Friday, Saturday, Sunday, 13th to 15th July

Friday. Patience is rewarded, and just unlucky? When I arrived at the Peregrine Watch a boy and his father were busy scanning the Gorge with binoculars. Looking for peregrines? They stayed for perhaps five more minutes then went back to their car. About a minute later I saw a peregrine opposite, it took off from the opposite quarry, circled briefly, then disappeared. I did not see it perch. Other birds: a lesser black backed on the road, numerous black headed on the river mud from the retreating tide, ducks, crows and rooks.
Saturday. At Sea Walls, a high flying cormorant, he flew anything but straight towards Avonmouth, lurching around like a drunk, too much fish perhaps? The birders were out in force on this fine morning, and with good cause, there were four peregrines in the opposite quarry, two close to the old Raven's nest, another, motionless, statuesque, in a little v-shaped alcove up to the right. Then one settled in the top of a yew tree to the left of the top of the quarry. They all, apart from the statue-bird, moved and flew a little. When perched on the rocks opposite, with their back towards us, they blend well with the cliff faults and colours, and are very difficult to see, only their small movements give them away. A heron was perched on top of a broken birch tree above the quarry to the left, and moved onto a more substantial perch in a tree behind. On the Jackdaw tree, a beautiful, rare sight of a male green finch, wings down, tail up, and singing, displaying: to whom, to what, to us? He stayed just long enough for Chris to creep back to his car and get his camera for a 'photo. One of the birders mentioned seeing an egret, but I did not. There was also a buzzard over towards Sea Mills.
Sunday. High, dense cloud, and it started to rain more persistently when I reached the Peregrine Watch. As luck would have it, a peregrine flew from the quarry opposite and up onto the yew tree again. I could not see any other birds, but I suspect they were there, as yesterday. I was at the Watch for only a few minutes, and about an hour later than for the last two days, at 11am.