Monday 28th February (Aerial Displays)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window to see rays of sunshine. This made him feel better because he had a slight headache as a result of the birthday celebrations, too much beer, too much wine, too much food and too much noise. Actually Mr. Kite is wrong here you cannot have too much of a good thing. Anyway Mr. Kite put the house in order and made several trips to the recycling centre with the empties.

Then in the afternoon Mr. Kite went to Monkmoor Lagoon. The sky was cloudy and the wind was chilly but the air was fresh. Opening the hide window and looking around the lagoon is always an exciting event. Mr. Kite noticed Shovelers, Tufted Ducks, Canada Geese, a Mute Swan and a number of Pochard.

Pochard are very handsome ducks with their rufous head and neck. The body is light with black at the front and rear. Mr. Kite watched this group swim around the lagoon in a very sociable manner with the occasional dive. Now Pochard are good to eat but Mr. Kite prefers potatoes and cheese.

In the sky a flock of around one hundred Black-headed Gulls appeared in the sky. From the ground it was a grand aerial display as they circled and banked forming a cylindrical shape of birds moving slowly towards the west. Returning home Mr. Kite observed another aerial display; twenty four Starlings sitting on an 'X' shaped T.V. aerial. What stood out was the symmetry of the gathering; six birds perched on each of the aerial arms and evenly spaced.

With the excitement of these aerial displays Mr. Kite cycled home to enjoy a tipple of Pays D'Oc Chardonnay. Cheers from an aspiring middle-class white wine drinking Mr. Kite.