Dude, I fricken love that Chuck Darwin is on the ten pound note. Also, I saw a fox this morning while jogging in Hyde Park. And these birds: Greylag Goose, Grey Heron, Blackbird, Black-headed Gull, Carrion Crow (probably), Tufted Duck (I think), Great Crested Grebe, Lesser Black Backed Gull (probably), Magpie, Mute Swan, Woodpigeon, and unidentified others. From a birding perspective, you might remark that I am really gathering the low-hanging fruit here. But since the last time I was in London was nearly ten years ago, and I was not then a birder, I never noted any of these suckers down before today....
UPDATE: P.S., allow me to make the link between Darwin on the ten pound note, and me seeing new birds in London, more explicit. Only in light of evolution can we understand just why it is that different regions of the world have distinctly different plant and animal life. In short, evolution gives us biogeographic diversity, which is a birder's best friend--especially a birder who gets to travel a lot....
