Saturday 1st September

There was a Heron on the mud just up-river of Sea Walls, he edged backwards every now and then as the tide rose. Also, and from Sea Walls, I thought that I could see a Peregrine slightly above the banana tree, maybe this is where yesterday's Peregrine landed out of sight of the Watch? Over by the Peregrine Watch I could see nothing, even though I looked across the Gorge from a distance on either side. As I cycled into the trees to get a better angle on the quarry, I nearly collided with a couple of Blue Tits, they seemed to be fighting?!! Over on the cliff above the quarry I noticed a black bird disappear into one of the crevasses, then on watching carefully I could see a number of Jackdaws flapping about the trees and ivy. Unusual.

Friday 31st August

The Ravens were on an old dead tree off Ladies Mile when I went past this morning, then when I got to the Peregrine Watch, there they were again, but scrabbling around their old nest! The Gorge 'Bovver Boys', rather boy and girl. A Peregrine was perched just above the banana tree, it stayed statue-like for the whole of my visit, only slight movements of its head and body gave away that it was not a piece of the rock face. I think this was probably the young male that I saw yesterday. At one stage he was just a few meters above those Ravens. Then the Ravens moved over to the Yew tree to the left, merging in with the blacker shade of the yew. Another Peregrine, this time an adult flew into the top of the banana tree where it was obscured from view, and stayed. Eventually he took off, dive bombing the Ravens as he passed, there was a flutter, but they did not move. A little later the Ravens took off and flew down towards the Suspension Bridge.

Thursday 30th August

This blog is a year old today! It has taken a year for me to see a Peregrine catch a pigeon, I have seen partially successful strikes, and many chases but never a kill. This morning was different. To start I watched a Buzzard circle slowly over Leigh Woods and out towards Portishead, until he disappeared below the tree line. When he was near the sun caught the brown and gold in the feathers, until he became a black circling silhouette. The Peregrine first came from the same direction, from over the Downs, flying quite high, but then stooping into the Gorge in front of me and then rising higher and higher, turning the dive into a drive upwards.
My heart in hiding,
Stirred for a bird, - the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
A Peregrine does not hover, he seems to hang in the air, sometimes gliding, and with no apparent effort. A slight folding of the wings brings him into a high speed stoop.
This display continued, also due overhead for quite a while, the bird getting higher and higher until he must have been over 200 meters up. then he flew over towards Leigh Woods with rapid, pigeon-like, wing beats, and stooped .... this time he separated one of two pigeons, and took it from underneath and behind, low above the trees opposite me, then swinging around and carrying the bird to land on the quarry slope opposite. Bad move! In a flash the two Ravens, who must have been hiding in the trees were onto him, he picked his kill up, but was no match for the Ravens, and he dropped it into the trees beside the quarry gate. I think the Ravens lost it as well, at least they were still flying after harrying the Peregrine. The Peregrine, it must have been in sheer frustration on being deprived of his kill, swooped at one of the Ravens, the Raven dodged hastily, and the Peregrine sped off, disappearing towards the Suspension Bridge.
He reappeared flying slowly and towards us, this time to the delight of three other visitors - the women said they had never seen a Peregrine before, the man described how he had had his van showered with feathers from a Peregrine strike in Broadmead!
The Peregrine started his hunt again, rising higher and higher, again overhead, but also over towards the Zoo, then around and over the Suspension Bridge, rising to maybe 500 meters when I lost him in an eye-blink against the clouds. The markings and size of this Peregrine make me think that this was the young male - the tiercel (or tercel) to falconers.

Wednesday August 29th

An ebb tide took groups of gulls rapidly down river towards Avonmouth. There were a few Mallard near the water, and the Ravens in the quarry. Pairs of Jackdaws, young and old gulls, some sparrows and other small birds in a nearby birch tree. No raptors again!

Tuesday August 28th

I visited the Peregrine Watch at 11am, it was very quiet, not a raptor in sight, and as usual the local pigeons sensed their safety, flying around carelessly from tree to tree and up and down the river. Only gulls and pairs of Jackdaws in their tree.