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)

Sunday, Monday, 25th, 26th April

My Sunday ride took in the Docks and Portway and a visit to the river bank at Sea Mills station. No waders, but it looks like the Martins are back. Otherwise very quiet. {16.1}
Monday was gray and a bit cold. The chestnut trees are in nearly full bloom, and the buds are breaking on the Whitebeams. Again very few birds. I thought that I saw a Peregrine heading up the Gorge, but no, its rapid wing beats gave it away as a Pigeon of some type. {16.8}

Fri, Sat, Mon - April 16, 17, 19

Three days cycling, with two of them early (for me), leaving home around 8am! During these days I heard Blackcaps, saw a Greenfinch, the Peregrines, a Cormorant, and the Kestrel. My principal actors! Then there were the Doves, Pigeons, Rooks, Crows and Jackdaw pairs. Over on the Raven nest black heads can be seen, someone mentioned two chicks? On Saturday there was an 'extra' Peregrine, it was chased vigorously by one of the residents. I had a brief glimpse of the Kestrel leaving the rock face near last year's nest,so assume that they are back.

Around the rest of the Downs the chestnut tress are rapidly coming into blossom. The whitebeams are forming buds, so that it is easy to see these trees amongst their neighbors in the woodland. Now is the time to photograph the whitebeams in the Gully (Walcombe Slade) before the wretched Council turns out the goats!

Mentioning BCC brings me to another grouse. This morning the refuse and plastic rubbish left by the 'Goode Cytizens of Brystle' had to be seen to be believed. It was difficult to distinguish between the plastic and the Gulls on the Downland beside Sea Walls. So much for the large, stupid, plastic notices which now adorn various parts of the Downs. I have great sympathy with the unfortunate Downs ranger assistants who have to clear this mess. On the plus side the BCC have supplied rubbish bins, but these were all full. I notice that the Zoo Parking area is larger than last year (now encompasing the pollarded ash trees), no doubt in celebration of their getting a three year free parking lease. If they were charged a decent amount, say £1000 per day they might be encouraged to go elsewhere. FODAG ("Friends" of the Downs and Avon Gorge) have issued another anodyne, uncritical, half baked comment on the parking, perhaps if they monitored the rare plants in the extended parking area it might have some meaning.

There, my rant is over!

Monday, April 12th

I cycled through Sneed Park and onto the Portway, then came up Bridge Valley Road and back via the Gorge Top path to the Peregrine Watch, then home. Just before the Peregrine Watch I spied a hunting Peregrine slowly gliding up above Nightingale Valley, eventually disappearing from my view. Earlier on the side of Portway, just below Black Rocks a Kestrel dived into a patch of daffodils and came out carrying a mouse, he flew off to the cliff, then over behind it. It looks as if the Kestrel nest is elsewhere this year, this bird did not take it's kill to the cliff above me. Earlier I had a ringside seat for a small group of Redshank on the mud/water edge - much better than the cliff top. The works on Bridge Valley Road looks very serious, I cannot see it being open for months yet.

Sunday April 11th

I cycled via Broadmead, the Docks, and then walked up the NT Nature Trail beside the river to Burwalls, to cross the Suspension Bridge. Apart from Gulls and Pigeons it was all very quiet. Many of the trees are showing buds, so in the Gorge the Whitebeams are all starting leaves. At the Peregrine Watch a Buzzard was driven away from the vicinity of the Raven's nest by one of the birds. At Sea Walls there was a solitary Redshank on the mud.