Tuesday 12th December

The last few mornings were very wet, I started off on Sunday, but turned back to have a walk instead.
This morning was bright, with the sun shining through high cloud, at the Gorge there was a slight rain shower, but it passed. Today's tally? Mallards dabbling at the river edge, a group of over 50 gulls strung out down the middle of the river, and a lone cormorant flying downstream very low over the water.

Friday 8th December

Just before Henleaze Junior School I spotted a heron, he came down somewhere behind the houses opposite the school entrance. Goldfish for breakfast, perhaps! By Downleaze there was a large group of black headed gulls on the grass. from the behaviour of the jackdaws above their tree, I think they have decided that spring in coming, thus it was very obvious that they were in pairs, this is particularly appealing when a large group are flying around. The effect is that the flock seems to be doubled up in the air in its movements. There were 40+ birds doing this manoeuvre.

The jackdaws may think that spring is around the corner, I felt that it was rather nippy this morning.

Tuesday, Wednesday 5th, 6th December

On Tuesday I met up with a friend for a pint and a pork pie in the Merchants Arms, Cumberland Basin. Excellent! I cycled home via the peregrine watch, so was up there around 3pm, it was largely notable for the absence of any birdlife, on the grassland or over the Gorge. Even seagulls.
Wednesday was a quiet day (10.20am), mainly groups of gulls and crows on the grassland of the Downs. Curious to see one lone, young, herring gull amid a large group of crows!

Monday 4th December

No ride this morning, we were in Sheffield for Joseph's birthday. However, we returned to a very wet Bristol in the afternoon, then in the evening I walked over to the Ramblers AGM for 7.30pm. As I passed the gardens in front of Redland High School I heard a bird singing, it was dark but the trees were lit up by the street lights and this amazing song filled the air. Was it a nightingale (they are usually in Africa at this time of year) ? Or a blackbird? I think it was the latter, either way it was beautiful. The song went on while I hurried off to the meeting.

Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, November 29th 30th, December 1st

Wednesday was the only day when I saw a peregrine - again a quick flash of wings as he came into the cliff under the peregrine watch. The raven was soaring around the cliffs on the other side of the gorge - a large bird which I initially mistook for a buzzard.
"It (the raven) is massive, bigger than a buzzard. It is all black with a large bill, and long wings. In flight, it shows a diamond-shaped tail." See R.S.P.B. Apart from these a lone cormorant made its way up towards Bristol.
On Thursday three men were working on the slope beside the cliffs opposite, it was also very quiet.
Today, Friday, there were large groups of birds on the Downs - seagulls over behind the water tower - starlings beside Lady's Mile and a big group of jackdaws and crows on the Downs nearer to Sea Walls. The very mild weather means that there are a lot of worms and grubs near to the surface.

Tuesday November 28th

A very bright, clear and warm morning, a small yacht was going down river. Three cormorants came from the Avonmouth direction, two carried on past the boat, the other landed in the river, then took off some minutes later, following the other two into Bristol.

A raven came down river, and about level with the cliff top, large and with beautiful glossy black feathers, a few moments later a peregrine came past, the two went into the trees in the valley beside Sea Walls, there was a brief chase, and the peregrine returned - to land on a tree opposite in the middle of the Leigh Woods. Just below this tree another looks rather like a large 'K'. The peregrine stayed put, but I lost sight of him, his presence was given away by a pigeon who approached the same tree, then veered off! The peregrine remained until I left for home at around 11am. Just before that a sparrowhawk flew towards Bristol and just above me. An active few minutes!

Wednesday 22nd, Sunday 26th, Monday 27th November

I was up at the peregrine watch each day around 10.30-11.00 am. The weather became warmer over these days, but with lots of rain and wind. No raptors - except that I may have seen a peregrine come in to land on the cliff on Sunday, it was over in a fraction of a second. A larger group of 'birders' were there Sunday - how they ever see anything I don't know, they perch themselves on the grass and well back from the edge of the cliff. On Sunday the jackdaws congregated in their tree, a couple of elegant little birds watched me carefully, their strong black head caps catching the sunlight. One of the jackdaws has a lot of white breast feathers, and some in its wings as well. On the river: Sunday a group of ducks paddled around the edge of the river; Monday a large flock of gulls floated in the middle of the river, floating slowly downstream with the outgoing tide. The ducks were in the same place each day!