Thursday, June 19, 2008

Wednesday, Thursday, 18th, 19th June

Wednesday. A light rain fell from high cloud for most of my ride this morning. At the Peregrine Watch a buzzard circled high above the river, working its way down towards Avonmouth, then as the rain cleared a little some Swifts appeared, and a Cormorant flew low over the water. Two of the young Peregrines took off separately from the nest and flew over to the opposite quarry, one landed low in the yew tree to the left of the quarry, the other in a small birch tree nearby. When the rain started again, I set off for home.
Thursday. Blue sky, low fluffy clouds and a strong wind; the tide was high but starting to go out. I watched a Peregrine fly towards Avonmouth, she flew rather than glided in the way the birds do when hunting. I suspect this was not one of the nest birds. As I watched another Peregrine appeared in my glasses, this one was gliding around, then dropping fast as if chasing something, she looked almost as if she was playing in the strong wind. The she dropped like a stone towards the Gully. A kill perhaps? I did not see her again, but a little later glimpsed two birds coming into the nest from the direction of the Gully. Just before I left the Watch, a Peregrine up near the Suspension Bridge scared a Pigeon into the trees! Is it my imagination or are the Pigeons flying faster than usual over to the safety of the trees?

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Tuesday June 17th

Five Young Peregrines Ready for the World!

The Avon Gorge Peregrines have five fledged youngsters this year, a record number for the Gorge nest. Chris Jones took this amazing nest edge 'photo.

This morning I was at the Watch for an hour and a half watching an unfolding saga. We managed to see at least four of the young birds, some of them on their nest, but at least one of them was over in the wood above the quarry. Three young birds could be seen on their nest edge from a cliff vantage point under an ash; the parents were over in the quarry, one on the cliff below the Raven nest, the other in a Whitebeam; a lone youngster remained for all the time, perched at the top of a dead tree spike, it was still there when I left. At one time a pair of Buzzards flew high overhead. Then one parent circled up and down the Gorge, high, high above in search of food, she did not swoop for a long time, then rapidly descended towards the Suspension Bridge, only to reappear, this time with her mate, perhaps a thousand feet above the river where they circled together. Even higher up there was a cormorant!