborious proof reading. All the while I wanted to be on my patch checking out the latest migrants and counting breeding pairs of the commoner species like Robins and Long-tailed Tits.

Roll on the dawn.

It was a magical morning at The Scrubs today with not one but two male Common Redstarts in the grassland along with three Whinchats (including two males) and a handsome male Northern Wheatear. Add to that mix a lone Swallow heading north and several Willow Warblers in song then I would say that it wasn’t a bad haul for a site surrounded by urban sprawl.

Things are heating up. My guess is that something really special is just around the corner…..

Unfortunately, I didn’t make it to The Scrubs this morning and as a consequence missed out on two male Common Redstarts and six Willow Warblers. I have to delve into the history books to read about the last Common Redstart spring influx. It occurred in 2006 when at one point we had five redstarts in Chats Paddock. An unprecedented influx.

Instead, my day was spent proof reading my book. Later this evening I took part in a Charlie Moores (he of ‘Talking Naturally’ fame) The Conference Call skype podcast in his Podding Shed along with The Drunk Birder, John Hague, Birding Blogs’ Tom McKinney and of course Charlie. I was on for around 20 minutes being quizzed about Urban Birding, The Scrubs and my new book.

The promotional roadshow has begun.