The Narrative
   The shade hit 20°C today, but a brisk westerly wind kept a bit of a bite in the air. Deciding on an early start, I set off along my usual route.
   Right on the outskirts of the recreation ground, a lone male blackbird was busy pecking at the grass. Further along, my ‘friend’ the Pitbull Terrier was out basking in his garden; he didn’t miss a beat, blinking and tracking me closely as I snapped a quick photo.

  Inside the cemetery, a second male blackbird was hopping beneath a hedge, whilst a magpie darted into a large shrub nearby. Up on the ledges, a couple of stone-still wood pigeons refused to move an inch as I walked past. At the top end of the cemetery, the empty field was dotted with corvids and wood pigeons.

My sudden appearance sent a few scattering off to parts unknown. Nearby, a small brown butterfly—suspected to be a comma—was fluttering over a weed-covered bank of wildflowers.
   Heading back out through the gates, a lone gull circled overhead on the scrounge. By the leisure centre, five feral pigeons stood like sentinels along the roofline, briefly joined by a tiny speck of a sparrow. A whole charm of them were busy fluttering through the brambles by the five-a-side pitch.
   To top off a great walk, I swapped greetings with a couple out walking their chocolate Labrador and golden retriever. Another excellent stretch of legs in the books.
Clean Stats
Distance: 2.06 miles
Duration: 45 minutes
Google Fit: 27 Heart Points

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