Sunday 31st October, Tuesday 2nd November

My blogging has become increasingly spasmodic - reflecting the lack of cycle rides!   I'm back in the saddle having done 5.38km and 8.84km respectively.  Not back to 16km+ yet.  Today's trip was over the Downs with a stop at the Peregrine Watch, Jim was there when I arrived, no Peregrines, and he told me there were none around.  This time of year they are not seen frequently at all.  The next thing we will know is the return of the Ravens to their nest opposite.  A squadron of ducks was flying around over the river, high speed and looking like a fighter squadron!

BCC have finished the fencing above Sea Walls, it is now painted black, and looks very good and smart.  It only took them 5/6 years to do the whole couple of hundred metres.   The other fence which is going up concerns the Goat Stalig or Goat Pen.  It was supposed to unobtrusive, but if 7-8' black fencing in non-intrusive, I just wonder what they would put up if they wanted to make it really stand out.  It will be an eyesore in what was an idyllic enclave just off the Downs.  Ugh!   Not only that the cost has been kept very quiet, and as I've said before, maybe over £100,000.  And in the present financial climate.

I said a change of direction for the blog.  I have been diagnosed with permanent AF (look it up!), a consequence of which is that I have to take warfarin daily.  I start this evening:  it has to be taken at the same time each evening, so an iPhone bell rings at 7pm;  the dose needs to be settled so I take 5mg tablets for 3 days and then a blood test;  this gives the 'bleeding time' - remember 'Doctor in the House'.

Sunday 10th October

Around lunchtime, I cycled out via the Downs, around by Sea Walls, the past the Peregrine Watch, along the Gorge woodland path, down Bridge Valley (now fenced) and onto the Portway path.  From there to Sea Mills station and the towpath.  My plan was to try out the Optimus stove that I had for a birthday present by brewing a cup of tea.  I think that the river has flooded the tow path very recently, anyway, where I intended to brew and sit was covered in river mud;  the brew went poorly due to a slight breeze blowing the flame from under the stove!  Result, I used up all the propane before the water boiled - it did nearly boil - so I go the cup of tea.  The stove needs a small windscreen if it is to work properly.  Partial success with the plan.
Above the Raven's nest, high up, two Ravens were gliding around.  A young Peregrine was perched on one of the cliff pinnacles below and to the right of the Peregrine Watch.  He/she stayed while I watched from the Portway, preening feathers, and with an obviously full crop.   A little later when I got to the base of the Black Rock quarry cliff a Kestral circled, went into the woodland of Walcombe Slade, and dived onto something on the ground.  I don't think it caught anything.  By Sea Mills there were gulls on the mud, also a number of Redshank and a couple of Peewits, the latter are unusual visitors to the mud, so I was uncertain about what they were until I saw the crests.  By the Storm Drain on the way back I spotted a Dipper,  then a Cormorant landed ion the river beside it, another Redshank was exploring the nearby mud. 
The sun was out, together with most of Bristol, I returned up Bridge Valley Road and back over the Downs, home.

A rider.  With the collossal cuts due from the BCC in the budget they are still wasting money on goats.  Obviously they prefer looking after goats to looking after vulnerable people.

Sunday 19th September

Warmer this morning, but with a cold wind in my face coming up to Sea Walls.  The white flashes from the wings of a couple of Redshank attracted my attention as they flew from one mud bank to the other;  I found one more on the mud below the cliff. Low tide, but still receding.  A heron was standing in the water, and another, just below the storm drain outlet struggled with an eel.  At first I thought it was a large gull, but the Heron was crouched down trying to pull the eel from the mud.  The struggle went on for five minutes or more, eventually the Heron stretched out to its full height, extended its head and neck, and down went the eel!  At the Peregrine Watch I had a brief view of the gray back of a Peregrine as it disappeared among the trees at the top of the quarry.

Thursday 16th September

I've been neglecting my cycling!  This morning there was no excuse, so I did a quick Downs circuit before a lazy brunch.  I'm told that only one of the four young Peregrines is still hanging around in the Gorge, maybe the male, he was often separate from his sisters.  Anyway, today I only caught the briefest glimpse of a Buzzard, down in the woodland over the other side, and then obscured by the vegetation on this side of the Peregrine Watch.
A large tree, an elm I think has been felled.  It grew in one of the front gardens of Ivywell road, and the remnants were sitting, cut up, on the Down.  I'm always sad to see these giants disappear. 

Thursday, Sunday, August 19th, 22nd

The Goat Pen

Very little bird life to report on on Thursday, however I'll soon be able to observe the goats!  This is a truly mad-cap scheme, supposedly to improve the habitat of the Gully, aka Walcombe Slade, and return it to the grassland that it never was. Because goats have been introduced in various other locations, the Downs Committee and its Natural England advisers,  think they can do the same in Walcombe Slade.  Firstly, it will cost a lot of money, at the BCC meeting to approve this scheme BCC were noticeably coy about the cost.  And that was before the present financial crisis.  Secondly,  all the other schemes are in areas about 100x the size of Walcombe Slade, so this will be a pen rather than a free area for the animals to roam.  Thirdly, we all know (or at least those who are followers of Sean the Sheep) that "goats eat anything", so they will surely munch on the many beautiful Whitebeams in this area - some very rare.  Thus in Cheddar the N.T. are somewhat worried about the fact that the goats there are already chewing on a newly discovered Whitebeam species which is unique to Cheddar Gorge;  a recent BBC feature showed one of the botanists, busily going around taking cuttings of the rare ones! A safety precaution! Fourthly, as if they didn't have enough to do with clearing litter, the Downs Rangers will have to keep an eye on them most days - also the fencing.  Maybe someone will find a Heidi to do the job!  Fifthly, the goats are very close to a large population area, they may prove a tempting tasty morsel;  having eaten goat myself I can vouch for it as a pleasant meat.  Sixth. Looking at the "temporary" fencing being instated, it is unlikely that the goats will escape - unless someone damages the fencing - but they are highly intelligent and have a great curiosity.  When goats escaped on another conservation site they had to be shot.  Seventh, weasel words were used to assure everybody that the said fencing was "temporary", so how long is that?  Five years, ten years?  And what plans are there for the time when they are removed - if ever!  Remember that the "temporary" Zoo car park has been around for 40 years!  Enough said, but I'll be reporting about anything I learn about our coming  capra aegagrus hircus or maybe plain capra aegagrus.  


On Sunday I cycled through Bristol and onto the Portway, this was another day when the traffic was excluded.  Heavenly!  I could not see any Peregrines on the cliffs below the Peregrine Watch, though it is plain to see where they roost from the guano patches below various pinnacles on the rock faces.  Neither were there any Peregrines in the quarry.  At Sea Mills I watched as a flock of twenty or more Redshank gathered on some patches of seaweed - and went to sleep!  Elsewhere numerous Ducks and Gulls sat beside the river, and Martins dived around above the river catching flies.  Occasionaly they scooped water from the river surface.

Thursday August 12th

The magnificent Horse Chestnut trees on Saville Road show obvious signs of leaf miner moth attack, and it looks more severe than for previous years.  It has been around for several years now, even since I started these Blogs.   Given BCC and the Downs Ranger's propinquity for felling any tree that looks "dangerous" (and not replacing it), the outlook for these trees is bleak to say the least,  and it is probably too much to hope that Chris Sorensen's advice to sweep up dead leaves will be heeded. {Advice from  Chris Sorensen, Forestry Commission officer for the 4,500-acre Savernake Forest near Marlborough, said: “There are quite a few that are affected here but the problem is limited, because the horse chestnut is not generally a forest tree.  For those who have horse chestnut trees at home, I believe the advice is that you should rake up dead leaves and bin them, that way you at least kill off that year’s offspring.”
There was a lot of peregrine activity at the Watch, I could see two young Peregrines and possibly a third one over in the yew tree beside the quarry, and lower down in the dead tree the fourth sibling was facing me.  Looking as ever like a little white beacon.  When you know where to look the Peregrines are very visible if they face over the river.  After that the birds moved around a lot, one flying off up river, another sailing around the quarry, moving around the top of the yew, and there were several trips over to the cliffs underneath my vantage, and one 'fly past'.  The tide was very high and starting to recede, other birds flew warily and rapidly over the river!   A Cormorant flew up river, and two Ravens came across and perched in an ash tree just up and behind the Peregrines.  I expected an altercation - but the Ravens disappeared into the Leigh Woods trees.

Sunday August 8th

I decided to take my breakfast to the riverside by Sea Mills - Sunday is usually croissants and egg.   I cycled through town and onto the Portway, where I discovered that there was a charity event on, puzzled as to what it was at first, I later discovered that people were being taken over the river from the cliffs to the towpath on an aerial runway - for charity. Many other were walking and cycling on the Portway, enjoying the peace and quiet.  The closure of the Portway to traffic makes for a heavenly ride, no noise, no huge lorries rushing past, the gulls and other birds are audible, as are people talking on the other side of the river.  There were some very raucous ducks around.
Just before the Suspension Bridge there was a Heron standing at the river edge in the mud.  Then there were numerous ducks, sleeping on the mud, dabbling at the water edge, flying busily.  At Sea Mills I watched a Cormorant fishing, it would dive and surface every few yards, I did not see it catch anything, but later a cormorant was standing down river with its wings out, as they do when digesting food.  Maybe it was lucky.  Another Cormorant flew up-river, very close to the surface so I'm reminded of the Russian Ekranoplan!
At last I spotted some Redshank feeding on the mud. There were other birds, Martins, Swifts, Gulls, and a small one flitting among the reed tops;  later at the Peregrine Watch a Spotted Woodpecker flew past.  No sign of the Peregrines, either from the Watch, or below on the Portway.

Thursday August 5th

Colder today, the tide was coming in, but with a lot of mud still visible.   I'm surprised not to see any Redshank, they are not seen very much recently.   At the Peregrine Watch two birds were visible over in the yew tree, and on careful looking two more could be seen nearly opposite in the trees.  One in an ash, the other in a dead tree;  the latter Peregrine was moving around in the tree, and eventually disappeared from view.  I think that all of these are the youngsters, so I'd glad they are all surviving.  No sign of their parents though.
At Sea Walls I watched a youngster in a bright red helmet abseiling down the well used vertical face near to the Gully;  well supervised by experienced climbers, but nevertheless a brave young lady!  A couple more were lined up for the drop, an several were already down at the bottom of the cliff.

Wednesday 28th July

The common whitebeam by the Sea Walls fence has a good crop of berries. {iPhone photo}.  Back on Saville Road the chesrnut trees look very poorly, many brown patches on the leaves of these fine trees, especially at the Cote Green end.  The Downland has turned back to a pleasant green after the rain.

Offficious wardens object to a family windbreak on the Downs - behavior of the Downs Warden or his underlings needs broadcasting.  Perhaps some attention to the many people who park illegally on the grass, who spoil the grass with barbecues, and who dump huge quantities of picnic rubbish, would be more apposite!   I'm glad to see that the BCC will reprimand those concerned and tell them to be more judiceous in their choice of targets.   They are still working on the Gorge fence, but it looks as if it will not be finished (again), five years to erect a couple of hundred meters of repaired fence!

The four Peregrine youngsters were sitting atop the yew tree opposite the Peregrine Watch.  One flapped its wings and took off, then another.   The other two remained for all the time of my visit.  Then one reappeared, and circled over the quarry, slowly making its way across and over towards Sea Walls.  High up it started to chase a Sea Gull, diving and chasing it high over the Downs and eventually over towards the Zoo.  I understand that at least one Gull has been killed recently,  also that five chicks were ringed and fledged.  Certainly only four survive now.   This was a glorious summer morning, with a warm breeze, high tide (receding), and small clouds.

Tuesday 27th July

Very dull and humid, so cycling was a drain on energy! The river was fairly high with only small amounts of mud. The gulls float around on updrafts and eddies from the gorge winds and make it look so easy. On the river a couple of dozen young Black Headed Gulls and their parents kept in a tight group, moving from the mud to the river and back. At the Peregrine Watch I could only see one Peregrine, perched a little way down on the side of the big yew tree to the left of the quarry; they usually perch on top of the tree, so this was unusual, and probably one of this years young brood. If there were other Peregrines in the quarry and trees I could not see them. Coming across towards Sea Walls on Circular Road I watched a mix of Rooks, Crows and Jackdaws. Rooks really do have very ugly beaks!

Monday 19th, Saturday 24th July

One morning ride, one afternoon ride. Monday I had a brief glimpse of a Peregrine as it came into the Watch, otherwise only Gulls and Ducks. There is on very white Duck with the Mallards in the estuary, I see it frequently. A Grey Heron was watching the mud by the drain outlet, slow, angular, deliberate movements. He caught nothing while I watched. Today, Saturday, I cycled out around the usual circuit paused at Black Rocks where several groups of climbers were making their way up the cliff. Neither Redshank nor Kestrel. At the Peregrine Watch two birds at the top of the yew tree, one just below them in the bare tree half way down the quarry, and one flew out, under our cliff, then a little later back to disappear into the trees to the right. That is the four youngsters. One of the other watchers said that five had fledged this year, I thought that it was four. If one is lucky then the parents can be seen passing food to these birds, there was a brie sighting of another Peregrine up towards the Suspension Bridge, but none came down river with food.

Saturday 17th July

A young Peregrine was embedded at the top of the yew tree beside the quarry opposite, and I only spotted her when one of her sisters(?) flew onto the same perch. None others in the quarry that I could see. This morning was much colder than a week or so back, and we had so much rain since my last blog that I was not able (didn't want!) to venture out.
There are workmen repairing the fence above Black Rock cliff, but I wonder whether even now the fence will be finished. I commented on this a long time ago in one of my first blogs!

Thursday, Friday, Sunday, July 8,9 11

Watching Kestrels and Peregrines from a cliff top is always interesting, and at the moment the young of both and their parents appear frequently at eye level. The young Peregrines can be seen over in a dead tree opposite the Watch, sometimes one,sometimes more. When they face us they are very visible with their light front feathers.
On Thursday I watched a Grey Heron just beside the storm outflow, he got up suddenly and grabbed into the water at the end of the drain, coming up with, unmistakeably, even from the Sea Walls cliff top, an eel wriggling in his beak. The struggle went on for several minutes, I think the eel won, because I didn't see the Heron swallow anything, and he was digging in the water near a large rock after the eel disappeared from his beak. Eels are very difficult to dispatch!
On Friday I cycled along the Portway cycle path, I didn't see any raptors, perched or flying, but did see Martins, Swifts and some distant Redshank from the bank at Sea Mills station. On Sunday there was a very large crowd of watchers at the Peregrine Watch, and the birds were putting on a fine flying display.

Wednesday July 7th

The river formed a small stream in the middle of a very muddy bed - matching the colour of the sky! We are promised rain, and the Downs can certainly do with a lot, many places are as brown as the river with the grass looking dead.
At Sea Walls a Cormorant and a Heron were on the river side, together with Common Gulls, Herring Gulls, Black Headed Gulls and a couple of Lesser Black Back Gulls, these squabbling over something in the mud.
One of the adult Kestrels sailed past on the warm southerly wind, then flew around the corner into Walcombe Slade. No sign of the youngsters this morning, they are probably over in Leigh Woods.
At the Peregrine Watch another Heron (or the same one) was searching the grass on the river bank where I suspect there are frogs.
There was one very fast fly-past of a Peregrine just in front of us. Three of the young birds were perched in a tree under some ivy, and about halfway down the opposite quarry face. Until Chris Jones pointed them out to me I had not seen them, I was looking too high up the cliff. Once visible they are obvious, especially when facing across the gorge showing their white fronts. They were moving around in the tree, so that sometimes they disappeared into the background. Chris passed another picture on to me.

Four Young Peregrines by Chris Jones, June 2010

Monday, Tuesday, July 5th, 6th

My first cycle rides for a couple of weeks - the Kestrels and Peregrines are all very active. The young Kestrels, I'm told there are three of them - have been flying around between Black Rock cliffs, the Gully and opposite into Leigh Woods, I have not seen either parent. I visited Whitesands Bay just outside St Davids last week, and watched another pair of Kestrels, which I think may also have been young birds from theier colouring. I even saw a Chough - but only as a fleeting glimpse.
As to the Peregrine youngsters, all five of them, for which this is a 'photo taken by Chris Jones, have been perching over on a ledge in the quarry opposite, sitting on the Raven's nest, in the yew tree, and perching in the upper branches of the trees on the river slopes of Leigh Woods. This morning one of them circled over the Peregrine Watch for a while; in my binoculars I caught it make a feint at a passing bumble bee! We think this is probably the lone (male?), he tends to stay apart from his four siblings. Yesterday the other four were quite close together in the quarry, whereas one (this one?) was over in a dead tree a hundred meters to the right. The parents had deposited a dead pigeon on the cycle track - probably out of sight of all five youngsters - anyway it was ignored and eventually thrown onto the river bank by passing walkers.

Friday June 18th

When I reached the fence above Black Rock cliff I soon spotted a Kestrel, she was sitting on a small pinnacle a few tens of yards and up to the right of the nest; the pinnacle is stained with droppings so is easy to see through glasses. The bird was still for five minutes or so, then when I turned away, she was off, and the last I saw was her disappearing around the corner into Walcombe Slade.

The river showed a small area of mud, and the tide was coming in. A Grey Heron was fishing just down river from Black Rocks, she stayed there during most of the time I was at the Gorge. A curious behavior from a passing Cormorant, it looked almost as if it 'buzzed' the Heron!

No Peregrines, but a large number of Gulls milling around all over the Gorge, from high up, down to river level. It was difficult to see what they were doing and why, but they were certainly very busy. Maybe flying in the slight wind for the love of it?

Wednesday June 16th

I waited quite a long time standing on one of the railing pillars by the Black Rock Quarry, and overlooking the Suspension Bridge. The tide was high and still flowing in, and the sky was a very clear blue. The Kestrel appeared as if from nowhere and circled just below the cliff that juts towards the river, this was the male, with strong red brown top plumage. He moved off into Walcombe Slade. Next the female appeared, slightly larger and not as red-brown. She landed over on the cliff near where I thought the nest was, then took off and flew around below me and over towards Leigh Woods. The female returned once more but did not land, flying back under me and to Leigh Woods again.

At the Peregrine Watch I saw nothing until another birder pointed out a Peregrine busy plucking a pigeon on the cliff opposite, and just up from the now deserted Raven's Nest. Another Peregrine could now be seen just below the nest. The bird finished the pigeon - or left it - and flew off up river. If, as I've been told there are five Peregrine chicks, I would have expected frantic feeding activity, but I didn't see it.

Fri, Sun, Mon - 11th - 14th June

Friday was a 'conventional' ride around the Downs, the kind that I have done many times now. The statistics from an iPhone app MotionX-GPS: 14.4km, 48.5min, average speed 17.6km/hr, max speed 38km/hr, min alt 67m, max alt 196m, latitude / longitude start: 51.475215N 2.599883W / end 51.475322N 2.599416W locations. So there. The GPS is not that accurate, note that I started and ended at home, which comes up with two slightly different positions! Here is the track.

Friday was a quiet morning for birds; around the Black Rock quarry Jackdaws disappear into crevices in the rock face, there are probably several nesting pairs. White streaks of bird mess show where the Kestrels land, on a cliff perch, and by the supposed nest site. But no sign of the Kestrels on any of these mornings.
On Sunday morning: 7 km through the city and Black Rock apparently 111m(!). A Peregrine glided high above the river, maybe 400m up,
out over Shirehampton and back, then circled the suspension bridge, and back again. If it was hunting, it was unenthusiastic about it, no swoops. I'm told that there are 5 Peregrine chicks this year and would have thought that there would be a lot of feeding activity, but I have not seen it. Monday was quiet and cold with a high tide, neither Kestrels nor Peregrines were around. My ride took me via Southmead Hospital where I went for an X-ray.

Sunday 23rd May. Saturday 15th and Monday 17th May

Sunday. The start of some very hot weather - probably the whole summer in a few days! Coming past Sea Walls I saw the kestrel, but am still uncertain about the nest. The bird appeared from the cliff near the nest, went over and sat on a rock which is well marked with its guano, them glided off around under me on the cliff facing up river. The beautiful red brown of its feathers catching the sun as it passed.
Saturday. The earliest that I have been up on the Gorge for several years! I was by Sea Walls at 6.30am, just as the sun was hitting the trees in Leigh Woods. Very quiet otherwise. The whitebeams shine out across the Gorge, at this time of year they are very easy to spot among the rest of the trees.
Monday likewise.

Tuesday, Thursday, 27th, 30th April; Monday 3rd May

Tuesday: A trip through Henleaze, Westbury on Trym, Sea Mills and along the Gorge, returning up Bridge Valley Road. At Sea Mills a pair of Martins landed on the mud, both gathered mud in their beaks and flew off towards the rail bridge where they have nests. (16.5 km)
Thursday: A quiet ride around the Downs and back through Redland. (14.9km)
Monday: The first Swallow today, it flew past by the Peregrine Watch. I went down Sea Walls Road and into Bramble Lane, then through Bishops Knoll nature reserve and out onto the Portway. Coming past under the Peregrine Watch, one of the birds went into the nest, then emerged a few minutes later and went to perch on the cliff and preen itself. A large bird with a very dark look. Possibly the female. (18.6km)