Thursday October 9th

Another sunny morning. The river was slack and oily looking, just opposite the Peregrine Watch a very ugly smear of oil spread for several hundred metres up the opposite mud bank. An accident? A spill?
There were single Redshank, legs glowing in the sunshine, up and down all of the mud. I watched one fly low over the riverside, the white flashes from its wings another giveaway to what it was. Jays, Magpies, Pigeons, Peregrines, Gulls and all the other birds can be recognised by their flight.

Thursday October 2nd, Wednesday October 8th

There was a lot of activity over in the trees and in the quarries opposite to the Peregrine Watch when I arrived on Wednesday. Three of the Ravens and a couple of Magpies appeared to be chasing a Peregrine! At times the Peregrine flew down into the quarry, was harassed by one or more of the tormentors, and chased into another tree. This continued spasmodically every five minutes or so for the whole of my late morning visit, a burst of flying and chasing, a retreat to another tree or bush, then a lull, then off again. Why didn't the Peregrine just leave and fly off elsewhere, I'm sure it could out-pace any of the birds giving it grief. Maybe the Peregrine was injured? Maybe this was one of the parents trying to protect one of the young birds lying injured somewhere? The last time I heard news of them, three of the five Peregrine chicks were surviving. Is this still so?

The Thursday before was uneventful and dull; I thought I could see a Peregrine perched on the quarry side, however on Wednesday it was either still rooted there, or this was yet another bird-like rock blemish!

Back to Wednesday. There were a few Redshank among the gulls on the mud down river of Sea Walls. When I arrived at the Peregrine Watch a dark brown Peregrine (youngster) was flying, first at Gorge-top level, then gaining height and moving over towards Snyed Park, where I lost binocular sight of it.

My fewer blogs over the last few weeks have been due to absences from Bristol, the weather, and a virus that seems to be rather persistent and difficult to shake off.