Fly a Kite and Watch the River

26 March

A few years ago on this date, when in England, we were closely examined from above by a Red Kite (Milvus milvus). Not many years ago these birds were on the brink of national extinction but were saved by one of the world's longest-running protection programmes. It has now been successfully re-introduced to England and Scotland. From just a handful of birds hanging on in remote parts of Wales, there are now around 6,000 pairs in the UK.

Meanwhile, hereabouts the river ice still has not broken up, as temperatures fell again recently. Won’t be long though, everything looks different. The thin gray line on the horizon hides downtown Montreal.