My Concrete Jungle

Over the past couple of weeks I have not had the chance to get out birding because of exams (apart from this morning for the black winged pratincole, see next post down) and have therefore kept a keen eye on the local birds.

Although I share a house with 4 other lads down a very built up road in Portswood Southampton there is still something to be seen every day.

In the small privet hedge in the grassless back ‘garden’ a Blackbird and a Dunnock pair successfully raised at least one chick each:

Dunnock parent:
and fledgling:and blackbird fledgling:

Swifts seem very common and are always screaming through the streets during the summer months:

Our house backs on to an awful ally way, burnt out cars, fly tipping etc and yet when walking through it I have seen starlings, house sparrows, goldcrests (which have nested in the next doors small conifer) and the biggest surprise was a grey wagtail which was seen once during the winter months.

Raptors are represented by a regular female sparrowhawk and today a pair of buzzards were soaring high over the city and our house courting each other:

One of the local crows did not take kindly to this:

Green woodpecker and song thrush are often heard calling as well as gulls.

House sparrows nest in most of the gutters and the fence post right outside my bedroom window is often used to ‘flycatch’ from, which is most interesting.

Last summer a female mallard was even seen walking down the path on my road with a train of chicks running along behind, I think they must have taken a wrong turn as there is no water nearby…

On the reptile front just down the road my house mate once found a slow worm on the pavement, which was quickly placed into a bush out of harms way! Completely unexpected with so little green space immediately close (apart from the bush!).

All the best,

Dan