The Evening Patrol

   Started out at 6:30 pm into a brisk North Sea breeze—23°C on paper, but a fresher 18°C in reality. A wood pigeon warbled contentedly from a leafy silver birch, keeping watch over the playground as I skirted the recreation ground. Overhead, a half-dozen corvids high-tailed it toward the distant woods, while up above the cemetery, a pair of herring gulls effortlessly wheeled and glided through the air.

   Passing the cemetery road, my regular Pitbull ‘friend’ stood at attention in his garden, silently tracking my progress before deciding I wasn’t a threat and settling back into the grass.

 Cutting through the wildflower garden to the main road, I noticed the blossoms had already tucked themselves in for the night, though the surrounding viburnum hedge was still putting on a brilliant show of white flowers. I turned down toward the leisure centre, where nine feral pigeons and a duo of sparrows had claimed the rooftop. Another lone sparrow dashed into a hawthorn hedge for cover as I neared.

  Right near the finish line, two wood pigeons held absolute formation on separate rooftops—sentinels clearly warning off any feathered interlopers. Just as the boots stopped moving, a male blackbird touched down on a neighbouring lawn to welcome me home.

Nature Log Stats

Distance: 2.24 miles

Duration: 50 minutes

Google Fit: 24 Heart Points.

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