Re: Today In The Capital City

Hi Kogia

I loved your narrative of the life in your garden - what a great place to be.  As a "Lundoner" by birth, it's great to hear that wildlife thrives in the city.

Thanks, its definitely thriving here at the moment, we're being kept awake every night by the blood-curdling cries of foxes chasing each other around the playground at the back of our house. I never heard foxes and rarely saw then when I lived out in more rural areas. :O)

Actually I love it, I always have great admiration for animals that manage to hang on in there and live alongside us. Even though London is a great green city, with lots of wild areas, its still a joy when you find the life in amongst the concrete.

As I was walking through Margravine cemetery near Hammermsith this morning I saw a great spotted woodpecker on a tree and then a Peregrine Falcon fly over towards Charing Cross Hospital, made my morning!

Am catching up on various threads today - just remembered the wonderful 'sonic boom' concorde used to make - we would hear it every evening around 5.00 p.m. and each time all the pheasants in the woods surrounding our garden wood give the alarm call and take to the air - they never did get used to it!

This weekend just gone I had the great  privilidge of watching the male and female peregrines on charing cross hospital and then to top that, yesterday I went for a walk around Barnes wetland centre and saw my first ever bittern just standing there in the reed beds no more than 20m away! Was a wonderful time of day to see it as well, just on the cusp of dusk as it was getting dark. I watched as it was trying to squeeze it a little bit more fishing before going off to roost. Seriously happy!!!

It amazes me no end how much wildlife there is in big cities.

Hi Martin - The Peregrines are great - the town where I used to work has a pair that nest there every year (cant be the same ones as its been over 20 years or more now) high on the rocks of what was once a quarry and is now an industrial estate - so much noice and action going on below and they sit above rearing their young - fantastic.

Hello! You can now see live footage of a pair of Peregrines nesting in the Capital City. At the last count they had laid 3 eggs and were incubating.

Absolutely brilliant!

I have been watching this nest, Martin. Brilliant to see.

Hi Kogia

What a wonderful narrative. It just goes to show that birds can still be seen in inner city areas.

The sparrowhawk must have been an exciting moment.

One day last year I saw a sparrowhawk do a similar thing in my garden and I know exactly what you mean about it "looking annoyed" as it sat on the fence. In fact my one suddenly flew around one of my conifer bushes as if trying to flush out any birds hiding in there, but still failed to catch any lunch.

Your city garden can always give you some different live action every day.

Best wishes Chris