Get out!

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My chances of getting just 5 more species to hit a ‘ton’ at The Scrubs are diminishing by the day. I guess it would help if I went to my patch in the mornings!

This morning I spent at home working and tomorrow morning I have a voiceover. Hopefully, Friday will see me stalking the hallowed turf.
Hey ho…..

Let’s make movies!

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It’s been a hectic few days punctuated by the hours I spent deliberating over my Readers Digest piece and the article on urban birding in Prague that I was crafting for Bird Watching Magazine. Both took a lot longer to complete than what I originally imagined.

Also, I’ve been doing a lot of plotting and planning for the future when it comes to The Urban Birder brand. 2009 should be an interesting year. I have managed to get myself invited to the Natural History Unit Christmas Party in Bristol next Tuesday night and have also got a meeting with a Bristol based production company, who make exceptional wildlife programmes. The idea is that I will be touting some of the programme ideas that I have had to see what they make of them.
Speaking of production companies, I am forming one myself in the New Year with a camera woman that I have met recently. Every couple of weeks we go out and shoot short birding films, some of which will either appear on my site or utube at some point in the near future.
Sunday morning saw me stalking The Scrubs in search of any birdlife. Well, apart from a lone Great Black-backed Gull, the usual pair of Stonechats, some Fieldfare and a solitary Jackdaw flying over, the place was dead.
Tonight I was at the London Natural History Society’s AGM at the Linnean Society’s Rooms in Piccadilly. I must say that I had a pleasant surprise. Instead of a stuffy, boring meeting discussing the distribution of paper clips, we were treated to a silent movie with live commentary on the birds of the London area c1959. It was great to see London as it was then; the old Routemaster buses, people feeding the birds in the Royal Parks, images of breeding Red-backed Shrike (long gone now), people’s attire at the time and tons of House Sparrows.
It was a lovely little film.

Football

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My late night radio show with Tessa Dunlop went very well. Along with a Texan lady who made diamond jewellery, we chatted about the jewellery heist in Paris, child abduction, voice projection, race and perhaps 30 seconds on birds!

I left there at 1am and drove home to bed only to be up again at 7.30am for football. I’m a goalkeeper. 
After breakfast with the lads, a snooze and watching Manchester United beat Sunderland I settled down to writing my latest Birdwatching article and remixing my Readers Digest piece.

Not so good…..

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Not such a great day today.

Went to The Scrubs in the morning and saw zilch. The bushes were empty, not even a Blue Tit. The best bird was a pair of Canada Geese that flew low north towards the Grand Union Canal as I was leaving.
At home things didn’t get any better. I called The One Show director that I’m working with on the Waxwing story for a catch up. He broke the news that it had been dropped for fear of no Waxwings being present and that they have had ‘too many bird stories’ recently.
I was gutted. Very disappointed.
Life goes on. There will be other films that I will make – and I will make them!
Tonight, I head off to Radio London to be on the Tessa Dunlop Friday Night Late Show to review the morning’s papers and chat with callers.
Tomorrow is another day.

Trouble at mill

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This morning was dismal. Rain, grey and drab. I journeyed to east Acton, west London to meet with Fiona Barclay at the Birdguides offices to do a voiceover. I’m working on an interesting project with them that will be launched in the New Year. I’m very excited about it. On the way back to the car I saw a sorry looking Woodpigeon in the close company of a Pied Wagtail on the pavement. They flew off together. An odd couple.

By the time I got home (a short 20 minute drive) the sun started to poke out again. I confirmed my trip to Brighton (14 December), my place at the Natural History Unit’s Christmas Party and made more in-roads on my Scottish trip next week. Best of all, fellow birder blogger Clare Evans talked me through setting up skype on my computer, bringing me firmly into the 21st Century. Thank you Clare.
In the evening I went to the Friends of The Scrubs committee meeting (I’m a committee member) to get bored. Well that’s what usually happens. This time I was horrified to learn that my beloved patch could be under threat, yet again.
In a nutshell, the Royal Horse Artillery has used parts of The Scrubs for years to exercise. The rumour is that the Ministry of Defence is going to pull out of The Scrubs in the near future. This may sound like good news, but it’s potentially the opposite. If the MOD sell the land to the council (although The Scrubs is common ground it’s main purpose was to serve the military) then it potentially leaves the area open to unabated development.
Happy days.

Starlings

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European Starling John Charman

Another lovely morning, though this time I spent it in bed with my laptop tapping away, missing God knows what at the Scrubs. 

It looks like I’ll be heading off to Scotland next Thursday to chase Waxwings. I only hope that there will be sizable flocks to see. I also have to organise my impending trip to Brighton to report for the RSPB on their ‘Arnt Birds Brilliant’ stand setup outside the Starling roost on Brighton Pier.
It’s incredible to think that they were once so common.

Mixed blessings

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I finally made it to The Scrubs this morning! I actually woke up on time! Apart from a wintering male Reed Bunting, a Stonechat and 7 overflying Fieldfares there was nothing of note to be seen. Even the numbers of gulls loafing on the football pitches was low with just about 100 Black-headed’s, around 10 Common Gulls and no lurking Mediterranean Gull!

Back at home I spent some of the day shouting down the phone at the bane of my existence, Congestion Charging for London. I hate them. They are just a bunch of money grabbers!
The Glasgow Waxwing flock that I’m planning to film for The One Show is disappearing as I write this note. It’s down from 350 birds or so to a paltry 30-ish. I need to find a larger flock so we may have to delay filming until we can pin down a suitable flock. I have some guys on the ground up north who are feeding me with the latest flock news.
I also learnt today that I will be off to Budapest early next year to research the urban birding in that city for Bird Watching Magazine. Nice one. I also agreed to spend a day at next year’s Lee Valley Spring Wildlife Weekend in May, chatting to visitors, giving a talk or two and checking out the nestbox that I made for the site last year.
Finally, I had a request from a Japanese TV station. They want to interview me about the rise of the Rose-ringed Parakeet for the Japanese market. Although I will do it, I am not the greatest fan of British Rose-rings. 
Anyway, back to the numerous articles that I have write – plus, it’s about time I updated my website too!

Planning a Waxwing invasion

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I woke up to a gorgeous morning today. I also woke up late. Too late to go to The Scrubs to discover one or more of the five species that I need to hit the magical hundred. I suppose there’s always tomorrow.

Today was a good day in The Urban Birder office. BBC’s The One Show bought my idea of doing a piece on the Waxwing invasion currently underway in Britain. It looks like I will be heading to Scotland very soon to check out the Waxwings there. Apparently, there has been over 300 in Glasgow city centre. I have to give props to the commissioning editor at The One Show, Doug Carnegie. He’s a birder and a great supporter.
Thankfully, I finished my Readers Digest piece. It will be a jovial look at being an urban birder – not to be taken seriously – due to be published next March.
I had an email from a fella today lamenting the loss of Common Nighthawks in New York. I invited him to write an article about them for my site. Meanwhile, I am starting my Bird Watching Magazine article and my November Scrubs report for my site. 
Any ideas for me anyone?

Rained off

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The alarm went off at 6am this morning. That’s typical for me because I like to build in a bit of ‘injury’ time or snooze time as most people call it. Even though I can get up instantly, I like to wake up in 10 minute increments.

Anyway, this morning I stared out of my blinds to be met with a typical London winter’s day: dull, wet and ‘orrible! I had planned to hit The Scrubs. The end of the year is coming and I need 5 more species to get that magical 100 for the first time ever. The trouble is, I have seen most of the things that I can possibly expect to see at my patch. I can only hope to find something weird like a roosting Long-eared Owl or overflying Lapland Bunting. I decided tomorrow will be the morning that I find a Red-flanked Bluetail. Besides, I had a Readers Digest article to finish (How To Be An Urban Birder) and a travel piece on the wonders of Lapland. Both of which should have been in last week.
So what did I do? I went back to bed. I kipped up until 10am. Nipped out for the Sunday papers and a copy of Bird Watching Magazine to check out my latest article – which about when I was an eight year old.
Back at home, I tucked into a bacon butty, watched the football and did anything but finish off my articles. Finally, at around 6pm I sat at my laptop and started writing.
I’m so lazy!

The Urban Birder

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Hi.

After much badgering from many quarters I have taken the plunge and have joined the millions of bloggers that have been revealing elements of their lives for years. In this blog, I would like to invite you on my daily ornithological journey – through city and wilderness.
Let me know what you think.