Friday, April 25, 2008

Friday April 25th

Good parenting leads to successful offspring, or at least the siblings are more likely to survive! The Ravens are certainly very watchful and attentive parents trying hard to ensure the survival of all of their brood. From Sea Walls I could spy a large shadowy figure at the top of one of the oaks; then from the Peregrine Watch, the other Raven parent at the top of the yew trees to the left of the nest. Meanwhile two smaller black forms were perched on the nest edge, and another was close by in a small tree. There was an occasional flutter of wings as the young Ravens exercised, or as one of the parents took off and patrolled the Gorge.

Footnote: The RSPB has a campaign to highlight birds of prey (Arn't Birds Brilliant). Across the UK, the Peregrine sites, along with those for Red Kites, Ospreys, Eagles and Hen Harriers, with some other species, can be
found at via a Google Map
However! No mention of the Avon Gorge Peregrines - only Cheddar Gorge!
MY email to the RSPB resulted in the following comment:
"The reason that there is no mention of the Avon Gorge peregrines is that
they are not one of our sites. The Aren't birds brilliant sites
mentioned all have RSPB staff on hand to show people the birds. The map
isn't supposed to be an exhaustive map of all sites in the UK, just
those where we have a presence and where we are showing people these
brilliant birds. I hope that this answers your query and that the peregrines
in the Avon Gorge (and Cheddar) have a successful breeding season and raise some
chicks. Best wishes, Kevin RSPB Web Team"

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Wednesday, Thursday, 23rd, 24th April

Wednesday: I watched two large birds disappear over towards Burwalls, from their flight I think they were Buzzards; then, much closer above the woodland to the left of the Peregrine Watch another Buzzard was worried by the Raven family. The Ravens drove the Buzzard away down into the trees, certainly away from their valuable nestlings.
Thursday: from Sea Walls it was possible to see one of the Raven nestlings exercising its flight muscles, while at the top of one of the oaks one of the parents watched: the sun made the feathers on this large bird look like silver through my glasses. It was fascinating to watch the wing flapping from the Peregrine Watch, though difficult to see how many youngsters were in the nest - especially when the whole brood was joined by the parent birds. The parents left, and soared up over Leigh Woods, one of birds occasionally folding its wings during flight in that curious gesture that Ravens seem to have when flying with a mate. I wonder whether other watchers have commented on this?
The Kestrel appeared briefly, and flew around the trees to the left of the quarry; I did not see any sign of the Peregrines, but this may have been due to my fascination with the Ravens.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tuesday April 22nd

The tide was high receding, and the sky grey. Over by Burwalls I had a brief view of a large bird flying away and below the trees - most likely a Buzzard, though I was hoping to see the Red Kite I heard about! A Peregrine swept past the Watch and disappeared under to the cliff; I have not seen a Peregrine over in the oaks for a couple of weeks, and soon the trees will have too much greenery to see any roosting birds. Four Magpies, four Jackdaws and a Crow squabbled behind me on the grass for scraps of bread left by someone.

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Sunday 20th April

Whilst it was a very grey and misty morning, the horse chestnuts trees on Saville Road have candle-like blossoms amid their bright new greenery. On the river a high tide with very little mud, just enough under Sea Walls for a solitary Mallard. I stood at the Peregrine Watch for around twenty minutes, there were no Peregrines, but the three young Ravens were clambering and flapping around their nest - fledged and about to fly. Two Swallows sped past me towards Sea Walls, I did not see them again, the red on their chests very obvious and their short tails probably showing that they were young birds.