Tuesday, Wednesday, 15th, 16th April

On some mornings a short stop at Sea Walls then at the Peregrine Watch has little to see, on other mornings there is a lot of activity. Tuesday and Wednesday contrasted like this. The Redshank were all lined up at the water edge on Tuesday, today they were all over the mud and I saw several flying, while a group of them bunched up at the water edge. In flight these are very elegant little birds, they fly low over the water, and the white edges to their wings, seen from above on the cliff, are attractive. Likewise the Kestrel. He was flying, rather gliding, around below the Peregrine Watch, obviously hunting. I followed him with glasses for a good five minutes until my arms tired; he skimmed the trees, landed on one, came down into a bush, then rose and hovered. The last I saw of him was high above the river towards the Suspension Bridge.

Three Cormorants flew singly downriver, another up river. Two Great Black Backed Gulls were down on the mud below, very interested in something at the water edge, they kept a Lesser Black Backed Gull and some other Gulls away from whatever interested them. In the Jackdaw Tree one bird had its mate pinned into a crook of the branches and was busy with its beak among the mate's head feathers. I'm not sure that the mate was too keen on this delousing! A flight of small birds passed, very small and with flashes of yellow, their flight was up-and-down, and they disappeared off towards the Gully. The bouncy flight shows they were probably Golfinches.

I did not see the Ravens, but may have had fleeting glimpse of a Peregrine, movement in the oaks opposite turned out to be a Grey Squirrel.

At the beginning of Circular Road, and to the right are some large trees with nests in them (5?), at one point I thought these were Rook nests, but on closer examination they seem to have Crows in them. Crows Nests!

Monday, April 14th

The blue sky of the early morning was replaced by heavy rain by the time I was passing St Ursula's on my way home! I watched it coming from Sea Walls and decided that a hasty retreat was prudent. This was a quiet morning, a dozen or so Redshank were feeding on the mud below Sea Walls, and a smaller number on the opposite bank. The waders always seem to favour the Portway side of the river. Why?

Sunday, 13th July

The Ravens were flying over Leigh Woods just before I left the Peregrine Watch this morning, the heads of their chicks are appearing just above the nest top, whilst below them there are Jackdaws in the cliff crevasses, no doubt with their nests. The Ravens don't seem to worry about the Jackdaws, I think they would if there were Crows in the vicinity, or if a Sparrow Hawk was around! I had a fleeting glimpse of the Kestrel as she came in to the trees to the right of the Peregrine Watch. Earlier, and from Sea Walls, I could see a couple of dozen Redshank lining the mud, and the Ravens sitting over in the oaks frequented by the Peregrines.

Thursday April 10th

A couple of birds with an identity crisis this morning! Firstly a Cormorant, it circled the trees opposite the Peregrine Watch, then started to circle higher and higher, passing high over the river by The Gully. I stopped following it once it was high over the Downs and at a height I normally associate with the Peregrines and some Gulls, not a Cormorant.
A Peregrine came into the cliff beneath the Peregrine Watch, then left a little while later and made for the trees opposite. A very white (and obvious) Pigeon was sitting over in one of the lower oaks, the Peregrine flew at this target, but the Pigeon just flapped around in the tree. The Peregrine went into some ivy just above the Pigeon, now also in some ivy, remained for a while, then came out and flew at the Pigeon again. The same performance, but with a less persistent attack by the Peregrine, neither attack involved a strike onto the Pigeon. After this, the Peregrine lost interest and started to circle low over the trees, then down past the Ravens nest, and on down towards Nightingale Valley, then it rose higher and higher, finally disappearing behind the trees and towards the Zoo. Hunting behaviour more like that of a Sparrowhawk than a Peregrine?

Wednesday 9th April

Click on the picture(s) for a larger view!

Another cold morning with a high, but still flowing tide. A beautiful red-brown Kestrel landed on an ash down below the Peregrine Watch, she swivelled her head round to look over her back as only a bird can, after a few minutes she flew off beneath the cliff and disappeared. The Ravens were soaring up above their nest and then over towards the Suspension Bridge, every now and then they would fly playfully at each other. Love! They also have a curious habit of seeming to 'fold-up' (for want of a better description) when flying. Their chicks are getting large, and bits of black can occasionally be seen above the nest top. Chris Jones sent me this fine picture of one of the Peregrines perched on the cliffs, I guess they must have chicks by now.

Tuesday April 8th

A high and ebbing tide. Blue sky between fluffy clouds. Cold! At the Peregrine Watch a crowd of people had their necks craned skywards watching a Peregrine, high, high up, against a grey cloud. The bird must have been 1000 feet up. It circled against the cloud for a long while, then slipped off over the Suspension Bridge, still pretty high up. Another bird appeared a little lower, and above us, I watched it and thought that it was a Seagull, but suddenly it started to dive towards The Gully ... and folded its wings like a raptor! Then disappeared below the trees. What on earth was it?
The fox was curled up in the brambles below the cliff, difficult to see until you knew where to look. A peregrine landed over in one of the oaks. I left for home and brunch. The pictures were taken by Chris Jones a week ago.

Sunday 6th April

Winter has returned with a vengence, this morning was bitterly cold, and the Downs had patches of snow, in the sunshine, when it appeared, the temperature was pleasant. At Sea Walls, I watched a small group of Redshank busily picking the mud. The 'photo is of a pretty little red-purple flower just behind the railings - can someone give it a name? Any idea Geraldine!?
A red fox came out below the Peregrine Watch cliff and went to sleep curled up among the scrub. On the estuary there were some small groups of Redshank, occasionally they get up and fly, low over the water, their white wing flashes giving them a very distinctive appearance. A Peregrine appeared in a tree beside a little clearing opposite the PW, the Raven was sitting slightly to the right of its nest again. At one stage a Raven soared above Leigh Woods and the nest. I heard of reports of visitors to the Gorge - and Osprey yesterday, and a Merlin. There are some large Sparrowhawks around.