Dateline: 8 am, Monday 18 June 2012.
A cold, grey morning with a feeling of drizzle in the air, the sort that seeps under your collar and would make even the undead shiver.. It's just another London day.
Oh no it's not. It's the day the Cockney Sparrow Count gets underway. A day that's been ten years in the making and here it is at last! Light the fireworks, break out the bunting. Or did we do that already?
From the 18th of June to the 12th of July, we're asking people to spare an hour recording house sparrows, whether you're at work or home. If they're in Greater London, we want to know.. please.
Working with Greenspace Information for Greater London, London Wildlife Trust and the many other members of the London Biodiversity Partnership, we're trying to update research conducted a decade ago. I can hear the sceptics at the back muttering why does it matter when the economy's gone to hell, youth unemployment's high, prospects of strikes are looming and the Olympic's are racing round the corner.
Never look the other way when something's going wrong. Invariably it leads to bigger problems. So please, do tell us about the sparrows you see, maybe Twitter your thoughts at #sparrowcount, but please do tell your friends and neighbours too.
CSI London - Our Cockney Sparrow Investigation is underway. Show us yours and we'll show you ours!