The 183m (600ft) Tower 42 is the tallest skyscraper in the City of London and the sixth tallest building in London as a whole. Dedicated weekly sky-watches from the building's roof in Spring 2010 produced memorable results for those who committed to the project, which provides a 360 degrees panorama over London and beyond. T42BSG was founded by David Lindo (The Urban Birder). The bird study group regularly advertises invitations for birders to join in the studies (see London Bird Club, London Birders Yahoo Group etc) although take-up has been limited and consists of a hardcore of a handful of dedicated watchers.

Address: Tower 42, 25 Old Broad Street, London EC2N 1HQ (Map:; OS grid reference TQ330813)

Contents 1 History 2 Habitat 3 Species 4 Practicalities

History Edit

Tower 42 was designed by architect Richard Seifert for the international banking division of National Westminster Bank — hence its earlier name of the NatWest Tower and a structure that, seen from above, closely resembles the bank’s logo of three chevrons in a hexagonal arrangement. It was completed in 1980 and formally opened by the Queen on 11 July 1981. The tower is now owned by UK property company Greycoat, which renamed it Tower 42 in reference to its 42 cantilevered floors. It is now a general-purpose office building occupied by a variety of companies.

The Tower 42 Bird Study Group was launched in the spring of 2010 with the blessing of the Tower 42 Management Team and is partnered by the British Trust for Ornithology, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, London Wildlife Trust and Opticron. During spring (April - May) and autumn (August - November) migration and movements are being recorded from the roof of the tower. The first watch took place on 7th April 2010.

Habitat Edit

The panorama extends as far as Southend-on-Sea to the east and beyond Windsor castle to the west, and all of London's boroughs are viewable.

Species Edit

Birds

Sightings in April 2010 included a Red Kite, four Common Buzzards, numerous Peregrines, plus regular Kestrels and Sparrowhawks; passerine migrants included Swallows, House Martins and Swifts. Surprise fly-bys have so far included two Honey Buzzards, Arctic Tern, Oystercatcher and Rook. Other species, mainly on or around the Thames, include Cormorant, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Mallard, Coot, Woodpigeon and Blackbird etc.

Invertebrates

A Painted Lady butterfly visited the top of the tower on 13 April 2010, and a Harlequin ladybird was present the following week.

Practicalities Edit

Directions

The site is a short walk from stations at Bank, Aldwych, Liverpool Street and Moorgate.

Access

See regularly posted invitations on London Birders yahoo group, London Bird Club wiki etc, or contact us via the blog.

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