Kite versus Vulture equals duck!

On the way home last night I had an amazing experience that sounds like I made it up, but it’s totally true.

I work in Twyford and have a lovely twisty 9 mile country lane route to work. However it is littered with wildlife, particularly deer, squirrels and pheasants. I have had a collision on the bike with both a squirrel and a pheasant, both came off worse than me.

However last night I took on an eagle, well OK not an eagle exactly, a Kite, there is a family of them in Twyford and you often see them circling way up.

So I’m on my VFR and just overtook a van, I’m doing about 65mph ‘ish and all is well in the world apart from being a bit tired after the weekend in Wales.

In the distance I see a blue car braking hard and a big bird take off, I start to brake and for a second I just think it’s a dozy pheasant, then I see its bigger than a pheasant with a mean look in its eye and big claws, in which is grasped a wiggly rodent of some description! Its flying at stomach height and trying to gain lift, I’m braking like mad and thinking Sh*t I’m coming off here, so I drop to the tank (or duck to get another birds name in) and get behind the small screen, about 3 feet to impact and the Kite releases its prey which I then run over, it opens its wings wide and soars over my RooF helmeted head! Phew! Such an amazing site and such a close view of an amazingly large bird.

I just thought no one will believe this as I rode off. And it all happened with 5 seconds start to finish.

I had to laugh about the mouse or vole that was one minute making its way across a busy road, survived that only to be picked up by a bird of prey, survived that and then was run over by a 1989 white VFR with the rider yelling Shiiiiiiiiiit!

Dave

A mean looking hungry kite!