A letter in Bird Watching this month condemned the editorial team for including features on both insect walks and wildlife gardening. This is a bird magazine was the message. How shortsighted is that? Birds, indeed any wildlife, cannot exist in a vacuum. That is the basis of ecosystems. It's also how I manage to see as much wildlife as I do.
My reasoning is this. All animals represent food for other species, smaller to larger. Unequivocal fact. So spend time in a place with a lot of birds around water, for example and you can guarantee insect sightings, mammals, occasinally reptiles. Simple, isn't it?
Then again, sometimes you won't need to leave the city centre either. Think of wildlife that has an almost symbiotic relationship with man, and pigeons and rats will top that list. There are a lot more. Hearing lots of chirps as you pass the shops? Look up and you'll probably see hundreds of starlings. Most winters will find you sharing the pedestrian area with pied wagtails. Heck, some places with towering buildings harbour the occasional peregrine falcon.
Funny old world, isn't it?
Carl