Friday 21st January (A Day of Ducks)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window onto a small tree with bird feeders with a few caravans in the background. Last night was a clear frosty night and now the ground was covered in frost and the branches on the tree were iced by jack frost. Today Mr. Kite's bedroom window is small and rectangular and nearly two metres above the ground and facing east so he could see the sun peeping above the horizon.

After breakfast Mr. and Mrs. Kite walked down the icy lane to Chew Valley Lake in the county of Somerset. Woodpeckers, song thrush's and gulls could be heard. They had a pleasant stroll along the path by the lake in the warming sunshine. Eventually they sat on a seat and listened to the bird song. As the sun warmed the earth there was a hint of the smell of spring. They then returned to the warm and cosy holiday home for coffee and sandwiches.

Mr. Kite the took his scope and rode to the Bernard King Hide that overlooks part of the lake. Now let Mr. Kite tell you something; almost all the hides in Shropshire are five star being cosy, comfortable and clean. Mr. King's hide is one step up from a urinal but it has good views. Being a lake with ducks Mr. Kite was more interested in the Anas species although he enjoyed the other. He saw mallard, teal, tufted duck, pochard, wigeon, goldeneye, shoveler, pintail and gadwall.

Now Mr. Kite was very impressed with the male pintail on show. It was an elegant creature with a patch of cream near the rear, longish tail, a mottled grey and black body with striped wings of more black and grey. Then a white stripe starts on the body and tapers to finish on the brownish head. A pretty good sight. Then the gadwall with it's squarish head, delicate grey and black body with a distinguishing white patch near the tail end with a triangular patch of black. Another pretty good sight.

Mr. Kite had another good winters day and finished the day with a tipple of Shepherd Neame Bishops Finger. Cheers from the land of cider drinkers.