Daily Nature Log: 16 May 2026
The Narrative
   A deceptive start to the day, as bright sunshine and a pleasant warmth masked a moderate 11 to 13 mph breeze blowing in from the west-northwest. Down at the town football ground, a small gathering of corvids prodded at the turf, whilst next door at the recreation ground, the gentle leather-on-willow sound of a cricket match accompanied my walk towards the cemetery.
   Inside the gates, a poignant encounter: a polite gentleman held the entrance for me, cheerfully noting he was there to “have a chat with his son.” He gently revealed his son had passed away in a road accident 17 years ago, aged just 20. After exchanging quiet sympathies, I moved on to the pathways, shadowed by jackdaws on the grass and the guttural-sounding, croaky cacophony of the nearby rookery. Reaching the empty field at the far boundary, my presence triggered a spectacular eruption—a black cloud of about 40 rooks took to the air, voicing their loud, raucous displeasure at my intrusion before leaving me in silence. Heading back, a large white butterfly danced over patches of bird’s-foot trefoil, and a pair of sparrow-sized birds darted into the hedgerow.
   A second pleasant chat with the gentleman at the gates concluded my visit. By the time I returned to the recreation ground, stumps had been drawn and the match was over. A final look up at the leisure centre revealed six feral pigeons and a jackdaw keeping watch on the roof, soon joined by a roving gull. A black Greyhound under the pines and a passing Schnauzer bookended a peaceful, reflective loop.
Clean Stats
Distance: 1.82 miles
Duration: 39 minutes
Weather: 12°C to 15°C, cloudy skies with sunny spells
Wind: NW/W, 11–13 mph
Avian Sightings: Corvids (unspecified), Jackdaws, Rooks (~40), Large White Butterfly, Feral Pigeons (6), Herring Gull, unidentified small birds
Canine Sightings: Greyhound (black), Schnauzer
Fitness: 18 Google Fit Heart Points

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

The Walk Narrative

   The afternoon served up a classic British weather cocktail: a bright, sunny facade masking a biting, northwesterly wind that dropped the ‘feels like’ temperature down to a bracing 4°C. Braced against the intermittent showers, I set out, immediately spotting a pair of wood pigeons executing a perfectly synchronised, side-by-side flypast across the road.

   Down at the town football ground, a six-strong rook committee was busy inspecting the turf. Skirting the recreation ground, my inner investigative journalist took over when I spotted a spectacular, high-pressure leak spurting from the cricket club water tank. I captured the plumbing crisis on camera, but since a couple of local lads were already on the scene, I safely assumed the cricket club’s emergency hotline was already ringing.

   Passing by his domain, my usual friend—the lively resident Pitbull Terrier—surprised me by sitting as quiet as a judge in his garden. Entering the cemetery, the mood shifted to pure spring colour; I took a splendid photograph of a vibrant yellow Laburnum shrub by the gates while a roaring crowd of thirty rooks held a noisy convention in the treetops above. Up at the farmer’s field, a solitary blackbird was ignoring the politics, quietly pecking for tea among the pine cones, surrounded by a carpet of beautiful Bird’s-foot trefoil flowers.

   On the return leg, a tiny wren played peek-a-boo, darting like a bullet into the roadside hedge. My final avian headcount took place at the leisure centre, where six feral pigeons and a lone jackdaw were holding the high ground on the rooftop, casually watching a man and his Terrier-type dog march past the front entrance.

Daily Activity Stats

Metric Detail

Distance 1.87 miles

Duration 40 minutes

Google Fit Points 19 Heart Points

Actual Temperature 8°C to 11°C

Wind Chill (‘Feels Like’) 4°C to 6°C

Weather Conditions Sunny but cold; breezy northwesterly winds & intermittent showers

Notable Wildlife 36 rooks, 2 wood pigeons, 6 feral pigeons, 1 jackdaw, 1 blackbird, 1 wren, and 1 very quiet Pitbull.

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