Monday, Tuesday, 3rd, 4th March

I have commented before that recognising birds is a problem when there are several species to choose, and these look all rather similar, and they are 100 metres or more below. These two mornings were very bright and cold, with a blue sky, so seeing was good.

Monday there were two birds, moving together as if a pair, this morning a solitary wader. The puzzle was Redshank or Greenshank (or Knot, or ... )? This time the flight feathers did no look like those of a Redshank, and I could not get a good view of the legs, which also looked a bit short for a 'Shank. The bill did no look right for a Greenshank. The mud is thick and soft below Sea Walls, so even a small wader can get its legs messy. Add to this, the change from winter to summer plumage, and juvenile and sex differences ... They could have been Knot!

On both mornings I thought that I saw a Sparrowhawk, first off Circular Road, then this morning at the side of Ladies Mile. But, was it a Kestral? Simply it had a single, prominent bar on its tail, the tail looked rather square and long when perched, a buff red brown, lightly speckled chest, and a greyer head. No, I come back to a Sparrowhawk, but with rather indistinct tail bands. The bird was perched on an Ash stump up the tree, peering around (I got a long hard stare from it), something that Kestrals sometimes do when hunting, but it was also flitting around, like a Sparrowhawk when hunting. (At the end of the month, the uninitiated could well mistake a Cuckoo for a hawk!)

A beautiful red vixen with a neat white tip to her tail was exploring the shrubs below the Peregrine Watch, last year we saw her with her cubs in a similar position.

Wednesday February 27th

I had a fine view of one of the Ravens as it left Leigh Woods and came over towards Sea Walls, the size of these birds is impressive, especially when compared to one of the Crows that tried to mob it. This Raven took no notice of the Crow! The other Raven was beside the nest. There were numerous Black Headed Gulls on the river, this time with a slack tide. Were those Little Gulls that I saw yesterday - or just Black Headed Gulls? At the Peregrine Watch one of the Peregrines was sitting with its grey back to me in the Oak tree.

Tuesday 26th February

The tide was high, a large flock of Gulls was drifting down river as the tide started to go out. There must have been a couple of hundred birds, some looked smaller than others, almost like little pieces of paper floating on the muddy water. Occasionally some of them got off the water and flew around a little, then returned. They were too far off to identify clearly, especially with the wind blowing in my face. I wondered what some of the gulls were, could they be Little Gulls en route to their Russian breeding colonies? The high winds of the last few days could have driven them from their Irish Sea wintering grounds. They remained on the river, drifting down out of sight towards Horseshoe Bend.
There was a Peregrine over in the Oak, he/she got up and flew out over the river, then back to his/her perch. It was probably the male bird, no sign of its mate today.

The wood chips left on the path opposite are starting to change colour, going brown as the wood tannins oxidise. The rain will have helped this process. I still object strongly to the sloppy behaviour of the contractors - and those who allowed it to happen.

Sunday 24th February

Around the Downs the wind seemed to attack me from every angle, but at Sea Walls and the Peregrine Watch everything was quite calm; a big contrast to the last few journeys. The tide was high and just starting to go down, so there were no 'mud birds' that I could see. A Sparrow Hawk flew over opposite the Peregrine Watch, and the Peregrine couple arrived around 11.30am and perched over in the oak tree, sitting much closer to each other than I have seen until now. The larger female was side on to us, the male showed his white front. Around the Peregrine Watch the Jackdaws gave a fine display of unison flight!

Friday 22nd February

The three wind turbines at Avonmouth were rotating rapidly, at nearly 1 rps I think. I saw one Redshank, and (I think) a Peregrine sheltering behind the oak tree branches. Lots of Gulls, Rooks, Crows and Jackdaws were on the Downs grassland. It was too windy and too cold to linger very long.

Thursday 21st February

The wind was so strong at Sea Walls that I had difficulty holding my binoculars still even when held hard against the railings. I think I could see some Redshank on the mud, and they are pairing up for the spring. Just as I was about to cycle on, a bird flew over the gorge, at first I took it for a Cormorant, then realised it was some form of goose, but the time I had my glasses onto it it was too far away to identify. The wind at the Peregrine Watch was also very strong, a Peregrine was perched over in the oak tree, and the Ravens are starting to take an interest in their old nest.

The contractor working on the railway - and distributing wood chippings all over the sides of the cycle track and river bank is May Gurney. I'm informing various people who may be able to do something about this behaviour.

Further to this comment, the May Gurney web site at http://www.maygurney.co.uk/corporate/corporate.php
carriers the following messages:
- Minimising our impact on the environment and promoting sustainability and good environmental practices.
- Having a positive influence within the communities in which we operate.
- Take our environmental responsibilities seriously and be aware of the
impact of our operations on local communities.

Empty sentiments in this case!

Someone needs to contact them (needless to say their web site only has 'phone and address contacts, no email). Their Avonmouth branch is at Avon Riverside Estate,
Victoria Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, BS11 9DB, Tel: 01179 823756, Fax: 01179 820498

Tuesday February 12th, Wednesday February 20th

On Tuesday cycling was a bitterly cold experience, and I only paused long enough to see a lone Redshank on the mud. The very cold weather kept me away until today, when there was no frost, but a rather cold fog which cleared as I came up to the Gorge. I spotted a Black Headed Gull with his summer cap on on the grass by Saville Road, then on the estuary mud there were others. On the other side of the river by Sea Walls a couple of Oyster Catchers were feeding, their red bills like the red legs of some neighbouring Redshank. Oyster Catchers, like Curlew are quite a rare sight. On the mud below the Peregrine Watch were a couple of Cormorants, they flew off up-river, then had second thoughts, wheeled and headed downstream with the tide.

A bunch of cowboy workman are busy clearing trees from the side of the railway line opposite. The trees are being turned into chippings, and rather than being collected and disposed of properly, are being left in piles all over the side of the cycle track and down on the river bank. Who on earth employed this lot? They should be told to clear up the mess, it ruins the view of the Gorge from the Peregrine Watch, and probably will remain for the rest of the summer. Chippings take a long time to decay. Maybe this is something the putative "Friends of the Downs & Avon Gorge" should comment on!