Red kites and buzzards were as rare as rocs and phoenixes when I was growing up. To encounter one in southern England in the 1970s was magical. Today, thanks largely to changes in gamekeeping practices and pesticide use, these handsome raptors are everywhere and consequently I no longer automatically stop and stare when I see one. Ubiquity has diluted their mystique. I’ve experienced something similar with virtual Spitfires. Deprived then spoilt rotten, the sight of a polygonal warbird with elliptical wings no longer makes my heart beat faster. Resigned to this state of affairs, I really wasn’t expecting an unheralded spanner-em-up from Poland to restore my sense of awe. (more…)
Source : rockpapershotgun.com
