Tuesday 16th January

Small groups of starlings and gulls on Durdham Down. Most of the Bristol jackdaw population seemed to be at the corner of Ladies Mile and Circular Road. On the mud of the river a large group of gulls were resting. I also saw mallards dabbling around, a mystery small black and white bird flew over the mud below Sea Walls, it seemed too large for a wagtail, but flew a little like one, so maybe was! Two lesser black backed gulls flew down river, low over the mud. Lots of signs of birds pairing up in the mild weather.

Sunday 14th January

From home to the Peregrine Watch is about three and a half miles across Bristol. This morning was bright and clear with a large number of Sunday walkers, joggers, cyclists and car drivers(!) making the most of the sunshine. Most of the flood water on the Downs has cleared away, so there were a couple of junior football groups out playing on the pitches. At the Gorge, few birds apart from the usual pigeons flitting around Leigh Woods, and the usual crows, seagulls and mallards. I avoided the Peregrine Watch this morning, there was a large group of 'birders' where I usually stop, so I went down the path at the side of the Gorge a little way, and came back through the woods and joined the road again at the bottom of Ladies Mile.

Tuesday, Wednesday 9th, 10th January

Wet, wet, very wet! There was much water on the low-lying parts of the football pitches, and the road was nearly covered from either side coming up to the Peregrine Watch. I only managed to get out later on Tuesday afternoon, and even then got caught by the rain. Wednesday was bright, sunny, but cold so waiting around at the Peregrine Watch gave me cold feet. Jackdaws in pairs, and gulls flying around in the wind, and feral pigeons dashing over the river to Leigh Woods. A huge flock (200+) of gulls probing the grass and water behind the Water Tower. No peregrines either morning.

Sunday 7th January

I was all dressed up for a cycle ride when the heavens opened, so I walked to the peregrine watch, coming back via Waitrose for a Sunday paper. By the time I got to the Gorge the sky was lighter, there was some weak sun, and it was windy. Crossing the downs, I saw a solitary pied wagtail on the path, but was pondering the fact that there were very few birds around apart from feral pigeons! No sparrows, I miss them.
The Gorge was very rewarding. I have never seen the jackdaw tree so crowded, a large flock of perhaps 50 birds all tried to land in it at once! Then there were large groups of gulls, they tend to fall around in the wind, spiraling high in the air above the river. Recognising birds at a long distance is tricky, but gets easier with experience. A peregrine took off from the trees in Leigh Woods and flew towards the suspension bridge, it could have been a pigeon at that distance, but for the economical flight with few wing beats. Then there were some buzzards over towards Sea Walls, mingled with gulls and rooks they are sometimes difficult to spot - unless they are being mobbed: this morning, because of the distance I was not sure whether there were two or more. A mystery bird flew over the top of the woods, at first I thought it was a cormorant, but the flight was wrong.
A curious optical effect. A jay landed on the bright grass beside the Portway road, I stared at it trying to see what it was doing, then glanced away at the trees opposite, so see them turn into a band of purple, complementary to the green I had been fixed on.

Thursday, Friday 4th, 5th January

I took some video of the Gorge on my digital camera on Thursday. Of course, the one peregrine that appeared - flying towards the woods opposite - and landing there (unusual), was missed. Anyway the camera cannot show such a small target. It did (just) pick up a cormorant flying down river. For my video blog (Vlog) see
http://johnpmaher.blogspot.com/, at present I'm trying to figure how to set up embedded video - without resorting to Javascript - and which is standards compliant!

A kind letter from Darren Oakley-Martin of the RSPB mentions some other Birdlogs which I must add to the links.

Friday was milder, but cloudy, a very large (100+) flock of starlings feeding on the downs, also the usual culprits - crows, jackdaws, rooks, black-headed gulls. Nothing much on the river except for a few mallards dabbling on the mud edges. No raptors.

Tuesday 2nd January

No ride this morning - it was raining! I cycled to Bristol Central Library to get a new library card and came back via Bridge Valley and the peregrine watch. The sun was just setting and it was quite dark, so few birds and no peregrines. Picture shows an eider duck on Lindisfarne Island - the end of St Cuthbert's Way. Not likely to be seen in the Severn Estuary - unless someone knows better ....

Monday 1st January

The world and their wives, girlfriends, dogs and all were out on the Downs this morning! Had some of them looked skywards they might have noticed four buzzards flying high, probably a thousand feet above the Gorge. Gulls and the rooks and crows were also higher up than usual. When I reached the peregrine watch (around 12.30 this morning), there was a peregrine flying first towards the Sea Walls valley, with a flash of blue as the sun caught her back feathers, then later high above me up the river. The next I saw of her was flying high and back across the Downs, where she disappeared. One of the buzzards accompanied her towards the valley, but did not re-appear.
The picture shows a buzzard over the Eden project - generated by a photo collage since in the original the buzzard was disappearing into the cloud at the bottom right hand corner of the enlarged inset image.