Flying Orcas

House Martin (Russell F Spencer)

The past 48 hours have been very eventful and fun.

For a couple of hours during Friday afternoon, I took 100 local school kids - all under six - for a knackering nature walk around Wormholt Park, Shepherds Bush. Luckily they were in 4 groups of 25. When I asked them what wildlife they had seen today I had answers ranging from a ladybird and a dog to an eagle and a jungle.

On Friday night I gave a talk to the Cambridge Bird Club. I really enjoyed it despite a train journey from London that lasted for eons resulting in me being late for the start of the evening. The only upside to being on the train for so long was that I was able to enjoy 7 Swifts swilling about in the heavy skies above Royston Station, Cambs. They were the first birds I have seen for at least 2 weeks.

The train journey home was equally nightmarishly long. After initially sharing the platform at Cambridge Station with a truckload of drunk and raucous girl students my journey back was even longer than the way out had been. When we pulled into Kings Cross at 1am I experienced the embarrassing situation of being shaken awake by a fellow passenger after falling asleep, mouth agog with my ipod blasting Marvin Gaye into my ears. I was the last person in the carriage!

Today directly after football I did a live radio interview with North Manchester FM chatting about urban birding. I had to forgo my customary post-football breakfast with lads followed by a long siesta and instead lead a bird walk through the streets of Notting Hill. My group consisted of 2 guys who were birders and 5 sexy young women who were all non-birders. We didn't see a great deal but the highlight were a flock of around 10 House Martins, or Flying Orcas as I dubbed them, heading south.

If I can get the girls to flank me the next time I'm in Norfolk I'd be a very happy man!