Daily Nature Log ✍️
    A crisp 19°C start today, though the wind dropped the “feels like” down to 17°C.
    Starting off near the recreation ground, a fearless lone crow barely batted an eye as I passed him pecking at the fresh-cut lawn beneath the pines, while a wood pigeon beat a retreat over the hedge. High above, a dozen more corvids made a beeline for the golf course. Rounding Cemetery Drive, the neighborhood’s ‘friendly’ Pitbull gave his usual greeting from atop the trampoline, wagging his tail obligingly for a photo.

     In the cemetery, a female blackbird darted into a rowan tree as a flock of startled wood pigeons scattered toward the top field, and a solitary white butterfly danced along the hedgerow. Catching the evening sun, I managed a couple of quick shots of rooks sweeping over the open fields.

   Finishing up by the leisure centre, ten feral pigeons lined the rooftop alongside a wandering gull, while Dolly Parton—the resident feline favourite—was sound asleep under the brambles.

Stats:
Distance: 1.77 miles
Time: 38 minutes
Heart Points: 22.

Daily Nature Log ✍️
    A warm breeze and weak sunshine greeted me at 19°C, though the wind brought a cooler 17°C feel. Heading towards the recreation ground, the sweet fragrance of a blooming Viburnum filled the air, matched nearby by two holly trees laden with vibrant scarlet berries. The fresh scent of freshly cut grass drifted out from beneath the roadside pines as I passed.

    At the park, a couple was out with their black Labrador and Bull Terrier, whilst at Cemetery Drive, the usual ‘friendly’ Pitbull came bounding across its garden, leaping onto the trampoline with enthusiastic barks and a wagging tail. Further along, the rich, autumn scent of decaying windfalls hung heavy under the crab apple trees.

    At the top end of the cemetery, a line of rooks posed neatly along a telegraph wire for a quick photo. Over the golf course, four crows circled the hill, prompting another pause with the camera. Reaching the leisure centre, 18 feral pigeons lined the roof edge alongside two settled corvids, while a lone gull drifted overhead and sparrows darted through a hawthorn shrub opposite the care home. In the distance, an acquaintance was out exercising his two Cairn Terriers.

Today I walked for 1.9 miles in 40 minutes.

Google Fit awarded me 20 heart points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️
    A pale sun filtered through the overcast sky as I set off in 19°C air, though the breeze kept the real feel to a cooler 17°C. A familiar white Great Pyrenees watched from a neighbour’s window, setting a quiet, observant tone for the trek.

    At the recreation ground, wildlife was out in force: a pair of magpies and five jackdaws pecked across the grass beneath the pines, while a pair of wood pigeons claimed nearby rooftops. Near the Cemetery Road entrance, a black-and-white cat slunk into the hedgerow on a predatory patrol, and two sparrows darted through a lush tangle of trees framing the cemetery gate.

    A terrier’s sharp bark inside the park triggered a deep-throated reply from the unseen ‘friendly’ Pitbull nearby. As I stepped onto the cemetery pathways, six wood pigeons scattered into the air, while a thirty-strong colony of rooks wheeled above the rookery, filling the canopy with loud cawing.

Looping back past the leisure centre, six feral pigeons lined the rooftop, and further along, a gull and wood pigeon shared opposite ends of their usual roof perch. Passing a lady with a brown-and-white Jack Russell brought the walk to a pleasant close.

Stats
Distance: 2.27 miles
Time: 49 minutes
Heart Points: 24.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️
    The sun was shining beautifully at 5:00 pm today as I set out in a gentle, 18°C northwest breeze.

    Twenty rooks were feeding on the recreation ground grass, and nearby lay the shattered half of a white bird’s egg—the remains of a predator’s afternoon raid. At Cemetery Drive, the local ‘friendly’ Pitbull stood on his trampoline, peering over the fence to offer a single bark and a tail wag as I passed.

     Inside the cemetery, woodpigeons clattered noisily into the sky. I made my way to the top field, where a lady was walking a Cockapoo-type dog, and captured a photograph of the bright afternoon sun spilling across the fields.
  Heading back along Cemetery Drive, a blackbird pecked beneath the hedge while a pair of sparrow-sized birds darted across the road.

    I snapped a photograph of some scarlet rosebuds, with a pure white bindweed flower peeking out. Sadly the bindweed was entwined around the rosebush.
   Further along the main road, another dog walker passed with a Pekingese.
   Reaching the leisure centre, I counted at least thirty feral pigeons lined up along the roof edge, joined by a single juvenile herring gull. Just opposite, a solitary common gull claimed its usual perch atop a nearby roof.

Stats:
Distance: 2.16 miles
Duration: 47 minutes
Heart Points: 25

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️

    The sun blazed down from an almost cloudless sky, with temperatures hovering around 18°C and a steady 9 mph breeze keeping things fresh. A wood pigeon kept watch from a rooftop as I set off, while a clamorous crow held court in the pine tree by the sports field.

    Circuits around the recreation ground brought me to Cemetery Drive, where the resident ‘friendly’ Pitbull was sound asleep in the garden. Inside the cemetery grounds, rooks circled high above their rookery, wood pigeons scattered at my approach, and a small white butterfly fluttered through the shrubs by the exit gates. Heading back along the drive, the Pitbull was now wide awake and on full alert, accompanied by the persistent bark of an unseen dog nearby.

   Along the roadside, Holm Oaks bulged with fresh acorns alongside pines heavy with green cones and fallen brown ones. Out over the golf course, a lone seagull drifted effortlessly on the wind. I passed a dog walker with a sleek black greyhound. I reached the leisure centre to find thirty feral pigeons dominating the roof—twenty taking flight in a sudden flurry before wheeling back to resettle. Opposite the care home, a flurry of twenty sparrows darted from the brambles to an alder, soon joined by thirty more taking refuge in a nearby hawthorn.

    Overhead, a colony of a hundred rooks filled the treetops, set against a chorus of noisy gulls. Passing a second lady out walking a brown greyhound beneath the pines, I rounded off another fine circuit.

Today I walked for 3.33 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes. Google Fit awarded me 24 heart points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️
    I set off towards the lake under crackling autumn leaves, scattering wood pigeons while squirrels darted tree-to-tree and magpies sparred in the hedgerow. Heading through the woods, past a farmer’s field and under an old railway bridge, I passed ‘Coffee Rush’—clearly the local hotspot for a canine crowd, with dogs resting under tables and trotting on leads.

    Descending the steep slope to the seafront, I was met by high tides and a shimmering blue expanse. Fishermen watched their lines while distant rescue vessels cut across the horizon, the wild beach grass tumbling like sand dunes as far as the eye could see.

    Clambering up to the clifftop nature reserve amongst the gorse and ferns, I spotted a blue tit diving into an alder before looping back through the woods, passing a colourful procession of dog walkers, spaniels, a Rottweiler, and a pair of lively Lhasa Apsos.

Daily Stats
Distance: 3.0 miles
Duration: 1 hour 5 minutes
Google Fit: 33 Heart Points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️

Feathers, Fins, and Morning Tea
    Margaret and I set off together for her exercise session, strolling across the grass to the wooden platform extending over the lake. Nearby on the bank, the swan family had assembled in full, giving Margaret a lovely vantage point to take a few photographs while resting on a bench.

     We then wandered back through the grounds into the ornamental garden. Margaret settled near the large fish pond, though the murky water initially obscured the carp swimming beneath. Luckily, a member of the grounds staff arrived to scatter handfuls of fish food, bringing the carp surging to the surface just long enough for me to capture a few photos.

     Back at the chalet, we settled in for a welcome cup of tea and biscuits. Our mid-morning break was brightened by a handsome little robin that landed nearby, posing obligingly for our cameras.

     Leaving Margaret to rest, I set out to complete the rest of my daily loop. The path led past impressive weeping willow trees sweeping low over the ground.
   Down by the water, a solitary crow pecked at the turf, while a trio of Egyptian geese—two goslings and a parent—doodled near the edge. Mallards lounged along the grassy bank, and a light-brown female floated peacefully on the water.      

    Alder trees towered over the surrounding reeds and bulrushes, where the swan family had gathered once more to preen, alongside a pair of handsome moorhens.
   I looped back to the chalet to rejoin Margaret, greeted once again by our friendly robin hopping about outside the door.

Stats
Distance: 2.21 miles
Duration: 54 minutes
Google Fit Heart Points: 3
Flora & Trees: Weeping Willow, Alder, Reeds, Bulrushes
Fauna & Wildlife: Mute Swan, Robin, Carp, Crow, Egyptian Goose (2 goslings, 1 parent), Mallard, Moorhen

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.

Daily Nature Log ✍️
A Birthday Daily Walk
    I started my walk around our favourite lake at 5:00 pm today, stepping out into a mild 18°C breeze. Taking the grassy path down under the canopy of tall trees, I was greeted by squirrels scrambling up thick trunks, while corvids, moorhens, and mallard ducks pecked away at the grass. I paused to snap a couple of Egyptian geese near a small, reed-fringed island and captured some fresh water mint growing along the bank. Crossing the small bridge, I paused for a few shots across the water, though half the lake’s surface was unfortunately veiled in a thick growth of mossy weed.

     The trail wound past grand, aged timber—oak, beech, sycamore, and chestnuts—interspersed with sprawling rhododendrons. The pathway crunched underfoot with beech mast and sweet chestnut husks, where a magpie with a striking bright blue streak on its feathers was busy foraging. Suddenly, a female muntjac deer materialised on the path; I managed a quick photo before she vanished into the shrubs.

    Nearby, a male pheasant strolled calmly across the grass before disappearing into the foliage, while a large family of mallards glided in formation across the water.

     To my delight, our resident swan pair was out with six large, brown cygnets—bringing the family to an impressive eight. Further along, a squirrel crept down an oak, wood pigeons landed nearby, and shy moorhens darted back and forth. Mallards and gulls drifted across the surface searching for grubs, with one male mallard proudly perched on a rock, seemingly posing for the camera.

    After watching a pair of rabbits grazing—one bold enough to stay while the other bolted—I rounded the end of the lake, where high bulrushes and tall reeds framed a final view of feeding waterfowl.

Walk Statistics:
Distance: 2.39 miles
Duration: 48 minutes
Google Fit: 8 Heart Points.

Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.