earlybirder: April 2016

Sunday 3 April 2016

Mudchute, Monk Parakeets and the Secrets of the Canning Town Fly-over......

Classic urban birding, exploring the hidden habitats amongst the redevelopment of London's East End. Aside from occasional strong whiffs of cannabis, the biggest surprise was finding a singing cetti's warbler and a migratory whitethroat in the shadow of the Canning Town fly-over. The monk parakeet nests in the London plane trees lining the streets adjacent to Mudchute park were awesome feats of engineering. A great day in the company of Hawkeye.

Look at the sky, listen to the birds and smell the flowers....

Why the 'Earlybirder'? As a boy I slept in a room overlooking gardens and an old orchard. I preferred to sleep with the curtains open and as it became light in the morning I would get up and, armed with a heavy old pair of binoculars and an even heavier and older bicycle, head out to explore the Welsh Harp, Ruislip Lido or Cassiobury Park.

I like the exclusivity of early mornings. It's the best part of the day...the air is often still and fresh and the birdsong is not masked by the hum of lawnmowers or background hiss of traffic. The sun of a new day sheds a uniquely bright light which gives everything, from flowers to feathers, a lustre which fades in the less-forgiving light later in the day. The world belongs to you and you feel so alive. While others sleep the rest of the world awakes. To witness a sunrise, focus on the incredible richness of a nightingale's song or watch a newly-hatched mandarin chick dry in the warmth of a pool of morning sun is to experience life at its purest. Bed can wait...

Sunday 3 April 2016

Mudchute, Monk Parakeets and the Secrets of the Canning Town Fly-over......

Link to WWT - Welney