Reed Warbler?

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

These series of pictures were sent to me by a member of the public who found this unfortunate warbler over the weekend.

My money's on Reed Warbler. What do you think?

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!

Road trip

Looking southeast from Tower 42

It's all go at the moment as I embark on my nationwide tour of bookshops, RSPB Local Groups, Bird Clubs and some weirder places giving talks and signing books. It all continues tomorrow afternoon (Friday) when I take out a succession of school kids around Wormholt Park in Shepherds Bush, west London.

Then in the evening I will be addressing the Cambridge Bird Club and having a book signing after the talk. Someone asked yesterday about diary dates. Well, if you would like to hook up with me then check out http://www.theurbanbirder.com/diary/ for the latest whereabouts of The Urban Birder Roadshow.

Hopefully, I will meet you on one of the dates.

I do love a mystery bird!

Putative African Rail (Russell F Spencer)

The above photo was taken in May at Ziway Lake in Ethiopia and I'm convinced that it is an African Rail. I saw it from the corner of my eye whilst looking at a host of ticks that were parading in front of me all at the same time. You know how it is when you are in a new region of the world - absolutely everything you look at is totally new.

Any experts on Ethiopian birds out there?

Meanwhile, I have been racing up and down motorways on the first part of UK book tour, having already taken in The Birdfair of course, Waterstones Kings Lynn and the BTO's headquarters in Thetford. I have quite a full programme coming up and I will try and give you an up to date blow by blow rundown of how it's all going over the ensuing weeks and months.

Bye for now.

Life after the Notting Hill Carnival

Let us prey that the carnival be banned in the future (photo: Sue Rylance)

I am an absolute Carnival hater. Every year, the thought of an August Bank Holiday fills me with dread. The Notting Hill Carnival hits my area. Residents movement is restricted as roads get blocked off and shops board up and put their prices up in readiness for the hordes of people who decend upon the normally relaxed streets of my area.

I actually live on the route of the Carnival floats. Although I have nothing against people partying in the street and having a good time, what I do detest is the amount of litter left behind. More alarmingly, the number of people - which is a very inacurate and perhaps over polite term to describe the animals that used my Mews as a latrine. Someone even took a dump on my doorstep. All the while, the toilet blocks or 'pissoirs' as termed by the Metropolitan Police on their website, were just yards away down the road!

I had a couple of nicer moments at this year's Carnival. The nicest, apart from leaving the area to seek refuge in East London, was hearing and seeing a migrant Yellow Wagtail bound overhead as I neared the relative sanctuary of the local tube station.

Here's to hating the 2012 Carnival!

At bit more Birdfair

TUB doing a bit of arm signing! (Russell F Spencer)

TUB talk (Russell F Spencer)

Call My Ruff - again (Russell F Spencer)

Rutland 2011

TUB knocking out those signatures! (Russell F Spencer)

Call My Ruff teams (Russell F Spencer)

Call My Ruff (Russell F Spencer)