Tweet

Fairly sure that I tweeted a kite again this afternoon, flying north a little to the east of the house. With a distinctive, slow but steady beat of the wings, as seen from behind, suggested in the sketch left. The brown bit at the bottom being the tail, too far away for the unaided eye to make out its shape.

I think the correspondent noticed at reference 1 said something about this when I last tweeted a kite - but I didn't really know what he was on about at the time and was reduced to making polite noises.

While a little to the west of the house we had the police helicopter, perhaps keeping an eye on someone reported to be up close and personal with a very large cigarette in Southfield Park. Whatever it was, it was still at it about an hour later.

All this in the course of my afternoon brick walk, a walk which took the total since records began to 536 bricks, or 71,288 yards.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/03/more-tweet.html.

More tweet

Following yesterday's buzzard, this morning a kite over the back of Christchurch Mount - a kite which a correspondent had seen not many minutes before over the Horton Lane allotments, that is to say the allotments most recently noticed at reference 2. Nothing like as high as yesterday's buzzard, maybe twice roof height.

The express pre-fab was on the move, with eastern European accents, rather than the German of the pre-fab's supplier. Several other builders out on my circuit around the block, of which I did six this morning, so about 6km. Plus one set of gardeners, one set of dustmen and sundry neighbours, some with dogs, all at least three metres away. One postman (female) and a small number of children, all under careful control.

Very few cars, even fewer bicycles and no delivery vans. Which last I thought odd.

Wind dropped since yesterday and I was on the warm side inside my duffel coat - never mind the snow jacket of yesterday.

And the back patio was hot after lunch - to the point where I needed to cover my hands to stop them burning - all this despite the slight frost this morning, snapped above. Plus quite a lot of twittering and small bird action in the hedge left, that is to say south, but no tweets.

Reference 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXT60rbBVk. A rather splendid musical offering from another correspondent.

Reference 2: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2019/09/horton-clockwise.html.

Alien tweet

That is to say a second hand tweet from a correspondent in Stoneleigh. Some kind of raptor being seen off by some crows. Raptor left, most intrepid of the crows right.

Augmented snap

With the original snap zoomed in Photos and augmented in Powerpoint with snaps turned up by Bing. A Microsoft flavoured effort. No checking with RSPB or anyone like that.

My vote is for sparrow hawk. Wings not the right shape for a kestrel. Too small for a buzzard. No forked tail so not a kite.

I shall consult a proper tweeter for his verdict.

Trolley 214

Trolley 214 was captured, once again, in one of the passages leading from the High Street to the railway station.

An old style M&S trolley, without food hall livery and slightly bent, with the result that one only had three wheels in contact with the ground at once. But in working order and returned to the stack in the usual way.

No £1 reward as this trolley was not fitted with a chain lock on its handle, unlike the rest of the trolleys in the stack.

On the way, I had tweeted what looked like a kite flying south across West Hill. Looked like because it was a hawk with a gently forked tail. Not a swallow tail, more what you get on a house martin. Concave, rather than straight or convex. With the last such sighting anywhere near home being noticed, two years ago, at reference 1.

Reference 1: https://psmv3.blogspot.com/2016/12/big-tweet.html.

Tweet

What must be our local kite flew across our garden, from left to right, heading north, not much higher than chimney height, at 0637 local time this (Tuesday) morning. Close enough to reveal a pale but mottled underside (ventral).

Last noticed, getting on for a couple of weeks ago, at reference 1. On the other side of the road.

Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/04/tweet.html.