Daily Nature Log: 24 March 2026

Weather and Atmosphere

The temperature ‘felt like’ 5°C to 6°C, despite actual air temperatures being slightly higher, due to light-to-moderate winds from the east-south-east or southwest. Afternoon wind speeds reached 19–24 mph (30–39 km/h), making the effective temperature significantly colder than the ambient temperature of roughly 9°C–14°C.

The Walk

A powerful, gusty wind was blowing when I left the house to begin my daily walk. I decided to walk in the opposite direction today and was amazed at how many blue Grape Hyacinth plants were in flower everywhere. They were growing in many private front gardens and along the grassy banks and borders; it’s obvious that these lovely floral delights spread like wildfire wherever they begin to grow. I also noticed a profusion of different varieties of blue Greater Periwinkle plants in flower under the hedges and on the borders.

Several rooks were feeding on the school playing field when I walked by, as most of the students had left by this time. I passed a lady walking a black Cockapoo-type dog as I made my way along Campion Way. When I reached the end of the road, I could hear the rooks in the cemetery rookery making a lot of noise. It’s amazing how far their loud, harsh calls travel.

Observations & Encounters

I took a short cut through a gap in the hedge in Foxglove Lane into the recreation ground and walked around to the entrance to the cemetery road. When I entered the cemetery, I began to walk along the central pathway, where I photographed a few rooks flying around above the rookery. A couple of wood pigeons flew off in alarm as I turned towards the cemetery entrance.

I noticed several gulls flying around as I approached the leisure centre road. Six jackdaws landed on the recreation centre rooftop and began playfully hopping around the edges. At least ten sparrows were flying around and perched inside the hawthorn hedge adjoining the care home, and a single sparrow flew up towards the leisure centre rooftop.

Finally, I met my friend Jonathan walking Jack, his Border Collie, and stopped to have an interesting chat with him.

Activity Summary

Distance: 2.68 miles

Duration: 1 hour, 0 minutes

Heart Points: 24 Google Fit points

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