Thursday 26th April

My 100^th post, and since each represents 10 miles, 1000 miles of cycling! No sign of the redshank feeding on the mud at low water. Where do they go to? No sign of raptors this morning, though from the number of 'birders' armed with cameras and big lenses there must have been some activity. The young ravens are plain to see on their nest. I could not locate the peregrine nest looking from Sea Walls with binoculars.

From my 'photos from Neis Vran in Northern Brittany, how many different waders can you see in the picture below? After the birds leave, the sand is peppered with beak marks and scuffed up all over the place. Click on the image for an enlarged view:

Wednesday 25th April

Back from a wonderful week in north Brittany at Neis Vran. Lots of birds to see - I'll put some 'photo up via Picasa Web. The horsechesnuts on Saville Road are now in full flower, with new bright green leaves, and over in Leigh Woods there is new foliage on the oaks. I met Chris Jones - not my daughter's partner, but a local photographer who has taken some fine 'photos of the peregrines. See http://www.chrisjphotography.com

Today's event was a buzzard who ventured too close to the peregrine nest on the cliff below, the peregrine flew out at speed, screaming at the buzzard (I assume!) to clear off. The buzzard obliged! The buzzard was next seen over the gorge descending into Leigh Woods, and shortly afterwards the peregrine returned to it's nest. The ravens did not appear, but the four youngsters can be seen quite well through glasses.

Friday April 13th

The weather was rather dull and cold this morning - I should have worn my gloves. The Peregrine Watch was very quiet, scarcely a bird to be seen or heard, neither could I see any redshank on the mud, despite the tide being so low that rocks were visible on the river bed. A few jackdaws did take off in a flock, then shortly after the unmistakable glide of a peregrine, down towards the river, coming from my left and going downstream over on the Leigh Woods side, and then across to the small quarry beside Sea Walls. He did not return. I did not see whether the bird came off the nest beneath the Watch. I could not see any ravens.

Wednesday 11th April

I counted sixteen redshank on the mud below Sea Walls, all on the east bank of the river. Over at the Peregrine Watch one of the pair made nearly the same journey as yesterday, a long glide took him over to a small oak just above the (presumed) yew tree. He only sat for a few minutes, then returned to the cliff beneath me. I'm inclined to ask "why did the peregrine cross the river"?

P shows peregrine perch, R raven's nest

View across from the Peregrine Watch: 'photo was taken 9.23, April 11th 2007. If you click on the image you will see an enlarged view, and should then see small white letters. P's have been placed near to where the peregrines roosted, and an R under the raven's nest.

Tuesday 10th April

Quite a morning! At Sea Walls, down on the mud at the right, was a curlew, the first I have seen on the river side. Then I counted in excess of 40 redshank, also on the mud, but on both sides. This confirms the flock of them I saw yesterday. Size is difficult against the mud, but the curlew was double the size of the redshank when alongside of them. The only other bird with a curved bill is a whimbrel, and that is a little smaller than the curlew, also rather rare.
At the Peregrine Watch one of the nesting pair took off from the cliff below me and glided over to sit in a small beech tree just beside a large yew. he stayed for over half and hour, initially with his back to me, then turning to face, then to the back again. When facing his front shows out like a little yellow light in the sunshine. There was a pigeon about 10 metres away just on the other side of the yew. It did not notice the peregrine, and was even joined by a number of other pigeons on surrounding trees during the half hour that I watched. Flying past the pigeons did not notice the hawk. Similarly a jay fluttered past within a couple of metres. A large brown raptor flew from the quarry to the right, across the river and into the valley between Sea Walls and the Peregrine Watch. What was it? Probably a buzzard. The green finches flew past, twittering as they flew.
I hate to end on a sour note, but the rubbish left all around the road around the Downs was particularly bad this morning, even worse than Sunday.

Sunday April 9th

Hazy, blue and warm this morning. The Gorge looks its best under these conditions. At Sea Walls I was able to spot through binoculars a small group of redshank on the mud. Some motor boats scared the birds from the mud - revealing a much larger number than I had thought were present, it must have been 30+. The ravens were more visible on their nest this morning; the size of a raven relative to a crow was brought home by seeing one of them being harassed by a local crow! Otherwise, a couple of green finches, and some other small birds, probably chaffinches. Recognising birds 'on the wing' is tricky. Artists, from Bewick to the present day, usually show the animal sitting in a convenient pose rather than in flight.