Friday 8th June

When I reached Sea Walls I thought that I could see a peregrine perched on the rock face about 4 meters and down slightly to the right. However there was one perched on the 'banana tree' opposite the peregrine watch. So? I cycled back to Sea Walls to check, and the bird on the cliff was still there. Maybe both parents were out of the nest. Maybe it was a (Kamakazi) pigeon. I need to check the cliff to see if this is only a fault in the rock. Also from Sea Walls, a Heron was finish on the river mud about 100 meters downstream, the first time I have seen a heron in this position.

Thursday 7th June

A very cold dull morning, not a time to linger. I looked at the peregrine nest from Sea Walls but could see no sign of the birds. However at the peregrine watch I saw the female come in twice (I was there for half an hour around 9am), though could not see whether she had any prey for the youngsters. The male was circling lazily in the middle of the Gorge for a while, then went in to the nest area. Two cormorants cruised high over Leigh Woods down river, a heron and another Cormorant went upstream near the water. On the Jackdaw Tree a curious site - two of the birds very close together, one with his head buried in his/her chest and in a kind of 'sad' posture, the other up really close and looking as if she/he was trying to console the other! Eventually, the cold drove me home to breakfast.

Wednesday 6th June

A glorious morning, but with a cool wind from the North. The Peregrine watch was very active with one of the birds soaring around repeatedly. I have heard that there are three chicks, so I'm surprised not to see a ferry service of food items for them. The birds I saw may have been hunting, but it looked more like they were admiring the scenery. The other birds were also very active, a young (tailless) Jackdaw came to within a few feet of me on the fence, then went over to the Jackdaw tree to bother its parents. I could not identify a small butterfly that settled on a branch below me, broad brown edges to its wings, and a dusky yellow wing.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, 3rd-5th June

I've been away for two weeks, walking along the Cleveland Way. Lots of birds: Golden Plover and Red Grouse, baby Tawny Owls, Guillemots and Fulmers, lots of meadow pipits and skylarks. Penguins in Scarborough! Yes, one peregrine off the cliffs before Whitby.

Sunday was very quiet, no peregrines, only a lone cormorant flying down river, and a heron came up river, gliding with bent wings and landing near last years rock fall, also a wren passed at speed - like a large brown bumble bee!

10.15am Monday was much more eventful, but in a way that I did not like. The day was very overcast and rather cold, when I got to Sea Walls I looked at the place where the peregrine nest is and saw that a couple of climbers were starting an ascent right below the nest! One red hat with blue top, the other a white hat. Their progress was very slow, in fact I think it took a couple of hours to get to the top. I cycled across to the peregrine watch, no sign of the peregrines, nor could I see them from Sea Walls, though I repeated the journey back and forth at least half a dozen times, and could see Jackdaws flying off the cliff near the climbers. No Peregrines. The climbers passed within 20 feet of the nest site up a piece of the rock face that looks flat from over by Sea Walls. There were a couple of bird watchers at the top by the peregrine watch, I wonder what happened when the climbers appeared? I did not wait to see the end of tha climb and left just before noon.

Tuesday. A beautiful bright blue warm day. Cormorants and a Heron flying down river. Lots of onomatopoeic Jackdaws. Then a peregrine came in low and down to the cliff, he circled several times, moved over towards Leigh Woods at one stage, and came back, landing below on the cliff again. I'm not sure, but there may have been a second bird over on the Leigh Woods side. Tonight, BBC Points West reported on the peregrines, and said that there were three chicks (eggs?) this year. If they have not hatched then chances are that the bird would sit tight as the climbers ascended. So maybe all is well. I wonder if the climbers even knew about the nest site?

Sunday 20th May

A bright, slightly cool day; the Downs were especially pleasant since cars were being excluded from most surrounding roads in preparation for a charity run. That did not stop a group of birders setting up cameras and telescopes at the Peregrine Watch. I saw one peregrine and another rather browner raptor - probably a sparrow hawk.

I'm walking the Cleveland Way for the nest two weeks. I wonder what birds I'll be able to see? The route takes me along the coast from Saltburn to Filey, so various sea birds, and there should be grouse on the moors.

Monday 14th May & Tuesday 15th May

Monday. What a contrast! The Gorge was glorious this morning, sun and clouds with a warm wind blowing the cloud shadows up the river. The rooks and crows were all out on the Downs probing the still wet grassland. The raven's nest is deserted now, just a pile of sticks. I did not see the peregrines, but guess that there may be a nest on the cliff beneath.

Tuesday. No ride this morning, but I walked into town, then on via the Merchants Arms in Hotwells for a pint and pork pie. Then on up the Gorge beside the river. Lots of herring gulls and the odd lesser black backed gull, the tide was very low. I stopped underneath the peregrine watch - and was rewarded by the peregrine pair flying around in front of their nest. It is quite difficult to spot them landing since they move so fast and blend in with the cliff for their approach run. I crossed the road and climbed in onto a small tarmac area under the cliffs. Looks like some road remains. This brings you right up under the nest. One of the birds came in and settled on the cliff about 10 meters down the cliff and to the left. I could see its head very clearly, even without binoculars, it took off, circled above me warily, and flew away. I guess they may not be so used to people on the ground below, so I beat a retreat. The camera cable leading down towards the nest is very obvious from below. My walk took me on to the small valley (Walcoombe?) just before Sea Walls, and yes, there is a path to the top of the Downs, it is marked on the map at the top of Sea Walls cliff. Then home.

Sunday May 13th

We have been away for a week and a half, on holiday at the caravan site in Durdle Door on the Dorset coast. Along the cliffs there were few sea birds, however I did spot a peregrine rushing along, otherwise several shags - much smaller than the cormorant, and some herring and other gulls. The campsite has a large overhead rookery in the pines which give the site some shelter. Skylarks, swallows and swifts, pied wagtail and robins, and stonechats on the bushes near the cliffs. Swanage had a pretty colony of black headed gulls.

Today was wet and got wetter as I cycled, so that by the time I arrived home I was drenched to the skin. Not nice for cycling. The gorge was not a place to linger this morning.