It's May and there's still no sign of the swifts that performed amazing sky dances over my house last year. Where are they?
I've been away over the Bank Holiday, enjoying the Suffolk coast and fresh sea breezes and was hoping the swifts would be back to welcome me home. We went to Orford, where swallows and martins put on a good show, but they simply can't compare with the grace, style and sheer exuberance of a posse of swifts.
Orford was full of gulls; lesser black-backed, black headed and some herring to name just three. Orford Ness was barren and beautiful, resembling an alien landscape like those you used to see in old Dr Who series! In the distance I saw a flock of lapwing shimmering in flight.
My star spots of the three day break - one each day - were other families from Hackney holidaying in the same place. I've read in the papers that we're all rediscovering the attractions of the UK in these financially interesting times. Well, there's lots to discover on your doorstep, especially when it comes to our natural heritage.
I almost made the mistake of saying the best thing about discovering our natural heritage is that it's free. Of course it's not free. We all pay for its upkeep. Looking after it is an obligation we all share and the cost of that obligation can be extremely high. But it's the best investment we'll ever make.
The local and european elections are looming. Politicians have switched to listening mode. When they turn up on your doorstep, ask them to convince you that they're doing good things for your environment and therefore deserve your vote. Let them know that investing in industry that doesn't clean up its own dirty emissions or rubbish can't be allowed to continue. My parents generation made huge sacrifices fighting for freedom and democracy. It's now my generations turn to make economic sacrifices in our fight to save biodiversity for the next generation.
News from the front:
The war's not going well. Here in London, house sparrows continue to decline, as do starlings. Swifts are failing to make the journey home to blighty and even the herring gull is in trouble. Add your voice to ours today. It's not yet too late to stop the growing number of species in decline sliding towards extinction.