Saturday 11th August

This morning there was a Mute Swan on river below Sea Walls. I have never seen one in this part of the Avon, only up in Bristol Docks. It was also an eventful time at the Peregrine Watch. The first Peregrine I spotted was flying around over the trees in the Gorge below Leigh Woods, I suspect this behaviour is to try to flush other birds out of the trees, particularly pigeons. The Peregrine attracted a Crow! The Crow proceeded to harry the Peregrine (not a wise Crow), and the result was two locked birds falling towards the river together, no feathers flew, and they separated before they hit the trees. I think the Crow was wiser afterwards! Near the instant they separated another Peregrine appeared, it was almost as if the second appeared from thin air! After that I could see a Peregrine on the yew tree opposite, and another in a dead tree down towards Nightingale Valley.
Soon after this one of the Peregrines was seen climbing high into the air and circling down over the River, then over towards Sea Walls and the Downs, descending rapidly, then rising again and eventually coming back over the Peregrine Watch. Meanwhile a couple of buzzards appeared over Nightingale Valley, and circled slowly up towards us, eventually meeting our Peregrine above us. The birds flew at each other, but not with any enthusiasm, not like the Peregrine seeing the Crow off. They eventually went their own ways, the Buzzards and the Peregrine, and I returned home to breakfast.