The weird weather's still around but nature's soldiering on and is alight with action.
The lawn I laid earlier this year is now thriving and has brought in a much wider range of birds to my garden. I've more thrushes, a wren, more finches and even a new blackbird challenging the resident pair. But I've still got no house sparrows or starlings. One day soon, they'll appear. I have faith.
Ten years ago, Londoners helped us survey house sparrows and this coming June, we'll be asking for them to rise to the challenge once agai for our Cockney Sparrow Count 2012. More details on that in later blogs. House sparrows were one of the many species recorded by Harry Boorman and his cousin Luke in their Big London Bird Race. Over the course of the weekend they visited nine different London locations and recorded 107 different bird species. Well done Harry & Luke and thank you for the donation.
London and the south of England has suffered from heavy rain ... had you noticed? Staff and volunteers at our Rainham reserve have worked hard to create new habitat to help lapwing breed and they've been rewarded with the first chick hatching (pictured right, with thanks to RSPB volunteer Richard Duhrsen) last week. On another part of the reserve they weren't able to prevent flood water washing away another lapwing's nest and egg.
It highlights the struggle between life and death experienced by nature every day, and that small bundle of fluff seen in Richard's lapwing photo isn't out of the woods yet. Its parents have defended it a couple of times from predators. It's growing fast so is beyond the most dangerous period. This threat of sudden death was experienced by another species last week. London's big beasts slogged it out for the position of Mayor. Green policies were not at the forefront of the election, but they do underpin many of the areas hotly debated by the candidates, such as transport, housing and education. NOW is the time to implement change to improve London's environment for people, nature and business. Boris Johnson can lead the conservative party down a new and profitable path by embracing smart development.