Daily Nature Log
Date: 21 January 2026
Route/Location: Cows Lane, Recreation Field, and the Cemetery

🌿 Wildlife & Flora Observations
Birds: Wood pigeons (perched on Cowslip Lane and near the allotment site); a group of six partridges near the allotment gates (my “sight of the day”).
Plants: Large, green, leafy Alexander shoots (invasive) on the recreation field banks and behind the five-a-side pitch.
Domestic Animals: A brown Labrador and a friend’s white pug.

🌤 Weather Conditions
General: Heavy rain for most of the day with a break in the early afternoon.
Temperature: 6–7°C (felt like 3–4°C due to wind chill).
Wind: 13–19 mph with strong, sharp gusts.

📝 Field Notes
I entered the cemetery and began walking along the main pathway; a couple of wood pigeons suddenly flew up rapidly from the ground towards the trees alongside the allotment site. I noticed a couple walking a brown Labrador at the top of the cemetery that started barking loudly as I drew near. The lady owner grinned and shouted, ‘Don’t worry, he’s just being friendly.’ I couldn’t help thinking that was a loud, aggressive way to show canine friendship.
The highlight was seeing the partridges. They were spread out just inside the allotment gateway with their long necks stretched out before they spotted me and took flight.

🏃 Activity Stats
Distance: 1.65 miles
Duration: 34 minutes
Heart Points: 28

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

Daily Nature Log

Daily Nature Log
Date: 20 January 2026
Route: Foxy Lane, Recreation Ground, and Cemetery

🌤️ Conditions
Temperature: 7°C to 8°C
Wind Chill: Approximately 4°C
Weather Notes: A strong, cold breeze was blowing which pierced my coat and gloves.

📝 Observations & Narrative
  I started my daily nature walk slightly later today. I met a young man walking two small dogs on leads and stopped to ask him what breeds they were. One of the dogs started barking furiously; it turned out to be a Jack Russell, and the other was a black Pug, which promptly joined in with the canine chorus.
  I continued along my way and turned into Foxy Lane, where I passed a family walking a spaniel. I thought perhaps today was going to be a ‘canine day’ due to the later time of my walk. In the recreation ground, I spotted a pair of magpies flying towards the pine trees, and a wood pigeon flew over the adjacent fence into the cemetery.
  When I arrived at the cemetery road entrance, my ‘friend,’ the pit bull terrier, began barking loudly from his normal position on the trampoline in his garden. This disturbed me somewhat, as I thought we had moved past this aggressive behaviour in our ongoing, distant relationship.
  Inside the cemetery, I disturbed three wood pigeons who instantly took off in various directions. I couldn’t resist taking another couple of photographs of the early snowdrops growing near the gates. On the way back, I passed another couple walking a poodle-type dog.

📸 Sightings
Birds: Magpies (pair), Wood pigeons (4)
Flora: Early snowdrops
Dogs: Jack Russell, Black Pug, Spaniel, Pit bull terrier, Poodle-type.

🏃 Activity Stats
Distance: 1.68 miles
Duration: 35 minutes
Google Fit: 21 Heart Points.

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

Wild Walk .🥾
   I started my daily walk along the usual route. When I reached Cowslip Lane, I met a man I had met before walking his two Cairn Terriers. I passed the time of day with him, discussing how he was allegedly recently ripped off by a vet when one of his dogs became unwell.
  I began to walk around the outskirts of the recreation ground, where I noticed a black-and-white bird feeding on the grass. At first, I thought it was a magpie, but I quickly realised it was too big to be one and took a close-up photograph. Later, Google Lens identified it as an oystercatcher. Apparently, it is quite common to see them foraging on green areas during the breeding season.
  Several sparrows were flying along the hedgerows bordering the cemetery, and a blackbird flew towards a thick, bushy shrub. 
  I began walking along the pathways in the cemetery, and a pair of wood pigeons rapidly flew away as I approached.
As I left the cemetery, I noticed a tiny wren taking shelter in a leafless shrub.
A single jackdaw was perched on a rooftop when I completed my walk. Today, I walked for 1.66 miles in 34 minutes,

~~~~

Daily Nature Log

Date: 18 January 2026
Route: Cows Lane, Recreation Ground, and Cemetery.
Distance/Time: 1.66 miles / 34 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 21 heart points.

Weather

The teamperature was around 4°C, but due to a southwesterly wind of about 11 mph  it felt much colder.

Species Observation Notes

Cairn Terriers–Two dogs being walked by a local acquaintance.
Oystercatcher–Black and white; larger than a magpie; foraging on the grass.
Sparrows— Several seen flying along the cemetery hedgerows.
Blackbird– Flew into a thick, bushy shrub.
Wood Pigeons–A pair that flew away quickly upon approach.
Wren–Tiny; sheltering in a leafless shrub near the cemetery exit.
Jackdaw–Perched on a rooftop at the end of the walk.

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

   I commenced my daily walk slightly later than usual today, and I had an enjoyable time. I managed to capture a nice photograph of the sunset on my way round.
  When I arrived at the start of Cows Lane, I noticed a wood pigeon and a blackbird perched on the top ridge of one of the houses. A solitary magpie was sitting on a rooftop a little further along the way.
  I met a man I have met before walking his small white Pug, and we greeted each other as we passed.
  I entered the recreation ground and began walking around the outskirts of the cricket field towards the cemetery entrance. I noticed the topmost branches of the trees in the rookery were full of rooks. Then, with a sudden explosive clamour of sound, a black cloud of rooks rose into the air and began noisily calling to one another.
  My Pitbull canine friend was seated on the top of his trampoline, quietly watching me and impassively twitching his ears as I passed. I noticed a tabby cat walking along the top of a fence two doors away, and I wondered how the Pitbull would have reacted if he had seen it.
  I entered the cemetery and quickly walked to the farmer’s field at the top end, as I wanted to take a photograph of the sunset before the sun disappeared. I took a couple of nice photographs before it almost set completely behind the clouds on the horizon.
  I continued along my way and then noticed a feral pigeon on the roof of the leisure centre.
  When I reached Foxy Lane, I saw a lady with a Bull Terrier on the grassy area underneath the pine trees.
Today I walked for 1.95 miles in 42 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 25 heart points.

STATISTICS

Date: 17 January 2026

Distance: 1.95 miles

Duration: 42 minutes

Heart Points: 25

Wildlife Observations:

• Birds: Wood pigeon, blackbird, solitary magpie, rooks (in the rookery), feral pigeon.
• Other: Tabby cat.

Domestic Animals:

• Small white Pug, Pitbull (on a trampoline), Bull Terrier.

Route Notes & Highlights:

• Started at Cows Lane, moved through the recreation ground and cricket field to the cemetery.
• Witnessed a “black cloud” of rooks taking flight with an explosive clamour.
• Captured photographs of the sunset from the farmer’s field before the sun dipped below the horizon.
  

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

A Frosty Friday at the Golf Club

The Main Attraction

Found a beautiful splash of blue today! Google Lens identified these as Greater Periwinkle, brightened up my morning walk near the golf course.🌸

Coastal Views

The tide was right out this morning, revealing a vast sandy stretch. Nothing beats that fresh clifftop air. 🌊

Nature’s Details

Winter’s touch: a delicate frosty covering on the wood-mallow leaves along the clifftop pathway. ❄️

Local Residents

Love is in the air! It was amusing to see the rooks pairing up already. Spring is definitely on the way for the local birdlife. 🐦

The Journey Home

Finishing the walk with some vibrant yellow gorse. 2.56 miles and 25 Heart Points later, I’m feeling refreshed! 👟

#NatureLog #BirdWatching #GreaterPeriwinkle #ActiveNatureWalk #BritishWildlife #CoastalWalk

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

When I commenced my daily nature walk today, the temperature was around 7–8°C, but with the wind, it felt colder—often dropping to 0–4°C. Strong south-easterly winds of approximately 25–35 mph made it feel much chillier.
  Our hebe shrubs along the hedge in front of the house are still full of purple flowers. These flowers are usually a good source of pollen for bees in the spring and summer; unfortunately, this is not the case in winter. However, they still look colourful and cheerful on the shrubs at this time of year.
   In Cows Lane, I noticed a wood pigeon perched on a rooftop, making a loud, continuous territorial warble. As I began to walk around the outskirts of the recreation field, I found the grass was soft and slightly damp from intermittent showers and a heavy frost last night.
  I also spotted a pair of magpies flying around a row of pine trees bordering the new houses adjacent to the playing field, while a single gull flew high overhead towards the golf course.
  When I reached the entrance leading to the cemetery road, the friendly Pitbull Terrier was seated on the trampoline in his garden. I am sure he is used to me passing by now, as he no longer barks; he simply sits looking impassively at me as I walk by.
   Near the cemetery gates, a large number of rooks were flying above the rookery. A male blackbird hastily hopped under a nearby shrub, and a pair of blue tits fled into the bushy hedgerow as I passed. Further on, a herring gull was feeding on the golf course grass, and a couple of feral pigeons were perched on the leisure centre roof. To finish the walk, I saw another stationary wood pigeon on a rooftop in Cows Lane.
Statistics:
Distance: 1.99 miles
Duration: 42 minutes
Activity: 23 Google Fit Heart Points

   I started out on my daily walk early again today. The temperature felt like around 4°C with a moderate southwesterly breeze of about 14–15 mph; this made it feel cooler than the air temperature, with gusts also present. The actual air temperature was around 7°C, but the “feels like” temperature accounted for the wind chill. Fortunately, the earlier light rain showers had stopped and the air smelt fresh and clean.

Wildlife Observations
  Blackbirds: One flew into a bushy shrub near Foxglove Lane; another flew rapidly away near the recreation ground, and a male hopped under a shrub near the cemetery.
  Fieldfares: To my surprise and delight, I noticed a large group of blackbird-sized birds feeding on the grass and flying along the cemetery hedge. Google Lens later identified them as Fieldfares.
   Greenfinches: At the cemetery gates, I saw a flock of about 20 small birds. I managed some close-up photographs, and Google Lens identified them as    Greenfinches.
    Rooks: They were loudly and excitedly quarrelling (or perhaps happily communicating) with their harsh, guttural calls.
   Wood Pigeons: One was perched atop a tall shrub. Later, on Cows Lane, I noticed five separate “sentinel” pigeons on five separate rooftops—likely a territorial sign of spring being just around the corner.

  Notes & Sightings
I passed my friendly neighbour, a Pitbull Terrier, who was quietly seated on his garden trampoline.
Near the leisure centre, I also passed a man walking a brown spaniel-type dog.
Activity Summary
Distance: 2.0 miles
Time: 43 minutes
Intensity: 23 Google Fit heart points

I discovered an interesting, unusual Fungus, growing in our garden today. I was removing some overgrown African daisies and this amazing looking fungus appeared growing underneath. I removed it and took some photographs and Google Lens later identified it as a Collared Earth Star fungi. As I was gently handling it, it puffed out a mist of reproductive spores.

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

Date: 12 January 2026
Time: 14:00
Location: Recreation Ground & Cemetery

Weather Observations:
Temperature: 0°C (Feels like -4°C)
Wind: 9 mph SE (Brisk/Cold)

Wildlife & Nature Notes:
Gull: Seen coasting in the wind near the recreation ground, likely foraging.
Small Birds: Two sparrow-sized birds observed moving from hedges to trees in the cemetery.

Route & Sightings:
Walked the outskirts of the recreation ground and through the cemetery.
Met a neighbour for a chat; saw a spaniel-type dog and a brown Cockapoo.
Observed the local Pitbull Terrier on his trampoline.

Activity Stats:
Distance: 2.69 miles
Duration: 1 hour
Heart Points: 24