Daily Nature Log
I began my daily walk at 5:00 PM today; the air temperature was 21°C (about 70°–71°F) with steady northwest winds around 18 mph and gusts peaking up to roughly 32 mph. The strong wind was blowing straight towards me, almost knocking me off my feet!
When I began walking around the outskirts of the recreation ground, I photographed a healthy-looking milk thistle growing well despite the recent drought. I also snapped a spread of yarrow flowers standing out in the centre of the sun-scorched brown grass.
Reaching the entrance to the cemetery road, I spotted a holly blue butterfly settled on some brambles — a real stroke of luck to capture a photo of such an active little creature. Nearby, the usually prolific blackberry bushes were covered in dried-up fruit, another stark casualty of the dry spell.
The gusty wind howling through the leaves of the holm oaks sounded just like waves rolling onto the seashore.
As I entered the cemetery, several wood pigeons scattered into the air. Beside the allotment site, a row of pine trees was shaken so fiercely by the gale it felt like an audience’s ripple of applause swelling to a crescendo at the end of a performance. Above, five screaming gulls were effortlessly gliding on the wind with wings outstretched.
Rounding off the walk, I passed the leisure centre where a solitary feral pigeon held court on the edge of the rooftop, while a black-headed gull pecked at the dry turf on the rec. Over on the town football ground, a large sprayer was blasting a powerful jet of water across the green grass, shared by three corvids, a wood pigeon, and another gull getting their evening meal.
Finally, I noticed the adopted Leisure Centre cat, ‘Dolly Parton’, comfortable in a patch of long grass.
Daily Stats
Start Time 5:00 PM
Distance 2.12 miles
Duration 46 minutes
Temperature 21°C (70°–71°F)
Wind NW 18 mph (Gusts to ~32 mph)
Heart Points 17 (Google Fit)
Key Wildlife
Holly blue butterfly, wood pigeons, corvids, black-headed gulls, feral pigeon
Flora Highlights
Milk thistle, yarrow, dried-up blackberry bushes, holm oaks, pine trees.
Copyright ©️ Text, photographs and videos Written by John Yeo – All rights reserved.
