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Wasn't the weekend glorious? Saturday was the first day this year I was able to get outdoors and tart-up my garden. I cut the grass, forked over borders, gathered up fallen leaves, cleared old growth, sowed some seeds and enjoyed coming across some of the things that share this space. There was...

Dig out the bunting and buy the ingredients for a celebratory cake, it may soon be time to party. Thank you to everyone who contributed to our 2012 house sparrow survey , updating one completed in 2002. We asked you to tell us where sparrows live in London so we could compare the findings...

Have you ever stared at the side profile of City Hall? For years now I've wanted to stick a sparrow's head on it's teardrop shape, as it it would make a wonderful giant sparrow. A monumental nod to the cockney sparra's brave and chirpy character and its similarity to the London...

Autumn has fallen. Not with the gentle floating of a golden-brown leaf settling gently on the ground, but the subtlety of a lead pipe delivered by a cold-blooded thug. With a resounding thwump, leaves have carpeted the ground overnight, falling only slightly faster than the temperature. Not that I'm...

Role reversal is something we should play with. This week, in my family's eyes, I have been the evil developer laying waste to nature, spluttering a defence of: "Honest, it's for the best, you'll understand once I've finished this development..." The words sounded hollow...

Cold, hard rain hit my face on the cycle ride in to work this morning, but the clear and loud song of a blackbird from a garden square in Bloomsbury is my over-riding memory of the commute. It's clarity and volume stood out from the rumble of London, adding a touch of magic to the usual soundtrack...

I apologise. I give in. I didn't mean it. SORRY! When I said there are no starling murmurations in London anymore in an interview about the Big Garden Birdwatch on BBC London, what I meant was that you don't see those huge, dense clouds of starlings that London once enjoyed. Yes. I know there...

If the change in weather to cold mornings and dark evenings hasn't been enough to dampen spirits, a burst soilpipe in our office block has snuffed out the remaining cheer lingering from the warm start of this month. Our new office mantra: "Wake up and smell the beings". Umm. Full roast...

If you commute in and out of London, at some point in your life you'll no doubt feel stuck in a rut; the same old, same old. But 'tis the rutting season, so Bushy Park and other open spaces are echoing to the bellow of frisky deer . The warm weather of late has helped stir the deep emotions...

A blazing start to October will this week turn to a more traditional autumnal month , with forecasters predicting snow in the UK before Christmas - yes it's just a couple of months away! So, it's time to put away the shorts and crop-tops and dig out the woolies and hats with ear-flaps. If...

A study of bird numbers, used to reflect the health of our environment, has revealed a north and south divide; with birds doing better in the north than they are in the south. It's a huge generalisation, but it does paint a fairly desperate picture, and that's where we are. Politicians and...

I've almost filled the freezer with this year's blackberries . Big juicy ones plucked from brambly hedges in Ye Olde Hackney town. Now I know what you're thinking. How dare I deprive the poor birds of all that deep velvety berry goodness. Well, I'll make sure I make up for...

I reckon I could power the national grid if Icould capture the energy from my constant shivering. Still. I can always turn-up the heating, chuck another log on the fire or pull on another of my Mum's knitted jumpers. Blue tits , sparrows , starlings (pictured) and robins don't share that luxury...

We're careering towards Feed the Birds Day at an alarming rate. This haste seems to have been maintained throughout 2010 and frankly, I'm looking forward to the Christmas holidays, which are... just eleven weeks away (sound of alarm bells and cash-tills )! A partridge in a pear tree is possible...

For a change, London is NOT the centre of gun crime... as far as Birds of Prey [BoP] are concerned. Our magnificent falcons and hawks can continue to visit, safe in the knowledge that they're unlikely to become victims of prejudice. The RSPB's 20th annual Birdcrime report recorded 384 cases...

The Thames is central to my world this week. On Tuesday I'll be at our Rainham Marshes nature reserve downstream of central London at Purfleet, still within sight of Canary Wharf. Led by TV presenter and Londoner Bill Oddie , we'll be celebrating its tenth birthday as a nature reserve. ...