Friday 20th February

I should have guessed when I saw two Oyster Catchers on the mud just below Black Rocks Quarry that this would be an interesting morning! When I reached the Peregrine Watch I noticed, even before I was off my bike, two Peregrines in the oak opposite. They moved a little during my stay, but were otherwise stationary, the male, smaller and facing - a white light in the tree - the female - larger and showing us her gray back. Then the Sparrowhawk: passing so fast within a few meters of me that I wondered what it was, it raised the Jackdaws from their tree, and disappeared, all in a fraction of a second. Then a voice from behind me said "Did you see the Sparrowhawk?". Next a couple of Redshank flew low over the river. The numerous Gulls rose as one from the river edge, wheeled and landed on the mud again. What caused that? We then saw the two Ravens return to inspect their nest up on the cliff, they did not stop long, but will be back. The finale was to see a Cormorant fly low over the water and down river, but three other birds started to fish just below us. No sign of a catch though.

Wednesday 18th February

I have forgotten when I was last on a bicycle! Long ago, anyway with tyres pumped up and me well wrapped up, I did my Downs ride this morning. It was misty and a bit damp, on the Downs between Saville Road and the Seven Sisters there must have been a couple of hundred gulls. Some of the Black Headed Gulls are donning their summer caps. By the time I had re-circled the Downs the gulls had all departed; driven off by dogs and walkers. At Sea Walls I could see three Redshank on the mud, then at the Peregrine Watch a brief glimpse of a Peregrine as it came into the cliff. The river tide was flowing very slowly downstream; it was so calm that there were surface reflections from the trees.

All the snow has gone ... but the huge 'throne-like' object just beside the Huntingdon Elm at the end of Ladies Mile remains as a dirty pile of snowy debris. The chair and bucket have gone!