Living in the wilds of a metropolis

One of the big surprises and delights of living in London is the wildlife - the animal wildlife, that is - close up, almost approachable, and acting very much as the critters do in their own part of the wilds.

Of course, they see the metropolis as their own world. On the way to the gym in the early mornings,

blackbirds guarding their future families carouse with the most beautiful songs.
In the communal garden where I live, I feed each day a small family of foxes resident here for many generations.
Hedgehogs make irregular appearances, posing questions about how they can possibly cross busy roads and survive.

A new river family

The trees are alive with a wonderful array of birds, particularly now in early Summer, while overhead house martins from Cape Town chase winged insects almost constantly.
Another surprise and a new one in this near-perpetual nature rambling life came on the regular cycle home from the discount supermarket, Aldi.
I paused on a bridge over the Hogsmill River - yes, the scene of a painful cycling accident recently - to admire a large carp or two as they feed on low-flying suppers.
Right beside the bridge, a sudden movement below gave away the location of a nest of a pair of coots.

I grabbed my phone to photograph them, but modesty got in the way … Continues on the blogs for my ocean adventure book, Sailing to Purgatory, at SailingToPurgatory.com