It really is the case with birdwatching that you never
know what’s going to show up at any given time. It’s possible to see birds in
the most unusual of places, provided of course that you look. Since I started a
new job in the City a couple of months ago, casual birdwatching opportunities near
my place of work have been limited, especially when compared to my previous job
in Hendon which happened to be near a park where bird life was, if not
abundant, at least varied – I could usually count on seeing at least
half-a-dozen different species during my lunch break. Now, it’s usually a case
of lots of pigeons and (if you’re lucky) the odd starling.
But this morning I saw something out of the ordinary on
my walk between the Tube station and the office. This usually takes me through
the churchyard of the wonderfully-named St Botolph-without-Bishopsgate,
where I saw something small moving in one of the trees. It was too small to be
a blue tit, and not brown enough to be a wren – more greenish-grey. Luckily for
me, it flitted from branch to branch for long enough for me to identify it as a
goldcrest
– one of the smallest birds you can see in this country, and not something I
would’ve expected to see in the middle of London.
Then it flew off, and I continued on my way to work with
a smile.
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