This week we've had amazing footage of a sparrowhawk lunching on someone's lawn in west London, recordings of muntjac deer barking in the night in Hackney and great views of tawny owls and herons in central London parks. Our house sparrow project has completed its insect counts, recording more than 139,000 specimens in our trial seed plots.. and that's just the bugs over 2 mm in length.
This explosion of wildlife would suggest all's well with the world. It isn't. We're losing the struggle to support and save wildlife and it couldn't be happening at a worst time. The focus is on economic growth with a lot of pressure from investors, Government and industry to build, build and build some more.
The results of our Big Garden Birdwatch will be out soon and that will give an idea of how London's birds are doing. Remember that birds give us an idea of the health of our surroundings, so changes in bird populations tell us a bit about changes that will affect us. Farmland birds and common garden birds are both struggling in London and the southeast.
A new global study has found that seabird numbers are also falling. Their decline has been less obvious as it's all happening out at sea and out of sight.
Being an optimist, I'm not disheartened. Despite all the doom and gloom, many people are giving their time and energy to support wildlife. People like 12 year old Bethany Reeves (pictured) from Merton. If admirable young people like her and the thousands of others can see the worth of it all and understand the need for smart development, hope burns eternal. We can build and invest in infrastructure and improve our economy, our health and our wildlife. Doing it this way means we have a better future to pass on to other generations. What better investment could you make?