I've never been a bird watcher but Craner's passion and enthusiasm is heartwarming. I like seeing birds around, and it's cool to see birds other than seagulls/pigeons/blackbirds of course, but for some reason I like seeing mammals more. Perhaps because wild mammals (other than the introduced grey squirrel) are rarely seen in this country, being either scarce or wary of people. Though there are foxes and obviously rats and mice that are thoroughly urban. I grew up on the Isle of Wight which still has red squirrels. Hedgehogs and badgers are delightful.
I beg to take issue with "none [of our wildlife] teems with greater color and variety", though - depending how one defines "wildlife"...there are some pretty amazing-looking fungi that grow in this country. Then there's insect life, which is a whole other thing...I've been enjoying seeing a really wide variety of ladybird colours and patterns this year as well as various nameless bugs in our rather shambolic little garden. They might not have the majesty of an osprey or a barn owl, but they're pretty fascinating and varied.