The sun was baking at 30°C earlier, but by 7:00 pm, a gentle breeze made the 26°C air quite pleasant. Right at the start, a herring gull on a nearby rooftop was making a loud fuss—no doubt claiming ownership over some back garden scraps.

   Strolling down Foxglove Lane, I spotted a pair of wood pigeons under the pine trees and a large cabbage white butterfly dancing over the clover. The real surprise, though, was the recreation ground: nearly 100 corvids were feasting on the grass, scattering in all directions as I rounded the playing field. Nearby, a small cabbage white and a meadow brown darted around the daisies and purple mallow.

   At the cemetery road, the “friendly” Pitbull Terrier was flat out in his garden. Not a single warning or welcoming bark today; the poor chap was clearly beaten by the heat. Moving past the allotments, the familiar cooing of a wood pigeon echoed from the Holm Oaks.

   I took a shortcut through the new wildflower area—disturbing a few more butterflies—before hitting the main road. Suddenly, my bare arms were covered in tiny black midges, likely shaken from the care home’s privet hedge, though they brushed off easily enough. Turning onto the leisure centre road, I counted seven feral pigeons on the roof, whilst two more woodpigeons and a sparrow bolted as I approached the cricket pavilion.

The Stats

Distance: 1.92 miles

Time: 43 minutes

Google Fit: 25 Heart Points.

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

Daily Nature Log: Felbrigg Hall

   Leaving Margaret happily settled in the Squire’s Pantry with a pot of tea and a cheese scone, I set off into the impressive National Trust grounds. The outdoor seating area was lively; a large Poodle strolled past, while a flock of bold jackdaws hopped between the tables scavenging for scraps—a cheeky role usually reserved for feral pigeons.
   I struck out across the great open field toward Felbrigg Lake, walking through a vibrant carpet of millions of yellow buttercups and purple clover. The livestock were absent, though they had left plenty of dried reminders behind. Seeing a fellow walker stoop to clean up after his brown spaniel, I thought to myself: ‘Ingrained habits are hard to resist.’

   My phone camera got a proper workout. I captured a fine patch of purple musk thistles by a stand of trees, a distant herd of sheep, and a solitary swan on the far side of the lake near a bed of bulrushes. I stood transfixed watching beautiful, shimmering blue damselflies skimming the water—later research identified them as male demoiselles. Amidst the nettles, large bird’s-foot-trefoil and blue speedwell grew in abundance, attracting a wonderful flurry of butterflies and moths. Loop complete, I headed back to the hall to rejoin Margaret at the pantry.
Activity Stats
Distance: 2.28 mil
Duration: 52 minutes
Google Fit: 22 Heart Points

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

Wild Walk 🥾
   When I started out on my walk today, the actual air temperature was around 19°C to 22°C, but the “feels-like” temperature (or wind chill) made it feel closer to 16°C to 18°C due to the breezy conditions.
   I made my way to the recreation ground and began to walk around the outskirts of the sports field.
    I noticed a Meadow Brown butterfly settled on some purple comfrey flowers and I took a quick photograph. The comfrey plants were surrounded by many white field bindweed flowers.

  There was a single rook pecking at the grass on the playing field. I continued along my way to the cemetery road entrance, where I noticed a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly settled on a patch of nettles. I reached for my mobile phone camera to take a picture but sadly the butterfly quickly flew away.
   Several corvids and wood pigeons were scattered around on the grass verges in the cemetery when I walked through.
   I entered the field at the top end of the cemetery, which appeared to be empty of birdlife.
   Many corvids were settled and feeding around the young trees planted by the farmer in the next field. This is planned to become a natural wood in a few years’ time.

On my way to the cemetery exit I noticed quite a few small Comma butterflies flying around and settled on some lavender plants in full flower.
   As I walked along the cemetery road towards the leisure centre, I noticed the privet hedges were covered in large white bindweed flowers and some wild dog roses.
   A single gull and several feral pigeons were perched on the leisure centre rooftop.
   A sparrow dived for cover into the hawthorn hedge adjoining the care home and two more sparrows were settled on the top of a garden fence.
Today I walked for 2.43 miles in 53 minutes.
Google Fit awarded me 24 heart points.

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

The Daily Log

   A crisp breeze off the North Sea kept the 19°C afternoon feeling a touch cooler as the walk began. Across the road, a rare sight: the neighborhood indoor cat—black with a white bib—was actually sitting out on the doorstep. Turning into Foxglove Lane, a lone magpie pecked beneath the pines, while over on the recreation ground, a solo corvid was suddenly joined by a squadron of four flying in near-perfect formation.

   Down cemetery road, the resident pitbull terrier gave his usual loud, tail-wagging welcome, posing perfectly on his trampoline for a quick photograph.

Hello!

   The peace of the cemetery’s central path didn’t last long. A single rook sounded a piercing alarm, triggering a chain reaction across the trees. In an instant, a mass exodus of crows, rooks, jackdaws, and wood pigeons erupted into the sky. The commotion flushed out the absolute highlight of the day: a muntjac deer, which bolted into a neighboring garden, its white tail bobbing frantically. At the top field, a second flock of rooks took flight, but the exit was beautifully soundtracked by a male blackbird pouring out melody from the pines.

  The return leg past the leisure centre was quieter—a few feral pigeons patrolling the rooftops and a flurry of sparrows diving headfirst into the brambles by the football pitch, capped off with a friendly smile from a dog-walker.

Sighting of the Day: Muntjac deer

Daily Stats

Distance 2.71 miles

Duration: 1 hour

Google Fit: 24 Heart Points

Temperature: 18°C – 20°C (RealFeel 16°C – 18°C)

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

Daily Nature Log: The Walk
   The sun was shining beautifully when I started out on my daily walk today. The actual air temperature was hovering around 17°C, but with westerly winds blowing at 18–22 mph, it felt closer to 15°C.
   A single crow was pecking around on the grassy area in Foxglove Lane alongside a male blackbird. Both rapidly took flight as I approached. As I passed the children’s playground and entered the recreation ground, I disturbed a pair of magpies that quickly flew away, flapping their wings wildly. I began to walk around the outskirts of the ground, where I noticed a young lady with a small, white Cockapoo-type dog leaving through a gap in the hedge.

   When I arrived at the entrance to the cemetery road, I spotted a meadow brown butterfly fluttering around the wildflowers. In a nearby garden, the resident Pitbull was completely preoccupied, playing with a football and its young owner. I passed quietly by and entered the cemetery, where two wood pigeons were resting in the shade of a tree adjoining the entrance. The rookery in the corner was quiet today, with just a few birds drifting around the treetops.
   Walking along the central pathway, I spotted several jackdaws and a couple of wood pigeons feeding on the grass verges. When I reached the empty field at the top of the cemetery, a large flock of birds was spread out feeding on the grass. The majority were rooks, punctuated by several jackdaws and a few wood pigeons. They all took flight the moment I entered, and within seconds, there wasn’t a single bird left in sight. I walked over to the wildflower bank in the corner, where I managed to photograph a meadow brown and a painted lady butterfly resting on the blooms.

    Making my way to the cemetery gates, I left the cemetery road via a new public pathway. This area boasts a large wildflower field teeming with corn marigolds, poppies, field mallow, and assorted natural plants. I snapped a few photographs here before heading towards the leisure centre.

A large herring gull swooped down to the pavement right in front of me as I walked along the leisure centre road. The bird proceeded to calmly preen its wings before flying up to settle on the rooftop, where it joined two feral pigeons. Continuing on my way, I spotted the same young lady from earlier; her Cockapoo-type dog was now walking alongside another lady and a black greyhound.

Activity Stats
MetricDetails
Distance3.19 miles
Duration1 hour, 12 minutes
Google Fit23 Heart Points

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

A blustery 16°C start today, with 20 mph winds making it feel closer to 14°C. Headed down Foxy Lane, passing a yellow Labrador under the pines before skirting the recreation ground, where a massive flock of about 50 rooks were busy feeding.

Reached the cemetery road to the usual soundtrack of a Pitbull Terrier barking in its garden, then slipped through the cemetery gates. My arrival sent a magpie and a nearby blackbird packing, leaving the grass verges to a mix of corvids and wood pigeons. Up at the top field, another flock of pigeons and corvids scattered instantly. Turning back, I watched a lone herring gull put on a masterclass in gliding overhead, while a tiny dunnock darted into the safety of a hedge.

Walked past the leisure centre—where six feral pigeons were billing and cooing on the roof—and noticed a lone foxglove along the road had finally gone to seed. Over at the town football ground, I paused to photograph a great mixed avian flock of ten rooks, three gulls, and a couple of wood pigeons. Near the playground, sparrows were diving in and out of the hawthorn and elderberry shrubs.

Exchanged greetings with a lady walking a black Labrador just as the walk wrapped up. The absolute highlight, though, was waiting for me right at home: a beautiful red-legged partridge pecking around our own garden borders!

The Stats
Distance: 1.94 miles
Time: 42 minutes
Google Fit: 24 heart points
Sighting of the Day: The garden-visiting red-legged partridge

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

The Narrative
   The afternoon sat at a breezy 16°C, though a 10–15 mph westerly wind dropped the real feel closer to 13°C. Still, the sun made regular appearances, and the rain held off.
   The walk began with a grim sight: a pigeon that had sadly fallen victim to roadkill near the recreation ground. Things picked up at the town football ground, where a flock of rooks was busy foraging on the turf. Entering the recreation ground, I crossed paths with a family walking a large, white-muzzled poodle. Beyond them, a cricket match was in full swing, quietly observed by a spectator and their exceptionally well-behaved black Labrador. In the hedge bordering the cemetery, a lively flock of about 10 sparrows darted in and out of the brush.

   Stepping through the cemetery gates, I caught the quick flash of a dunnock diving for cover under a shrub. A solitary wood pigeon watched from a nearby ledge, while various corvids patrolled the grassy verges along the central pathway.
   At the top of the cemetery, the empty field was a bustling avian dining room. Wood pigeons heavily outnumbered the local rooks and jackdaws, while another dunnock worked the base of the hedgerow. A lone, hefty herring gull took flight the moment I appeared, triggering a chain reaction.

    Within minutes, my presence cleared the field; the wood pigeons and jackdaws scattered to the winds, leaving only a stubborn line of rooks sentry-perched on the distant telegraph wires.
   Heading back down the cemetery road, the wind had whipped up a proper roar, whistling fiercely through the holm oaks and pine needles overhead. After pausing to photograph a charming little pocket of wildflowers by the main road, I reached the leisure centre. There, an unlikely trio—a feral pigeon, a corvid, and a gull—sat perfectly lined up along the rooftop to see me home.

Metric activity Log
Distance 1.7 miles
Duration 35 minutes
Google Fit Effort 24 Heart Points
Weather 16°C (Felt like 13–14°C), windy but dry with sunny intervals
Key Sightings
Rooks, Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons,

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

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

 

The Daily Narrative
   Today’s 13°C felt more like a damp, chilly 11°C, thanks to a 13-mph southwesterly breeze and 76% humidity under heavy, overcast skies. I dodged the looming downpour by heading out early.
   Along the recreation ground, a couple sneaked in a walk with their lively grey Schnauzer before the weather turned. Nearby, a lone corvid pecked at the damp grass, whilst poppies in a wild patch stood wide open, seemingly ready to catch the rain.
   At the cemetery, a blackbird dashed for cover under a hedge, whilst rooks from the rookery called softly to one another amongst the grass. Heading past the leisure centre, I snapped a bank of wildflowers—a vibrant mix of corn marigolds, poppies, daisies, docks, and mallows—though a lone foxglove looked rather past its best. A single sparrow zipped past the cricket pavilion towards the leisure centre roof as I wrapped up the loop.

Clean Stats
Distance: 1.74 miles
Duration: 36 minutes
Google Fit: 28 heart points

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