AN URBAN BIRDER
David Lindo isn’t your typical birder – he’s a self-confessed city ‘anorak’ whose favourite habitat is London
Urban birding can be especially rewarding.
Growing up in the capital never stopped me. I have been fascinated by birds since I was young. At the age of seven, I discovered a field guide in the local library. I read it inside out. By eight, I was an expert!
I started a birding blog about 15 years ago
Birding is my meditation – it heals my head if I’m feeling low. Nothing else matters when I’m looking up at the sky.
I try not to focus on looking for a particular species; otherwise, I might miss everything else. I leave my house expecting to see everything and nothing.
In September, I go out for an hour just before dawn every day. This month is one of the most rewarding for birding because so many species are migrating. Early morning is the best time to see birds such as willow warblers and whinchats – they migrate at night, stopping just as it gets light to feast on insects. My dawn walk gives me energy for the rest of the day.
I bird wherever I am. I even do it in my back garden
My favourite patch is Wormwood Scrubs, a big common near my home in Wembley. I’ve seen some amazing birds there, including honey buzzards, ospreys and redstarts. I even once saw a common rosefinch – only three have been seen in London in 15 years. It was so special seeing one on my turf.
I try to look at the world like a bird. They don’t see buildings; they see habitat. Peregrine falcons might usually live on cliffs and mountains, but skyscrapers make good surrogates. With 24 nesting pairs, London has one of the largest urban populations. Once, from a skyscraper in the City of London, I saw a peregrine swoop down, grab a pigeon and soar towards Tower Bridge. It was incredible.
I’ve had so many ‘wow’ moments in the city. This month, house martins will be flying south. Once I saw a flock of 5,000 drifting overhead – it was biblical. Northern wheatears will be migrating, too. They nest in moorland areas in the north of England, but often stop in London on their way to Africa. I always feel joyous when I see my first one of the season.
Migration is nuanced – an entire species rarely arrives or leaves a country, so you still get some birds of all kinds around. Some robins, for example, spend winter in Spain, while others come here from Eastern Europe.
Birding is more than ticking off names on a list
Anyone can be a birder. You need very few provisions for urban birding – I take a camera, binoculars and a waterproof jacket if it’s wet. It’s that simple. I certainly don’t fit the stereotype. Sure, I’m an anorak, but I like to think I’m a designer one.