by Lucas von Chamier
How birdwatching in central London can change the image of city environments
All these observations merge into a very different impression of the city than what we usually grow up with, which is to associate the city with humans and the countryside with wildlife, as separate units. In the process of birdwatching in the Bloomsbury area, the species that I see here have transformed: The peregrine, kestrel and sparrowhawk, formidable apex predators, have become lions, leopards and cheetahs; versatile scavengers like crows, magpies and jays, have become different species of hyena and wild dogs; the (comparably) peaceful birds like pigeons, blackbirds and starlings have become zebras, wildebeests and antelopes. The list goes on…
In a nutshell, Bloomsbury, a tiny corner in one of the most urbanised cities in the world, is not a lifeless urban wasteland but it’s a living, breathing ecosystem like any rainforest or coral reef (albeit with a lot less biodiversity). The animals which we are blessed to share this environment with are as ‘wild’ as any polar or grizzly bear and they are absolute survival machines: adaptable, resourceful and intelligent, fighting for their survival every day. Going birdwatching in Bloomsbury with this notion puts the city into the context of the wider environment which we are part of, whether as part of England or cities in Europe or the rest of the world.
Portrait of a crow
Sharing the environment with humans has made many birds in the area very relaxed in human presence. This carrion crow came to check out me and my lunch on Gordon Square, and gave me an opportunity to snap this nice portrait. Crows are among the most intelligent and adaptable birds on the planet, and in Bloomsbury we regularly see carrion crows display fascinating foraging and social behaviours. They also look majestic and mysterious when you get close enough to one of them.
How the birdwalks inform our conservation goals
Yet, we must obviously recognize that we can do a lot better. The Bloomsbury Birdwalks have also made very clear what we are missing. In the not so distant past cities were environments for many birds breeding in the cracks of buildings or quiet corners of the city, with many species such as sparrows, swifts, black redstarts and peregrines being among them. And although peregrines have recently increased in London partly helped by significant conservation efforts, swift populations are declining, and black redstarts are only very slowly gaining a foothold again after having a decent population in post war London. Similarly, we have in almost five years never observed a sparrow in Bloomsbury. The lack of some of these iconic city species is noticeable at our birdwalks, and for international students like me a city without sparrows or swifts seems bizarrely empty. It is a reminder that despite our lovely observations Bloomsbury could be much more. As conservationists living in cities, we need to become guardians of the wildlife that is thriving beside us and protect the species that are declining. We should fight the lack of swifts or sparrows with a similar emotional fervour as the loss of the big cats in Africa and Asia, and we can likely be much more effective in doing so, as we can affect changes locally.
Observations at the ‘waterhole’
During one of my early May boardwalks,, after a dry week, I found a small puddle just below a fence in Woburn Square. The birds in the area seemed to know the spot well, and within minutes I saw several different bird species, bathing, drinking and collecting mud for nests. It remined me of a scene at waterholes in the African savannah which also attract all sorts of animals. As Bloomsbury does not have any significant waterbodies, birds rely on such puddles for access to water. Is this something we could change in our area? This will also be a consideration as the climate in England is expected to grow warmer and drier in the summers of the future. (From left to right: mistle thrush, goldfinch and feral pigeon)
Part of forming the UCL Nature & Conservation Society, of which the birdwalks are a central activity, was to protect and promote our local environment. This properly started this year by three of us (Jeremy Eum, Roxane Pirbonyeh and me) building and setting up two nest boxes in Gordon Square right next to UCL. 3 months later (as of May 2020) both nest boxes are occupied by breeding blue tits. By doing this, we have now positively changed this environment. The fact that the nest boxes were so quickly occupied suggests that the other currently available nesting sites in the area might be saturated. This means there is a lot more to do. For example, we can build nest boxes for more birds, diversify plant species, including wildflowers which can help several insects that themselves feed the nestlings of many birds. Most importantly though, we can take an active part in the decision-making processes that will transform Bloomsbury in the future. We need to imagine Bloomsbury as a ‘wild’ habitat and ask how we can live alongside wild animals in cities. How many species could possibly live here compared to how many currently are? And if it doesn’t affect the social or business life in the area (arguably, it would improve it), what really speaks against increasing the biodiversity of the area, especially if we have the tools?
Our birdwalks and our two nest boxes are just the first small but very meaningful step. Whatever happens, we now have a responsibility to make the squares liveable for the baby blue tits that will leave the nest soon. Anything else would really make us irresponsible and lousy parents. There’s no turning back!
Whoop whoop UCL Nature & Conservation Society!
Blue tits breeding in Gordon Square nest boxes
This picture is a milestone. In January 2020 our society got permission by the University of London to build and place nest boxes in Gordon Square. In the first breeding season after putting up our nest boxes, both were occupied by breeding pairs of blue tits. The blue tits will hopefully fledge in the summer of 2020 and breed in successive years in Bloomsbury. We, at UCL Nature & Conservation Society now have a legacy that we need to protect and hopefully grow.
Picture by Poppy Stockbridge
For questions, get in touch with us on Twitter (@uclconservation), Facebook (UCL Nature & Conservation Society) or send us an email: su.conservation.society@ucl.ac.uk. You can follow #BloomsburyBirdwalks on twitter to see more from our birdwalks over the years!
If you are a UCL alumni or student, do get in touch and consider joining the society! We would love to have you, for birdwalks, or for anything else nature and conservation related.