Reed Bunting Triumph!

Male Reed Bunting (Russell F Spencer)

Early this morning I was at home furiously writing my magazine articles that need to be completed this week - i.e Monday, instead of stalking the urban expanses of Wormwood Scrubs. The articles themselves are flowing fairly easily, it's just the classic scenario - leaving it too late.

Anyway, I got the news from fellow Scrubber, Roy Nuttall, that I had been waiting for since late April. Like an expectant father, I rejoiced at the news that our first breeding pair of Reed Buntings had fledged 5 youngsters. I had been watching the nest site ever since I first noticed a male holding territory. I had a hint that they were doing well when I saw the male with food plus on another occasion with a faecal sac. The reason for my original concern was that they had chosen to set up home within the area that the Meadow Pipits breed, an area that is very prone to human disturbance.

I'm very proud that our special nesters have successfully fledged youngsters in an urban park away from any substantial bodies of water. Maybe we will now have Reed Buntings breeding in our grassland on a regular basis.

What a waste!

Fact: British households waste 8.3 million tons of food every year.

Fact: The food dished up at the 'Great British Waste Menu' lunch was originally due to be chucked away.

Fact: Fellow The One Show presenter, Lucy Seigle is adorable!

Fact: Jan Leeming, TV presenter and newscaster is my new best friend.

Fact: Bill Oddie wants to come and watch migrants on Tower 42 during the autumn.

Lucy Siegle & TUB

Jan Leeming, TUB & artist Cat Kramer

Bill Oddie & TUB

Food glorious food!

TUB on Cape Clear 2008 (Kim Dixon)

Once again it's deadline time. I have to complete articles for Birds Magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine plus 3 book reviews and an urban birding article for Bird Watching Magazine by next week. In fact the first of which has to be in the recipient's inbox by Monday morning - hence my relative inactivity on the blogging front.

One bit of news though is the fact that yesterday my agent sent me an invite via a production company to participate as a diner on BBC1's 'Great British Waste Menus' a TV programme that will highlight the fact that we as a nation waste huge amounts of perfectly good food. Some of the nation's top chefs will create some top grub using food that would have been chucked out. The aim is to prepare a banquet for Prince Charles and his missus. So yours truly along with several other celebs will be scoffing the nosh and giving our verdicts in conjunction with several professional food critics.

What's all this got to do with birds, I hear you ask. I haven't got a clue either!

Stacks of Stock Doves

Stock Dove (Tommy Holden)

About 17 years ago I realised that Stock Doves, a bird that I had always considered as a country bird, were secret inhabitants of inner London. It was whilst I was researching birding spots in western London for A&C Black's 'Where to Watch Birds in the London Area' that I discovered just how prevalent they were.

The first place that I noticed them was in Osterley Park in the shadow of Heathrow Airport. There seemed to be tons of them there almost to the point that they outnumbered their more familiar Woodie cousins. Closer to home I found a small breeding colony in Kensal Green Cemetery, literally a stones throw from Ladbroke Grove. There were perhaps around 6-8 pairs nesting in the holes of the old dead trees of this picturesque burial site. I found more birds in Kensington Gardens, just around the corner from the very heart of town.

It took a couple years before I noticed my first birds flying over Wormwood Scrubs. For many years Stock Doves were a regular sight at The Scrubs with up to 5 birds seen on occasional days, though more usually a few birds were seen every month. The secret was to decipher them from similar looking Feral Pigeons. To my eye, they are like small Wood Pigeons or stocky, fuller necked Feral Pigeons when seen whizzing by distantly when no plumage details could be seen.

I've had a couple of surprise encounters with this endearing pigeon. In the autumn of 2007, whilst counting high flying migrating Wood Pigeons streaming in over The Scrubs from the north, I noticed a few Stock Doves in their number. I never knew that Stock Doves moved with Woodies for a start, but most surprising was the day that I estimated around 300 had passed overhead with c15,000 Woodies during a 90 minute morning watch!

My latest notable Stock Dove moment is happening now. For the past week and for the first time ever, up to 40 birds have taken to feeding on grass seeds on the football pitches outnumbering the sprinkling of Feral and Wood Pigeons. It may not sound like much but for me it's nothing short of an ornithological wonder. Where have they all come from?

Maybe I have been overlooking these birds after all these years, but either way, I won't be overlooking them in the future.

Hot sexy sun

Despite having to wander around town with my shirt undone to the navel, I must say that I am rather enjoying this hot spell. The weather is making me feel very chilled and mellow as a cello. It's the first time that I've actually felt warm this year. Always a welcomed sensation!

It's June, so that means that I have gone into my midsummer hibernation. Since coming back from Iceland the week before last, I've only been to The Scrubs twice and have barely consulted Birdguides to find out what's going on nationally - not that I would have done anything about it.

Anyway, I am going to try and get up at the crack of dawn to see if I can locate my breeding Reed Buntings and perhaps count the Meadow Pipits. Oh the joys of summer!

It's that Puffin time of year again

Atlantic Puffin (Russell F Spencer)

Being an urban birder invariably means that I don't get to see Puffins unless I go to where they are hanging out. This is the classic time of year to visit the colonies dotted up and down the country to marvel at their very interesting look. Whirring wings, big bright bill and melancholic eye make-up.

I've been lucky to have visited several colonies this year on Alderney and in Iceland so I feel very lucky to have had so many encounters with this amazing bird already.

If you haven't already, get yourself out to a breeding colony before the season's over.

My little m'pits

Meadow Pipit (Tommy Holden)

I don't know about you but I find it very difficult to suss juvenile Meadow Pipits from their identical parents. This morning at 5.30am I was surveying the grassland at The Scrubs trying to ascertain the number of broods at large.

Judging from the number of singing males in April I estimated that there could be between 4-7 pairs breeding in our tiny 20 acre grassland. The landscape looks very different now. The vegetation has shot up to conceal a lot of the pipit activity. In 6 years I have only observed a juvenile being fed by an adult just once. However, recently I saw one bird carrying a faecal sac and another with food items. So breeding is occurring. This is heartening, especially given the amount of disturbance that this site gets on an average day.

I'm immensely proud of my pipits. Wormwood Scrubs potentially has the closest breeding colony to central London and has more breeding pairs than the far far larger Richmond Park a few miles to the south of us. Long may that continue.