Wednesday 9th February (Do they or don't they; that is the Question)

Mr. Kite looked out of his bedroom window to see the bright clean white roof of his holiday home parked on the main road. Today Mr. Kite was not going traveling because the yard had to be tidied and the groceries bought.

With such a dull outlook Mr. Kite needed to cheer himself up so did the chores and then cycled to Monkmoor Lagoon. Mr. Kite arrived at fifteen hundred hours when the sky was marbled with the afternoon winters sun and the threat of the imminent winters night. The cloud were high and broken so the sun shone through the gap castings its shadow randomly over the lagoon.

Mr. Kite watched Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Mallard, Teal, Mute Swan, Coot and Moorhen. Overhead a flock of Fieldfare and Redwing flew over chattering. They were intent on flying to another feeding ground. Mr. Kite then became interested in the birds moving on the pool. Now that the wind had died down the wake of the sailing birds was clear. A 'vee' shaped ripple of water emanated in a cone shape from the rear of the bird. When they changed direction interference waves caused different patterns. Bow waves were interesting and the movement of the birds resembled vapour trails of passing jets.

Now Mr. Kite watched a flock of  six Stock Doves land in a tree. The tree was small and the birds were perched vertically with one above the other, so the bird on the top had five birds underneath who had four birds underneath who had three birds underneath who had two birds underneath who had one bird underneath who was at the bottom of the pile. Watching from the hide Mr. Kite observed that the bird on top was fidgeting as if it wanted to 'go to the toilet'. At times it raised it's tail as if about to evacuate.

Mr. Kite then thought do birds ever poo on each other? Now these birds suggested not;  because their plumage was clean and sparkling; but the question remained do they or don't they? In a tree full of birds does one bird have to apologise to a fellow feathered friend for a careless plop?

Mr. Kite does not have the answer; do you?

Mr. Kite went home to a tipple of Greene King Abbots Ale. Cheers and bottoms up.