Thursday 30th August

This blog is a year old today! It has taken a year for me to see a Peregrine catch a pigeon, I have seen partially successful strikes, and many chases but never a kill. This morning was different. To start I watched a Buzzard circle slowly over Leigh Woods and out towards Portishead, until he disappeared below the tree line. When he was near the sun caught the brown and gold in the feathers, until he became a black circling silhouette. The Peregrine first came from the same direction, from over the Downs, flying quite high, but then stooping into the Gorge in front of me and then rising higher and higher, turning the dive into a drive upwards.
My heart in hiding,
Stirred for a bird, - the achieve of, the mastery of the thing!
A Peregrine does not hover, he seems to hang in the air, sometimes gliding, and with no apparent effort. A slight folding of the wings brings him into a high speed stoop.
This display continued, also due overhead for quite a while, the bird getting higher and higher until he must have been over 200 meters up. then he flew over towards Leigh Woods with rapid, pigeon-like, wing beats, and stooped .... this time he separated one of two pigeons, and took it from underneath and behind, low above the trees opposite me, then swinging around and carrying the bird to land on the quarry slope opposite. Bad move! In a flash the two Ravens, who must have been hiding in the trees were onto him, he picked his kill up, but was no match for the Ravens, and he dropped it into the trees beside the quarry gate. I think the Ravens lost it as well, at least they were still flying after harrying the Peregrine. The Peregrine, it must have been in sheer frustration on being deprived of his kill, swooped at one of the Ravens, the Raven dodged hastily, and the Peregrine sped off, disappearing towards the Suspension Bridge.
He reappeared flying slowly and towards us, this time to the delight of three other visitors - the women said they had never seen a Peregrine before, the man described how he had had his van showered with feathers from a Peregrine strike in Broadmead!
The Peregrine started his hunt again, rising higher and higher, again overhead, but also over towards the Zoo, then around and over the Suspension Bridge, rising to maybe 500 meters when I lost him in an eye-blink against the clouds. The markings and size of this Peregrine make me think that this was the young male - the tiercel (or tercel) to falconers.

Wednesday August 29th

An ebb tide took groups of gulls rapidly down river towards Avonmouth. There were a few Mallard near the water, and the Ravens in the quarry. Pairs of Jackdaws, young and old gulls, some sparrows and other small birds in a nearby birch tree. No raptors again!

Tuesday August 28th

I visited the Peregrine Watch at 11am, it was very quiet, not a raptor in sight, and as usual the local pigeons sensed their safety, flying around carelessly from tree to tree and up and down the river. Only gulls and pairs of Jackdaws in their tree.

Wednesday, 22nd July

I had to ride my Brompton 'cycle, the mountain bike is being repaired. The small wheel base and the different gearing, especially when riding on the flat, make this a much less pleasant ride.

At the Peregrine Watch three birds suddenly appeared, chasing, flying and calling as only Peregrines can. The consensus was that this was two youngsters, male and female, and one of the parents. The chase was very boisterous, and a pigeon who got into the act was chased but not caught. I don't think one of the youngsters was 'danglefoot', so where is she? After this four buzzards appeared just over the treeline of Leigh Woods and towards Portishead, they circled slowly and then disappeared. Other birds were flying high in this direction, pigeons and gulls?

Tuesday August 21st

At Sea Walls I spotted a large black backed gull on the mud - a Greater Black Backed Gull or a Lesser Black Backed Gull? Probably the latter since I think the legs were yellow, however the light was very poor, with a cold grey high cloud. Other small gulls, Common and Black Headed were picking food from the mud. Over the other side of the estuary South Wales was in bright sunshine. After the gull I noticed a small gaggle of Herring Gulls just below me on the mud at the edge of the river grass. They were clustered around something that looked at first glance like a small body with its arms splayed out, then I could see the head. A deer, probably a Roe deer, and now providing carrion for the gulls, and making the morning seem even more gray than it was.
Over at the Peregrine Watch the yew tree had a Peregrine perched in it, the bird moved occasionally, but did not fly. It was too cold to linger, so home to breakfast.

Monday, 20th August

Peering though binoculars after a sweaty cycle ride is sometimes difficult - ones glasses steam up so that the scene disappears into fog. This morning the air was quite cold, so the effect was worse than usual, on taking my glasses off to wipe them, they broke! Rather an old repair came apart, so that put an end to this morning's bird logging. Maybe there was a Peregrine lurking behind the banana tree, but I decided to cycle home and try another repair. typing a blog without my precious multifocals is difficult.

Sunday, 19th August

It was cloudy and a little cold today, intermittently, when the sun came out it became summer! A Peregrine was perched on the top of the yew tree opposite, he moved once, flew around the quarry, returning to the tree to become a statue for the rest of my visit. A Buzzard came past. When it first appeared over by Sea Walls it was chased by some crows, then it flew down around the tree tops opposite, and disappeared up towards the Suspension Bridge. Other visitors were a troop of Scouts, the Balmoral going down river and the Bristol open-top tours bus. The usual group of local birders were camped on chairs 10 meters back from the rim.