The excitement starts in February. By the middle of March it has reached a high peak. Bets are placed. Prizes go to the person who sees the first buzzard. Radio stations and newspapers tell of the coming festival Pupils in Hinckley's school draw buzzard pictures and put them up in on the halls of the school and on the weekend after March 15 the people of Hinckley hold their Buzzard festival. There are no bright banners and balloons. No bands march up and down the streets. There is just a big sign on e road to tell of the festival. Some small signs have cartoon drawings of " Buzzy Buzzard" on them. Pancakes and sausages are served. And that's about it. The people come and look around. They chat. They eat their fill of pancakes and sausages. Then they get into their cars and drive past Buzzard's Roost on Hinckley Ridge. A lot of them stop near the road at the stand set up to give information to visitors. There they can hear, from a recording, the main facts about the buzzard. They can see a stuffed buzzard. They can look at some pictures taken of buzzards in other years. With good luck and a strong pair of field glasses they may sight one or two live buzzards high n the sky Buzzards may be ugly They may be flying garbage cans But in Hinckley they are just as welcome as the swallows are in Capistrano. They are as important as emus are to the Australians, or storks to the Dutch and Germans. It would be a sad spring in deed if the buzzards ever failed to come back to Hinckley Ridge.