London's under attack.
Swarms of flying ants took to the skies this week as temperatures and humidity coincided to spark the annual emergence of queen ants intent on establishing new colonies.
Each year the queens' embark on their adventures, followed by armies of winged cousins. It's an anty-pasto delight for birds. Swifts, starlings and gulls all take to the air to gobble up the tiny six-legged bugs. Far from being an anty-climax, this short-lived phenomenon is incredibly exciting. On Tuesday I was at our Rainham Marsh reserve where a few hundred starlings fluttered their feathery wings in fast pursuit of the tasty ants. It was an amazing sight.
Another free and wonderful display in London right now, is the peregrine falcons perched on the Tate Modern's chimney. The parents, Misty and Bert, had two chicks this year and the juveniles are still around. We're parking our RSPB trailer next to the Millennium Bridge outside the Tate Modern and have some high-power telescopes to let visitors get a close-up view of the birds, perched 90 metres up the chimney. They're usually obliging, but being wild, we can't guarantee sightings. The trailer's there every day until 12 September, from midday until 7 pm.
At the begining of the week there was both good and bad news for goldfinches.
The bad news is that they're being targeted in east London by trappers who're selling them at £100 a time as singing caged birds. This is illegal and carries a fine of upto £5000 per bird and a possible six-month jail term. We're working with the Police and the RSPCA to turn the tables by freeing the songbirds and putting the trappers into cages.
The good news for these red and yellow songsters is that their numbers have increased more in London than anywhere else in England. That was the finding of the 2009 Breeding Bird Survey. Finches, tits and robins are all doing well in the capital. Sadly house sparrows continue to decline with a 68% drop in their numbers compared with results from 1995. Our London house sparrow research programme is looking into the causes and trying to find solutions.
If you capture any good photos of London's wildlife you can enter our picture competition, run in partnership with London Underground. Called Life Between The Lines, we're also keen to hear about projects that help London's wildlife. Images of flying ants are welcome. Images of bird trappers are also welcome, but please send those to the Metropolitan Police, not the photo competition!