Wednesday 27/09/06
An overcast and windy day with spots of rain.
This meant that I could leave Pepe in my van and travel the street in a more streamlined aerodynamic fashion – trailer-less!

Discussions with folk were thin on the ground today as I meandered through L3 from Trafalgar dock to Stanley dock.
My first encounter happened as I was peering through rusty gates at a site on the end of Dublin St. “You’ll not find any scrap in there.” It was a man on a bike who, like me, was cycling the streets of Liverpool – his task, to spot scrap metal which he then comes back to collect. When I told him I was looking at plants, he assumed I meant cannabis and went on to tell me that it would be unlikely to find cannabis down here and that I should try the canal banks… we talked for a while, I told him about the project, and he told me about some of the best derelict buildings to find scrap in – but warned me that if I were to go scrap hunting in these buildings I should take great care because some of them are so unsound that the slightest noise could bring the ceilings down.
Shortly after he left I was approached 2 policemen in a police van. Their assumption was that I was acting suspiciously and must be up to no good. But the words ‘artist’ and ‘Independents Biennial’ put them at ease and we had a long chat about Brownfield sites and wildlife along the docks. They told me with great enthusiasm about the swans and where to find their nests. “If you go to the bridge and look over the side to your left you’ll see a pile of shredded up paper – it looks like a load crap, but it’s a swan’s nest” They also told me about the breeding pair of Peregrine Falcons that nest in the old Tobacco Warehouse. Sadly I pointed out one of the falcons – recent road kill on Regent Road, the blood still sticky and bright red. Hopefully it isn’t one of the pair, but one of their young…
… As I stood on the bridge leaning over the edge seeking the swan’s nest, I couldn’t help think of the film “Cassandra Crossing”. With every car that crossed, this rusting iron swing bridge shook – violently.
I could see no sign of the nest – maybe it has been swept away… but I did see a Peregrine Falcon. It’s sharp “ke-k, k-ek, k-ek” alerting me to its presence. It flew across Stanley Dock and into the Tobacco Warehouse.

I only covered 6 miles today, and it was easy cycling, no hills. But because there are a lot of derelict sites, most of my time was spent off the bike, looking and evaluating. By the end of the day I had recorded 7 sites: 1 Blue, 2 Yellow, 4 White.
Things ‘out of the ordinary’ I observed included 3 rabbits and 2 Peregrine Falcons, the ‘ordinary’ being life like pigeon, gulls, spiders, and insects. The rabbits were frolicking on land at the corner of Blackstone Boundary and Great Howard St. This plot also had masses of blackberries and an apple tree laden with ripe fruit… I couldn’t help but think that there was a meal waiting to be prepared, roast rabbit with dandelions followed by blackberry and apple pie… it was getting late and I was hungry….