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Daily Nature Log:

  It was a brisk day for a walk, with the temperature hovering around 13°C. Despite the partly cloudy skies, a moderate to fresh south-westerly breeze made the air feel significantly cooler than the mercury suggested. With wind speeds reaching up to 23 mph and gusts peaking at 29 mph, I felt practically propelled along my customary route by the sheer force of the air.

  As I arrived at the recreation ground, I observed two rooks pecking at the grass, seemingly unbothered by the weather. My ‘friend,’ the Pitbull Terrier, gave his usual bark as I passed, though he was quickly distracted by a plastic sheet that had been blown into the garden.

  Wildlife was active despite the gusts. I spotted a male blackbird darting for cover, and two wood pigeons struggled to maintain their flight path against the fierce wind. As I headed toward the leisure centre, small flocks of jackdaws began their evening transit toward their communal roost.

   The highlight of the morning was the contrast in sound: the pine trees at the corner of the field whispered with a rhythm like the ocean, while further along the cemetery road, the broad leaves of the Holm Oaks produced a much deeper, resonant thrum. Even the metal fences by the five-a-side pitch joined in, singing in the wind like the low strings of a double-bass.

 I finished the 2.22-mile circuit in 47 minutes, earning 23 Google Fit heart points for the effort.