Thursday 14 March 2013

Buzzards and Kites

Sauntering towards NigeCorp HQ the other morning, I was startled to see what I took to be a Buzzard hovering just above the parapet of that noble edifice. It was, as I very soon realised, no such thing - in recent years the Buzzard has spread from its rugged mountain fastnesses into every county and even soars above the suburbs, but would surely not descend to picking pigeons off central London rooftops. What I was seeing, circling, hovering, swooping and dipping on the air currents in a pretty lifelike way, was a tethered kite (no, not a Kite - a kite) made in the shape of a large raptor, complete with stylised, Buzzard-like markings. I stood for some while watching it admiringly, and thought no more of it - until the next morning when, flying above the tool hire company that overlooks my station (remember, the one that's serious about tool hire?) was another, identical Buzzard kite! Clearly they are catching on. Perhaps they will become a fixture on the London roofline - but I think the design still needs some work: when I last saw it, the NigeCorp kite had reached the end of its tether and was draped limply around the top of its tethering pole like so much wet lettuce. I hope it's flying again today.

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