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My daughters laugh at me. Openly. I've checked my flies and they're closed; there's no spinach stuck between my teeth and no one drew a moustache on me whilst I dozed in my chair. So, I was forced to ask, 'what's so funny?' It's when I start to talk about nature and...

The successful development of the Thames Estuary is our birthright. That was the assertion of the Rt Hon Eric Pickles, above, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The Banner behind him reads 'Greater Thames' and he was speaking at the official launch of our Futurescape...

My day started with a real bang the other morning, when my bike tyre exploded. Everyone stared, wondering if it had been a gunshot. Forced to find another way in to work, I took full advatage of being on the bus and tube with commuters to eavesdrop ... and the conversation was not typical for a grey...

The Christmas dinner leftovers have been eaten and the overflowing recycling box collected, drawing a line under the festive excesses. Last year, my youngest daughter still played with the empty cardboard boxes her presents had arrived in. At one point this year she did hurl into the air the corn...

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...

If you're going out with mates this evening and everyone's having a great time, stop it dead by saying the following out loud: "Today marks the fifth anniversary of laws preventing people from paving over front gardens without planning permission". Life and soul of the party you...

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...

Walking along one of the boardwalks at Rainham with the sun washing your face and nothing demanding your attention is, in my book, one of the greatest luxuries in the world. If you ever get the chance to experience this level of bliss, then treasure it. There's something primal about the wide...

It was a beautiful morning in the city of Sondon but the Fat Controller was not happy. "My really useful engine is in the wrong place and its all the fault of those nasty conservationists." He harumphed, stamped his foot and clenched his fists. The previous day, Thomas, a cheeky, fussy little...

Interest's high and the question on everyone's lips is: "will the final statement be in the red , or the black?" I refer not to the banking crisis, not to the world economy, but to our Cockney Sparrow Count . It closes on Thursday 12 July, with a few days grace to submit results...

There's a rail-line at the bottom of my garden. I welcome the comforting rumble of trains carrying people to and from Liverpool Street. I also welcome the wildlife roaming the embankment; and the blankets of spring bluebells; the birds turning their heads as trains approach; and the cloaking canopies...

Frazzled. Everyone's frazzled and it's not just the air temperature. Defra's been frazzled by proposals to control buzzards around country estates where people pay to shoot pheasants. Suggestions included capturing buzzards and destroying nests around the estates. Eviction and imprisonment...

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman's reassuring the RSPB, and the thousands who voiced concerns , that legal protection for the environment will remain as " strong as ever ". Phew. Job done? Not yet! While her announcement is welcome, the details of the full "Red Tape Challenge"...

Two of the many great things about London are the River Thames and the large number of open spaces you can escape to, spaces where you can cycle, fish, run, play, walk your dog, watch the world go by or simply rage against the machine. Much of London's infrastructure, from its sewers right through...

Conservation is not about setting things in aspic, it's about natural balance ; getting the best outcome for wildlife, people and our economy. The Thames Tunnel , which should prevent raw sewage spewing into the Thames as it passes through our Capital City in the 21st Century, is a typical example...

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...

It's awesome. Standing on Southwark Bridge as I was the other day, looking over the edge in to the river. The sheer volume and movement of water is astounding and mesmerizing. Is the Thames London's greatest but most ignored asset? It's a muddy emerald of a river that used to be the Capital's...

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...

You are looking so good! Ladies and gentlemen. Let's ride. Thank you to everyone who wrote to EC President Jose Manuel Barroso. 11,500 people took time out let him and his EC colleagues know what they thought about plans to cut environmental funding from the Common Agriculture Policy, revealed...

I love living in London. Just when you think you know a place, someone comes along and blows your notions out of the water. I've been introduced to an amazing new space in Dalston, the Eastern Curve Garden . Anyone who knows the Dalston Peace Mural can find the entrance to this little green, wedge...

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...

You may have noticed that it's unseasonably cold? This is the point where we traditionally urge everyone to put out extra food and fresh water for birds. I'm not one to break traditions so I'll urge you to do just that . I would also like to invite you to drink in the spectacle of winter...