The mercury hovered around 17°C, but a brisk westerly breeze chopped that down to a chilly 14°C. With ominous black clouds threatening an imminent downpour, I grabbed an umbrella and set out. Along the way, I passed a lady with an elderly black greyhound that was rapidly turning grey.
   Reaching the recreation ground, I skirted the cricket pitch. My ‘friend’ the Pitbull Terrier was in his usual spot—perched like a gargoyle on the garden trampoline, quietly watching me pass with an amiable gaze. At the cemetery entrance, a robin made a cameo on a gatepost before diving headlong into a thick shrub.
   Inside, the avian drama kicked off. Three partridges bolted into the air as I approached, touched down in the adjacent empty field, and sprinted away across the grass at an amazing speed. Overhead, a crowd of rooks took flight alongside a few startled wood pigeons. I paused by the wild bank to snap photos of the dramatic sky over the fields.

Alongside a fertile mix of bird’s-eye trefoil, green alkanet, veronica, and mouse-ear hawkweed.

    Heading for the exit, I was treated to a wonderful aural symphony. On one side, a male blackbird poured his heart into a beautiful territorial solo from a treetop; on the other, the rookery fired back with their customary, guttural rasping.
   On the final stretch past the care home, three sparrows darted from the hawthorn hedge to the leisure centre roof, while a pair of pigeons were happily billing and cooing on the roofline of a new-build house.
Clean Stats
Distance: 2.84 miles
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes
Google Fit: 24 Heart Points

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

The Daily Walk
   The temperature hovered around 14°C, though fresh 15 to 20 mph southerly breezes dropped the ‘feels like’ closer to 12°C. Rain was forecast all day, but it held off just long enough for me to set out—umbrella firmly in hand, just in case.
   Heading towards the recreation ground, a young man passed by with a small white Terrier-type dog. Over on the town football ground, a lone corvid was busy feeding on the turf, joined by three more spread across the rec itself.
   Reaching the entrance to Cemetery Road, I spotted my ‘friendly’ pitbull neighbour flat-out asleep on his garden lawn. The cemetery itself was a hive of activity, seemingly alive with solitary birds feeding in the grass. Rooks kept up a vocal chorus around the rookery, while several jackdaws and wood pigeons mingled at a safe distance from the main assembly.
   At the top of the cemetery, I stepped into the empty field rumoured to be the future site of a woodland cemetery. A younger patch of trees planted a while back is already thriving, and a small white butterfly was busy fluttering along the weedy bank by the allotments. I paused for a couple of photographs: one looking out over the farmer’s fields patchwork-coloured against the horizon, and another capturing the young woodland with the sea gleaming in the distance.
   Turning back towards the gates, I was treated to a spectacular close encounter with a pied wagtail. The bold little bird dropped down right in front of me, almost within touching distance, wagging its tail briefly before darting away.
   My return route took me down Cemetery Road and onto Leisure Centre Road, where six feral pigeons, a gull, and a jackdaw stood in a neat line along the rooftop. A lone sparrow watched from the care home’s hawthorn hedge, and a final group of six corvids fed on the recreation ground, punctuation marks at the end of a splendid active wild nature walk.

Activity Stats
Metric Details
Distance 2.19 miles
Duration 49 minutes
Google Fit 27 Heart Points

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

   The mercury teased a mild 14°C, but a biting northerly wind had other ideas, chopping the real-feel down to a bracing 8°C. Undeterred by the 12 mph breeze, I set off from home to see what the local wildlife (and local residents) were up to.

   Foxy Lane got things started with a wood pigeon making a brisk, aerial dash into the pine trees. Turning towards the recreation field, I found myself trailing a young couple out with their two hounds—a small, white Cockapoo-type and a black spaniel. In an unscripted moment of high drama, the spaniel suddenly decided the grass was the perfect place to deposit his business. Cue the horror-struck lady owner, who swiftly deployed a plastic bag to save the day and clean up the grassy politics.

   Skirting the edges of the recreation ground, I spotted a duo of rooks dining at a distance. Meanwhile, my old friend the Pitbull Terrier was occupying his usual high ground—perched majestically on his garden trampoline—and offered up a couple of mandatory warning barks as I strolled past his kingdom.

   Inside the cemetery, a male blackbird put on quite a performance from an adjacent fence, clucking repetitively and grandly displaying his feathers. More rooks patrolled the grass verges as I pushed through to the far end. But the real spectacle came when I opened the gates to the field: a massive feathered flash mob of about 50 rooks and 10 wood pigeons, mingled with sundry other corvids, exploded into the sky in all directions. The air was thick with a clamorous symphony of avian alarm cries.

   Leaving the commotion behind, I headed towards the leisure centre, where five stoic feral pigeons were lined up on the rooftop like a feathered reception committee to wrap up the trek.

The Stats

Distance: 1.89 miles

Duration: 40 minutes

Google Fit: 23 Heart Points

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

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.

   The North-Northwest wind cut through the morning, making the 10°C air feel nearly half that as it gusted across the recreation ground. Undeterred by the 40 mph blasts, a dozen rooks claimed the football pitch for their breakfast, while jackdaws patrolled the cricket field.
   The walk through the cemetery was a botanical delight; the vibrant yellow of a Laburnum tree stood in stark contrast to the wild, weedy bank where the insects remained tucked away from the gale. Greater stitchwort and bird’s-eye trefoil dotted the grass, though the local corvids weren’t keen on sharing the view, taking flight as soon as a human silhouette appeared. A quick dash by a small bird and a lively Cockapoo provided the final flourishes to a brisk 56-minute trek.

The Stats
Distance: 2.56 miles
Duration: 56 minutes
Intensity: 25 Google Fit Heart Points
Air Temp: 9°C – 11°C
Wind Chill: 5°C – 6°C
Wind Speed: 30–40 mph (NNW)
Key Sightings: Rooks (12+), Jackdaws (7), Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeons (3), Laburnum, Greater Stitchwort, Bird’s-eye Trefoil.

Today, we had two incredibly rare visitors to our garden in the shape of a pair of partridges. This is the first time we have ever seen these beautiful birds in our garden. I took many photographs of them through the kitchen windows. We also saw a pair of collared doves and a pair of dunnocks. Quite a few goldfinches were coming and going to the sunflower seed feeders. Our resident wood pigeon was also around and several feral pigeons. I couldn’t help noticing that the partridges weren’t at all aggressive, like the feral pigeons. A few different species of birds were peacefully feeding at the same time. I took a photograph of the two partridges, the two collared doves and our resident wood pigeon searching for dropped seeds beneath the feeders at the same time.

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

Daily Nature Log: 9 May 2026

   The sun was out, but a 9 mph northeasterly wind kept things brisk, making the 13°C air feel more like 11°C. The walk began on a somber note with a fallen wood pigeon—a casualty of the road—but the natural world quickly picked up the pace.

   At the recreation ground, the thwack of a cricket match provided the backdrop for a lone rook’s flight toward the cemetery rookery.
  Inside the cemetery, the atmosphere was lively; rooks foraged on the grass while the colony overhead made a proper racket. The resident partridges kept their distance on those characteristically tiny legs. Further up, in the farmer’s field, a crowd of thirty rooks took to the sky at my approach, leaving the grass momentarily still.
  Inside the cemetery, the atmosphere was lively; rooks foraged on the grass while the colony overhead made a proper racket. The resident partridges kept their distance on those characteristically tiny legs. Further up, in the farmer’s field, a crowd of thirty rooks took to the sky at my approach, leaving the grass momentarily still.

  The highlight, however, was a flash of pink: a chaffinch darting into a hawthorn shrub, just after two brown moths finished their aerial dance. From greater stitchwort by the wayside to a majestic white Pyrenean sheepdog at the finish, it was a proper showcase of local life.

Daily Template
Weather: 13°C (11°C wind chill), sunny with moderate NE winds.
Wildlife Observations: Wood pigeons, rooks (colony active), partridges, brown moths, chaffinch, jackdaw, gulls, sparrows, and feral pigeons.
Botany: Greater stitchwort.
Distance: 2.05 miles.
Time: 44 minutes.
Activity Reward: 25 Heart Points.
 

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

The Narrative
   The air temperature hovered between 12°C and 13°C, though the moderate north-easterly breeze made it feel significantly cooler—somewhere between 7°C and 11°C. My walk began around the outskirts of the lake, where I captured a striking photograph of a chestnut tree’s upright, white “candle” flowers set against the water.

After checking in on a female swan sitting comfortably on her nest, I continued along the path, passing dozens of rabbits scampering through the sunshine. A jay made a brief appearance on the path ahead before darting off as I drew near.

   Further along, I encountered the cob swan resting on a grassy bank beneath a tree and managed to snap a lovely photo of him.

Reaching the end of the lake, I took a moment to photograph the sheer beauty of the water before leaving the woodland—which was currently blanketed in a carpet of wood anemones.

Gunton lake

I joined the public pathway towards Corton, paused to photograph a vocal robin on a fence post, and admired a massive cherry blossom tree looming over the trail. At the fork in the road, I turned away from Corton, heading back toward Gunton Hall. After a brief encounter with a yellow Labrador and its owner, I re-entered the grounds, spotting a squirrel by an oak tree and a pied wagtail in the field.

I finished the circuit by photographing the cob swan once more, now floating gracefully, and spending some time with the Egyptian geese and their remarkably fluffy goslings.

The Stats
Distance: 2.64 miles
Duration: 58 minutes
Heart Points: 16
Conditions: 12°C–13°C (Wind chill: 7°C–11°C)
Wind: North-easterly, 13–15 mph
Key Sightings: Egyptian geese (with goslings), cob and pen swans, jay, robin, pied wagtail, rabbits, and wood anemones.

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

A Wild Encounter
   The air held a crisp edge as I set out across a field toward the lakeside path. A rowdy congregation of twenty corvids claimed the grass, oblivious to the delicate wild primroses pushing through the rough weeds beneath them. Along the banks, a carpet of bluebells demanded attention; I couldn’t resist pausing to capture their vibrant hue. On the water, large gulls floated in a state of constant, noisy squabbling. Rabbits were everywhere; their bobtails disappeared into bushes and shrubs along the way.

   The highlight of my walk arrived abruptly: a male muntjac deer, antlers held high, blocked my path. We shared a silent moment before I managed a few photos, and then, with a flash of fur, he vanished into the shrubs. As I pressed on, grey squirrels spiralled up ancient trunks, and blackbirds darted beneath the heavy purple canopy of rhododendrons.

   Near a dense thicket of bulrushes, I found a female swan tucked away on her nest, while her mate, the cob, preened himself in solitary indifference further out. Before heading back, I spotted a moorhen guarding five fluffy chicks in a nearby pond. The finale came at the exit, where I met Margaret just in time to see an Egyptian goose parading two spirited goslings across the path.

Daily Stats
Metric Detail
Temperature 12°C–13°C (54°F–55°F)
Wind Speed 7–9 mph (11–14 km/h)
Distance 3.18 miles
Duration 1 hour 12 minutes
Heart Points 19

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