11th September 2009

Two Redshank were feeding on the mud below Sea Walls, one close by, and with glinting red lags in the sunshine, the other was much further down the estuary towards Avonmouth. Apart from another (maybe the same one) begging Herring Gull, nothing of note. I don't see many Swallows or swifts, so maybe they are back off to Africa? No peregrines were visible, a hopeful birder had set up his 'scope at the Peregrine Watch.

Thursday 10th September

The horse chestnuts are turning to reds and yellows, and a few conkers have fallen. At Sea Walls a party of a dozen and a half young mothers, all with push chairs and infants were busy doing exercises under the tuition of a man in a track suit. They hitched rubber bungees to the railings and were using them to exercise their arms, while half the group used the wooden posts by the road to stretch their legs. I see this group fairly regularly, along with numerous joggers. The greater proportion of those exercising are women.
At the Peregrine Watch the sun and wind were playing tricks with the foliage around the banana tree, so it looked as if a group of Peregrines was flitting around the tree. I didn't have my binoculars this morning so could not tell what was going on. This must have been tricks of the light and the clear blue sunshine. There was a cold breeze from the north.

Monday 7th September

I'm a couple of days late filling this blog in. Cycling towards Sea Walls I passed a young Herring Gull, all fluffed up, and begging from a parent. It made squeaking noises, so at first I hear the sound, and thought that my bike needed oil somewhere. The young gull looked to be far to large to beg! There was a coach party beside Sea Walls when I returned on my second circuit of the Downs, a lot of older folk all gazing into the Gorge. No one looked skywards, if they had they might have spotted a buzzard slowly circling its way down river, a hundred feet or so above the cliff top. No Peregrines were visible.
The CONE project is back - it has been for about six months but I missed the start. See http://cone.berkeley.edu/. This version is running in Texas, and is now called CONE Welder. Try it, and learn about birds, mammals and invertibrates down in Texas.

Friday 4th September

I cycled around via Clifton and Observatory Hill, then across to the Peregrine Watch. There was a Peregrine over in the banana tree, it took off just as I was about to leave, flew around the quarry for a while, then disappeared. A squdron of Mallard flew down river just after this, wheeled around and sped back past me. I've not seen ducks fly so fast before, so maybe the Pergrine was visible to them! In America they refer to the Peregrine as a duck hawk .....

Wednesday 1st September

I cycled down through Bristol and out by Cumberland Basin, then along the Portway to just below Sea Walls, back up Bridge Valley Road, and around the Downs past Sea Walls. By the time I got to Sea Walls there was a heavy misty rain falling. At the other side of the Downs by the White Tree it had nearly stopped and was dry. Micro climates!
The Avon was very low, with a small stream flowing out from the middle of acres of mud. Common, Herring, and Lesser Black backed gulls were all over the mud with this years siblings, now well grown, beside them. Mallard were busy by the storm drain, a couple of Cormorants flew up river, stopped for a while to greet another Cormorant perched on the mud, then continued up river. There was a Heron further down the river past Sea Walls. No sign of any Peregrines, but it is possible to see where they have been sitting on the rock faces, large white splashes of guano are spread below various rock perches. I managed to spot the group of Sorbus Wilmottiana - or Wilmott's Whitebeam just beside the Donkey Slide, they look as if they are thriving. There was a heavy rock slide on the slope beside them a little while ago, but it did not damage them. A number of other common Whitebeams now have berries and their leaves are starting to turn colour, so autumn is close.

Monday 31st August

A heron took off from the mud down river from Sea Walls, he stopped first by the storm drain, then a little further down, and again down belwo the Peregrine Watch. This time I could see a Peregrine over on the 'banana tree'.

Sunday August 30th

The Redshank have returned to the estuary mud after their summer recess, there were two birds by Sea Walls. A set of curious tracks on the mud showed up. They were probably made by a (large) dog running from the tow path opposite, however at one point they joined up with some neater tracks which looked like those from a deer, I wonder whether they hide a story? Someone has removed the council's large notice by Sea Walls! There was a bike event on Ladies Mile, causing it to be closed to traffic, so some small children could enjoy cycling up and down.