David Darrell-Lambert
Field Ornithologist
London, England
Back in the old days - and I feel a little misleading with that comment because at 35, I don't feel that old - my birding usually consisted of trying to find somewhere green to see birds. Living in Tottenham, North London which was not on the map for anything special except Tottenham Hotspur Football Club (we used to win cups back then) - finding a nice green space to bird was not always easy.
This was the early 1980's and my interest in birds had just started with a school trip to Rye Meads RSPB reserve, Hertfordshire. Here, I was fascinated with the difference between the feet of Moorhens and Coots and how this helped them feed. Then whilst waiting nosily in a hide, a Kingfisher shot by and I was hooked!
So back in Tottenham me and my best mate Paul Young (not the singer) were going through the local park, Bruce Castle Park in fact and we decided to look around the churchyard in the adjoining cemetery. Iremember walking round the back of yew tree and sitting there right in front of me, large as life and full of colour, was a male Bullfinch. If I wasn't hooked before - this beautiful bird got me hook, lineand sinker! I legged it home to tell Dad about this great bird but he was not at all impressed. Of course back then they were common and easy to see. As we started to watch this local patch over the next ten years they became rarer reflecting their downward trend nationally.
So from here Dad and I started heading out in the field together. We reached Staines Reservoir and Walthamstow Reservoirs, the latter became my local patch during the 1990's. At Walthamstow I remember seeing my first Shoveler and Little Grebe I think at the time they were my 98th and 99th species! Dad and I had just got a permit for the site, it was bliss! It made a change from peering through the railings and wondering what birds were there that we could not see! I felt so privileged to be there. London became my stomping ground and where most of my field skills were developed from the full-on bird rich days to the dull, poor birdless ventures!
Birding in London can be hard work and my local patches have varied. From the too big like Walthamstow Reservoirs with eleven individual reservoirs, a network of relief channels and a set of filter beds!To the very small like Tate Modern - yes good for Peregrines but hard work finding passerines, then again spectacular views of thousands of gulls heading up river from their overnight roosts in the Thames estuary were a big plus. The right size and perhaps my favourite are Tottenham Cemetery and Bruce Castle Park. Not due to the rarities I found there but because it was a test of skill and determination andwhere I cut my teeth in bird identification. It was great there as I only had my Dad to compete with as I am usually competitive with other local patch birders and who has the longest list. So there we werein concrete London birding an unknown site with no one else to worry about. Heaven!
Urban birding? Love it! It's hard at times, but really rewarding. And the best moments? Finding a spring singing Wood Warbler in Bruce Castle Park and having ten people come and twitch it! A rare bird? Not very. A beautiful bird? I think it's the best looking breeding warbler in Britain. Outside of the UK, whilst enjoying my thirtieth birthday in Cairo I watched a flock of Glossy Ibis flying in, feeding at my feet was a Squacco Heron and across the river, Purple Swamphen! Magic!
If you fancy hijacking my News section send me an email to theurbanbirder@theurbanbirder.com