Saturday 5th April

From Sea Walls I could see a dozen or more Redshank down river on the mud, they are in larger groups now, rather than single birds separated by expanses of mud. Over the end of the Gully a pair of Sparrowhawks were chasing each other, the tryst was split up as a Peregrine glided past, and on down river. At the Peregrine watch we could hear a Chiffchaff and a Wren, over Leigh Woods I saw three Geese, the Raven was sitting first on, then to the right of its nest. A Cormorant appeared to almost hover, high above Leigh Woods (surely not!), and a bright, red brown topped Kestrel passed us. There were Mallard down on the river, with Lesser Black Backed, Herring and Common Gulls. I didn't see any Black Headed Gulls, they seem to have left the Downland over the last couple of weeks. This was a very cold morning, and it became even colder as the sun went behind clouds. Along Saville Road the horse chesnut trees are greener each morning.

Tuesday 1st April, Thursday 3rd April

Tuesday was a beautiful bright morning which brought two red foxes out onto the grass and rocks beneath the Peregrine Watch cliffs. To see this part of the cliff base you need to lean forwards over the railings, not easy, and rather dangerous! Chris Jones was there with his camera, the intrepid photographer went right up to the edge and shot a fine set of pictures of the two foxes playing and sitting on the grass. Are there any cubs this year, or did we see the vixen and her dog, or a couple of vixen down there? One, very red fox, looks like the vixen that we watched last summer, sitting with her cubs in the sunshine among the nearby brambles.

Thursday. As on Tuesday, the Peregrines are flying around on the side of Leigh Woods, coming into the oaks, and to the cliff beneath the Watch. However today was a day to see Ravens, four of them. When I arrived a Raven was standing over on the side of its nest, a little later the Raven pair flew into the top of the oak above the Peregrine, and ... the Peregrine disappeared. Then two more Ravens appeared, flying high above the trees, two disappeared off over Leigh Woods, two came our way, gliding high above us, majestic birds, even now with a fearsome reputation in myth and song,
Death like a raven is there at the feast
Ruffle his feathers and drive him to flight
(Nancy Kerr "Break Your Fall" on Station House with James Fagan and Robert Harbron, 2008)
Could a Peregrine kill a Raven? I have no doubt, especially after reading John Baker's account of the demise of a Great Black Backed Gull after a Peregrine stoop - The gull buckled like hot metal. Its head jerked and flopped. The falcon had struck it in the neck ... from a hundred feet up, the gull slid down quite slowly and emptied itself out upon the shingle. The falcon dropped beside it and began to feed. (p172).

As I passed the Peregrine Watch on my first circuit of the Downs, I also had a glimpse of a large brown raptor, flying level with the top of the Gorge , I stopped, but lost it. Buzzard or possibly that Goshawk again?

Monday, 31st March

A couple of Redshank were walking the mud opposite Sea Walls, taking a peck at the mud, then overtaking her companion, this repeated so that he and she passed and re-passed each other (I assume they were a male and female, there seems to be little difference between the sexes - except to another Redshank). At the Peregrine Watch I could see about a dozen Redshank on the same patch of mud, nothing like the numbers I saw yesterday. A flashing glimpse of the female Peregrine as she came in under the cliff, that was all else today.

Sunday 30th March - 2nd posting

Chris Jones was up at the Peregrine Watch this morning, and he kindly took this picture of the female Peregrine over in the oak tree. It is difficult to see that it is a Peregrine, but much better than my camera could manage! If you click on the image you will get a slightly larger view.

Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, March 16,27,30

The clocks went forward today, Sunday, so I reached the Gorge around 10.45am. The estuary mud was lined with Redshank, several dozen of them, picking and hopping around on the mud, their red legs glinted in the sunlight. At one time I thought that there was an Oyster Catcher with them, but no, just the angle of the light darkening the bird's feathers. The Redshank were scattered in pairs and singly, mostly on the Cliff side, and from the Peregrine Watch as far as I could see from Sea Walls towards Horseshoe Bend. Some river boats left the docks on the ebbing tide, starting down river; as the boats approached each group of Redshank, the lead boat acted like a broom, and the Redshank rose from the mud, initially in ones and twos, then settling a little way ahead, then moving on down river as the boat approached again, until the whole large flock was pushed into the air and on down towards Avonmouth. The white flashes on their wings reflected the sunshine, the flock nearly covered the river surface as they flew low over the water. I looked around at the many other people at the Gorge edge, but nobody seemed to have noticed!

The sky above the Gorge was no less interesting. The male Peregrine (tiercel or is that just a falconry term?), was flying up and down the Gorge, skirting the trees, then at one time coming in to the female sitting over in the oak tree, he tried to mate, a flutter of wings as the two birds seemed to join in my glasses. Oh, for a powerful 'scope. The same had happened last Friday, the mating, if it was such, was all over in a flash. Yes, all males are the same! There were some other raptors around, at first I thought that they were Sparrowhawks, but then one was mobbed by one of the Ravens - it was nearly the same size. A Goshawk! A pair of Goshawks? It was too large for a Sparrowhawk, and I associate a Sparrowhawk with much lower flight habits - around the trees rather than high in the sky. The juvenile Peregrine (a female from last year) was also in the air, her breast feathers a distinct brown as opposed to the light buff colour of the older female still sitting in the Oak.

At the rim of the Gorge a crowd of people gathered, and at the Peregrine Watch a wren sang!

Thursday was also a good day, without the Redshank, but with the mating Peregrines - and add to the sightings, some Cormorants flying up to the docks. Wednesday was a bit non-descript, but the Peregrines wre over in the Oak.