Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday, March 16,27,30

The clocks went forward today, Sunday, so I reached the Gorge around 10.45am. The estuary mud was lined with Redshank, several dozen of them, picking and hopping around on the mud, their red legs glinted in the sunlight. At one time I thought that there was an Oyster Catcher with them, but no, just the angle of the light darkening the bird's feathers. The Redshank were scattered in pairs and singly, mostly on the Cliff side, and from the Peregrine Watch as far as I could see from Sea Walls towards Horseshoe Bend. Some river boats left the docks on the ebbing tide, starting down river; as the boats approached each group of Redshank, the lead boat acted like a broom, and the Redshank rose from the mud, initially in ones and twos, then settling a little way ahead, then moving on down river as the boat approached again, until the whole large flock was pushed into the air and on down towards Avonmouth. The white flashes on their wings reflected the sunshine, the flock nearly covered the river surface as they flew low over the water. I looked around at the many other people at the Gorge edge, but nobody seemed to have noticed!

The sky above the Gorge was no less interesting. The male Peregrine (tiercel or is that just a falconry term?), was flying up and down the Gorge, skirting the trees, then at one time coming in to the female sitting over in the oak tree, he tried to mate, a flutter of wings as the two birds seemed to join in my glasses. Oh, for a powerful 'scope. The same had happened last Friday, the mating, if it was such, was all over in a flash. Yes, all males are the same! There were some other raptors around, at first I thought that they were Sparrowhawks, but then one was mobbed by one of the Ravens - it was nearly the same size. A Goshawk! A pair of Goshawks? It was too large for a Sparrowhawk, and I associate a Sparrowhawk with much lower flight habits - around the trees rather than high in the sky. The juvenile Peregrine (a female from last year) was also in the air, her breast feathers a distinct brown as opposed to the light buff colour of the older female still sitting in the Oak.

At the rim of the Gorge a crowd of people gathered, and at the Peregrine Watch a wren sang!

Thursday was also a good day, without the Redshank, but with the mating Peregrines - and add to the sightings, some Cormorants flying up to the docks. Wednesday was a bit non-descript, but the Peregrines wre over in the Oak.