Urban wildlife
According to statistics, 83 per cent of Brits live in urban areas, and it’s a fair bet that many of these people are oblivious to the wild species living right under their noses.
How to observe animals in a city centre
The zoologist Desmond Morris famously wrote: “The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.” But to take the first part of his quote literally, our urban conurbations are in fact much more than just jungle. With their woods, parks, lakes, rivers, brownfield sites and tower blocks, all crowded together into a complex mosaic, Britain’s towns and cities can boast an impressive variety of habitats playing host to a diverse collection of wildlife.
Another reason why the urban environment punches well above its weight when pulling in the wildlife is that towns and cities are frequently significantly warmer than the surrounding countryside. Brought about by human activities, the urban heat island effect means that a number of London’s boroughs, such as Greenwich, Tower Hamlets and the Isle of Dogs, can be 4 or 5°C warmer than locations such as Epping Forest or Ealing, on the margins of the city.
With opportunistic urban wildlife happy to take advantage of the free bed and breakfast on offer, this additional thermal enrichment is much more than just a fringe benefit. For any wildlife that has survived the coldest months of the year, elevated temperatures during this crucial period straddling late winter and early spring, could see many urban birds, such as robins and song thrushes stealing a ‘March’ on their country cousins in the perennial mating game.
BE AN EARLY BIRD
Get out and about either early or late to maximise the natural delights just beyond your doorstep. Dawn and dusk are important periods for many animals, but urban wildlife is undoubtedly at its busiest when there are fewer people around to serve as an irritating and unwarranted distraction. Making yourself an ‘early bird’ will also mean that you’ll be able
to listen out for the calls of the wild – from black redstarts and blue tits for example – before they become drowned out by the pneumatic drills, emergency sirens and reversing lorries blighting many nine-to-five urban soundscapes.
Utilising vantage points from which to scan the horizon is another important technique when searching for wildlife, and no other environment has this third dimension better covered than towns and cities. When trying to spot kestrels and peregrine falcons, you will never be too far removed from a well-placed bridge, multistorey carpark or church tower from which to enjoy the action. If you’re lucky the birds could be hiding in plain sight – just don’t forget to pay attention to your surroundings.