Thursday 1st October

The trees on Saville Road are shedding large numbers of conkers so that it looks like a huge contest has taken place. The road is peppered with car-crushed conkers. Likewise the trees are loosing leaves, and the chestnuts are the first to do so. At Sea Walls I saw a single Redshank on the mud just opposite, very still, with the eponymous legs bright in the sunshine, it did settle its wings now and then so that the white patches flashed. Lots of ducks and gulls lined the mud and swam at the river edges; the tide was receding. At the Peregrine Watch a Peregrine was perched at the base of the banana tree, it was almost invisible among the sun lite parts of the tree.

Tuesday 29th Septermber

From Sea Walls: 2 Redshank, one up stream, the other down stream; a Cormorant on some low tide rocks (shared with a duck!); a Heron by the storm drain. The occupant of the little red car had just fed the Rooks, Crows, Jackdaws and various Gulls, and a large, hairy, floppy dog was chasing among them to loud caws of disgust. The birds were persistent in getting the remaining bits of bread and dodging the stupid hound.
At the Peregrine Watch we saw all three birds. The male in a close majestic fly-past, he disappeared off towards Avonmouth; the female was over in the banana tree; the juvenile appeared from the cliff beneath us, and eventually disappeared off over Leigh Woods in a swoop. Several groups of Mallard flew up river, Gulls and more Mallard swam on the tide. A pair of Mute Swans came low over us, their wings making that lovely whooping sigh of a sound. Over at the top of the quarry to the right a small red brown speck looked like a Roe Deer, but I said it looked more like a Tamworth pig! Then a Fox appeared over to the other side of the quarry. So was the first sighting a Deer or a Fox? The morning was capped with a beautiful blue sky. Magical.

Monday 28th September

A week has gone past since my last bike ride. No excuses! This morning was dull and cold, the trees are turning drab green-grey but also getting autumn colours. In the quarry opposite the Peregrine Watch two people were armed with cans and gloves which looked like herbicide to kill trees! The quarry already has a number of dead trees in it, no doubt more will appear in the new year. Someone should suggest to the National Trust that they find better ways of removing small trees that they don't want. The present method leaves an unsightly mess, especially through binoculars from the Peregrine Watch.
A Peregrine was perched in the banana tree. On the estuary mud below Sea Walls I spotted a couple of Redshank.