Repost 27 January 2008: Big Garden Theropod Watch

A brief look at the vertebrate inhabitants of Jurassic Park...

In the UK, this weekend has been the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch. Members of the public have been encouraged to sit in their garden or a nearby park and count the number of birds they see in one hour.

Now, despite living in the flight path of the UK's Busiest Airport^TM, we're usually pretty lucky with the bird life. Bubba the Squirrel has been well and truly stumped by the ethical husband's cunning plan to peg the fat balls out on the washing line rather than on the altogether too squirrel-friendly hanger, and we're getting a fair few of the little dinosaurs visiting. Now that the neighbours who had the cat have moved out (sad to see the cat go but really really happy to see the crack addict go), I hope the family of robins will be okay this year.

But it seemed that, as I was sitting out this afternoon, the little buggers had decided to hide from me. Because I saw almost naff all during my hour outside. Let's see - there was one wood pigeon, one blackbird, one great tit, and a parakeet. Yes, London's most common bird is now a ring-necked parakeet. So, because I doubt most of those theropods have crossed the Atlantic ocean, here for your viewing pleasure are the three British birds I saw today (photos courtesy of the RSPB website - click on them to be taken to the information page):

    
Oh yeah, and have a look at the ring-necked parakeet too. I'm lucky - usually when there's one there are very rapidly a dozen of them, all screaming like anything. Somehow I suspect the RSPB would have thought I was taking the piss if I reported a pigeon, a blackbird, a great tit and 12 parakeets...


I feel quite fortunate having them around though - they're such a splash of vivid colour. And they seem to be as outraged by cold weather as we are, shrieking through the air seemingly saying "What the fuck is this shit?!". It's one of the sounds of London, at least out where we are - the roar of the airport, the late night lullaby of police sirens, and some rather bewildered tropical birds.