There was the rumble of trains and the usual hum of London life but I suddenly realised there was something missing over the Bank Holiday weekend; the swifts have gone!
It was quiet and empty overhead. I've been enjoying the spectacle of them darting, swooping and tumbling through the air. Screaming as they played catch and chase with each other and perfomed loops and twists that would defeat fighter pilots. It hadn't got to the stage where I took them for granted, but their absence has affected me more than I thought it would.
Swifts are fantastic birds, living almost their entire lives up in the air, either here or over Africa. Droughts there and loss of eaves space here, where they breed, have had an impact on their population, but because of their lifestyles we don't know just how big that impact has been.
There's also been great concern over our more common garden birds in London with the publication of our own State of the UK's Birds 2006 report and DEFRA's updated Biodiversity Action Plan [BAP] list of species of concern.
The former shows that the long-term population trends for both starlings and house sparrows continues to fall (down 72% and 64% respectively 1970 to 2005). It also highlights a 45% fall in the number of long distance migrant cuckoos, when was the last time you heard a cuckoo in London (mine was 2005 on London Fields in Hackney). Defra's BAP list has both starlings and house sparrows newly included as species of concern, which is welcome news.
Some species previously listed have responded well to action to save them, let's hope the new list, which has double the number of birds on it compared with a decade ago, does the same. Fingers are pointing to climate change as the underlying reason for most declines. Obviously the factors affecting each species vary and climate change is not solely to blame, but it is a major contributory factor.
So what can we do? Here in the Capital we've already convinced the Mayor of London to include the needs of wildlife when considering future developments. Without the support of our large number of members this would not have been possible, so thank you to everyone who carries an RSPB card. However, there's more that can be done and we need as many voices as possible to support our calls for continued government and international action.
On an individual level there is lots that can be done too. Wearing another layer instead of turning up the heating as autumn chills bite or volunteering to fundraise or support our projects. Gardening for wildlife is a topic I will keep returning to.
This is the month to gather in seeds as flowers die back. Leave some woody stems for insects to hibernate in over winter. If you have a nestbox, now is a good time to clean it out, as long as the residents have sneaked in a late brood! There's plenty more information on our website.
My garden's a mess right now but I know that in a year's time, it will be a much livelier, greener place and that my individual actions, turning it into a wildlife haven, will have gone a long way towards helping our native and migrant bird species survive.
For more information on working with the RSPB in London, call 020 7808 1260 and speak with Susan for fundraisng or Amy for volunteering. We need your support.