Monday 19th, Saturday 24th July

One morning ride, one afternoon ride. Monday I had a brief glimpse of a Peregrine as it came into the Watch, otherwise only Gulls and Ducks. There is on very white Duck with the Mallards in the estuary, I see it frequently. A Grey Heron was watching the mud by the drain outlet, slow, angular, deliberate movements. He caught nothing while I watched. Today, Saturday, I cycled out around the usual circuit paused at Black Rocks where several groups of climbers were making their way up the cliff. Neither Redshank nor Kestrel. At the Peregrine Watch two birds at the top of the yew tree, one just below them in the bare tree half way down the quarry, and one flew out, under our cliff, then a little later back to disappear into the trees to the right. That is the four youngsters. One of the other watchers said that five had fledged this year, I thought that it was four. If one is lucky then the parents can be seen passing food to these birds, there was a brie sighting of another Peregrine up towards the Suspension Bridge, but none came down river with food.

Saturday 17th July

A young Peregrine was embedded at the top of the yew tree beside the quarry opposite, and I only spotted her when one of her sisters(?) flew onto the same perch. None others in the quarry that I could see. This morning was much colder than a week or so back, and we had so much rain since my last blog that I was not able (didn't want!) to venture out.
There are workmen repairing the fence above Black Rock cliff, but I wonder whether even now the fence will be finished. I commented on this a long time ago in one of my first blogs!