The air carried a crisp coastal breeze, making the 17°C afternoon feel a touch cooler as I set off. Outside the house, painted lady butterflies and busy bees were making the most of the bright sunshine, feasting on the purple hebe. The local white Maremma sheepdog gave me its usual loud window greeting as I passed, and a tactical squad of six corvids was busy scouring the town football pitch.
   Moving into the recreation ground, the corners were bursting with colour—field mallow and ox-eye daisies soaking up the sun alongside the fading poppy leaves.

    Entering the cemetery, I kicked off a chain reaction of local wildlife drama. First, a pair of wood pigeons panicked, then a lone blackbird hopped for cover. Moments later, something spooked the entire rookery, sending a massive, raucous cloud of rooks and jackdaws swirling into the sky. At the top field, a flock of twenty more birds exploded into the air en masse, the rooks neatly lining up on the nearby telegraph wires like notes on sheet music while a few stubborn jackdaws refused to give up their lunchtime grass spot. Heading back past the leisure centre, four feral pigeons kept watch from the rooftop, and a lone sparrow dashed full-throttle for the cricket pavilion.

Clean Stats
Distance: 2.1 miles
Duration: 47 minutes
Actual Temperature: 16°C – 18°C
Apparent Temperature: 15°C – 17°C
Google Fit: 26 Heart Points
Key Sightings: Painted lady butterflies, bees, Maremma sheepdog, rooks, jackdaws, wood pigeons, blackbird, feral pigeons, a sparrow, field mallow, and ox-eye daisies.

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