november-2010

clearer as dawn brightens into day. The men spread out to
watch points on all sides of the roof, eyes skyward, scanning
for avian life. Telescopes are set up on tripods and binoculars
fi xed to faces. None of the usual city noise reaches them from
below, but all the time there’s the roar of fans and the rumble
of air-conditioning units. The roof is a cluttered space, an outlet
for the machines that keep the building functioning, and the
birders have to be careful where they tread. It’s certainly not
the familiar terrain of a hilltop or secluded hide.
The view takes your breath away. London has never
looked so glorious. For a good while I can’t help but just stand
and stare, trying to fi nd all the landmarks that I recognise
as making up my city. I’m also awestruck at the dedication
of those who climb the 600 feet up here every week, at this
unearthly hour, to birdwatch. Such intrepid urban adventuring
before the working day even begins is impressive.
David Lindo is the brains behind what has been
christened the Tower 42 Bird Study Group. But how on earth
did he manage to persuade the building’s management to let
him on to the roof? “It came about by luck really,” he admits.
“I’d been looking for a vantage point for two or three years
and I caught them on a good day. Perhaps surprisingly,
they’ve been brilliant hosts. I guess it gives their building
a unique edge – we’ve turned the roof into kind of a nature
« Avant leur journée de travail,
ces intrépides aventuriers urbains
gravissent 183 mètres pour assouvir
leur passion des oiseaux »
102 METROPOLITAN
Thrush
Grive
reserve. It’s an amazing thing being up here,
looking out over London.”
The birders started coming up here in spring.
Because it was an unprecedented project, they
had no idea what to expect. Lindo says the
season was a good one, despite the weather being
rather unkind. They recorded an array of species
including rarities like the honey buzzard and red
kite. They saw peregrine falcons every session,
with six pairs regularly passing the tower.
During four hours on the roof, we see one of
these handsome birds of prey sitting on Tower
Bridge and another on Tate Modern. Once
threatened with extinction, the peregrine is
now thriving in the built-up London landscape,
which is similar in shape and scale to its natural
one of cliffs and mountains.
In autumn the hope is to see
species migrating: small birds
such as starling, redwing and
brambling that will be heading
to the UK for winter, or the likes
of redstart, swallow and house
martin that will be journeying