The mercury teased a mild 14°C, but a biting northerly wind had other ideas, chopping the real-feel down to a bracing 8°C. Undeterred by the 12 mph breeze, I set off from home to see what the local wildlife (and local residents) were up to.

   Foxy Lane got things started with a wood pigeon making a brisk, aerial dash into the pine trees. Turning towards the recreation field, I found myself trailing a young couple out with their two hounds—a small, white Cockapoo-type and a black spaniel. In an unscripted moment of high drama, the spaniel suddenly decided the grass was the perfect place to deposit his business. Cue the horror-struck lady owner, who swiftly deployed a plastic bag to save the day and clean up the grassy politics.

   Skirting the edges of the recreation ground, I spotted a duo of rooks dining at a distance. Meanwhile, my old friend the Pitbull Terrier was occupying his usual high ground—perched majestically on his garden trampoline—and offered up a couple of mandatory warning barks as I strolled past his kingdom.

   Inside the cemetery, a male blackbird put on quite a performance from an adjacent fence, clucking repetitively and grandly displaying his feathers. More rooks patrolled the grass verges as I pushed through to the far end. But the real spectacle came when I opened the gates to the field: a massive feathered flash mob of about 50 rooks and 10 wood pigeons, mingled with sundry other corvids, exploded into the sky in all directions. The air was thick with a clamorous symphony of avian alarm cries.

   Leaving the commotion behind, I headed towards the leisure centre, where five stoic feral pigeons were lined up on the rooftop like a feathered reception committee to wrap up the trek.

The Stats

Distance: 1.89 miles

Duration: 40 minutes

Google Fit: 23 Heart Points

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

Daily Nature Log: 16 May 2026
The Narrative
   A deceptive start to the day, as bright sunshine and a pleasant warmth masked a moderate 11 to 13 mph breeze blowing in from the west-northwest. Down at the town football ground, a small gathering of corvids prodded at the turf, whilst next door at the recreation ground, the gentle leather-on-willow sound of a cricket match accompanied my walk towards the cemetery.
   Inside the gates, a poignant encounter: a polite gentleman held the entrance for me, cheerfully noting he was there to “have a chat with his son.” He gently revealed his son had passed away in a road accident 17 years ago, aged just 20. After exchanging quiet sympathies, I moved on to the pathways, shadowed by jackdaws on the grass and the guttural-sounding, croaky cacophony of the nearby rookery. Reaching the empty field at the far boundary, my presence triggered a spectacular eruption—a black cloud of about 40 rooks took to the air, voicing their loud, raucous displeasure at my intrusion before leaving me in silence. Heading back, a large white butterfly danced over patches of bird’s-foot trefoil, and a pair of sparrow-sized birds darted into the hedgerow.
   A second pleasant chat with the gentleman at the gates concluded my visit. By the time I returned to the recreation ground, stumps had been drawn and the match was over. A final look up at the leisure centre revealed six feral pigeons and a jackdaw keeping watch on the roof, soon joined by a roving gull. A black Greyhound under the pines and a passing Schnauzer bookended a peaceful, reflective loop.
Clean Stats
Distance: 1.82 miles
Duration: 39 minutes
Weather: 12°C to 15°C, cloudy skies with sunny spells
Wind: NW/W, 11–13 mph
Avian Sightings: Corvids (unspecified), Jackdaws, Rooks (~40), Large White Butterfly, Feral Pigeons (6), Herring Gull, unidentified small birds
Canine Sightings: Greyhound (black), Schnauzer
Fitness: 18 Google Fit Heart Points

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

The Walk Narrative

   The afternoon served up a classic British weather cocktail: a bright, sunny facade masking a biting, northwesterly wind that dropped the ‘feels like’ temperature down to a bracing 4°C. Braced against the intermittent showers, I set out, immediately spotting a pair of wood pigeons executing a perfectly synchronised, side-by-side flypast across the road.

   Down at the town football ground, a six-strong rook committee was busy inspecting the turf. Skirting the recreation ground, my inner investigative journalist took over when I spotted a spectacular, high-pressure leak spurting from the cricket club water tank. I captured the plumbing crisis on camera, but since a couple of local lads were already on the scene, I safely assumed the cricket club’s emergency hotline was already ringing.

   Passing by his domain, my usual friend—the lively resident Pitbull Terrier—surprised me by sitting as quiet as a judge in his garden. Entering the cemetery, the mood shifted to pure spring colour; I took a splendid photograph of a vibrant yellow Laburnum shrub by the gates while a roaring crowd of thirty rooks held a noisy convention in the treetops above. Up at the farmer’s field, a solitary blackbird was ignoring the politics, quietly pecking for tea among the pine cones, surrounded by a carpet of beautiful Bird’s-foot trefoil flowers.

   On the return leg, a tiny wren played peek-a-boo, darting like a bullet into the roadside hedge. My final avian headcount took place at the leisure centre, where six feral pigeons and a lone jackdaw were holding the high ground on the rooftop, casually watching a man and his Terrier-type dog march past the front entrance.

Daily Activity Stats

Metric Detail

Distance 1.87 miles

Duration 40 minutes

Google Fit Points 19 Heart Points

Actual Temperature 8°C to 11°C

Wind Chill (‘Feels Like’) 4°C to 6°C

Weather Conditions Sunny but cold; breezy northwesterly winds & intermittent showers

Notable Wildlife 36 rooks, 2 wood pigeons, 6 feral pigeons, 1 jackdaw, 1 blackbird, 1 wren, and 1 very quiet Pitbull.

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

   The North-Northwest wind cut through the morning, making the 10°C air feel nearly half that as it gusted across the recreation ground. Undeterred by the 40 mph blasts, a dozen rooks claimed the football pitch for their breakfast, while jackdaws patrolled the cricket field.
   The walk through the cemetery was a botanical delight; the vibrant yellow of a Laburnum tree stood in stark contrast to the wild, weedy bank where the insects remained tucked away from the gale. Greater stitchwort and bird’s-eye trefoil dotted the grass, though the local corvids weren’t keen on sharing the view, taking flight as soon as a human silhouette appeared. A quick dash by a small bird and a lively Cockapoo provided the final flourishes to a brisk 56-minute trek.

The Stats
Distance: 2.56 miles
Duration: 56 minutes
Intensity: 25 Google Fit Heart Points
Air Temp: 9°C – 11°C
Wind Chill: 5°C – 6°C
Wind Speed: 30–40 mph (NNW)
Key Sightings: Rooks (12+), Jackdaws (7), Wood Pigeon, Feral Pigeons (3), Laburnum, Greater Stitchwort, Bird’s-eye Trefoil.

Today, we had two incredibly rare visitors to our garden in the shape of a pair of partridges. This is the first time we have ever seen these beautiful birds in our garden. I took many photographs of them through the kitchen windows. We also saw a pair of collared doves and a pair of dunnocks. Quite a few goldfinches were coming and going to the sunflower seed feeders. Our resident wood pigeon was also around and several feral pigeons. I couldn’t help noticing that the partridges weren’t at all aggressive, like the feral pigeons. A few different species of birds were peacefully feeding at the same time. I took a photograph of the two partridges, the two collared doves and our resident wood pigeon searching for dropped seeds beneath the feeders at the same time.

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

Daily Nature Log: 9 May 2026

   The sun was out, but a 9 mph northeasterly wind kept things brisk, making the 13°C air feel more like 11°C. The walk began on a somber note with a fallen wood pigeon—a casualty of the road—but the natural world quickly picked up the pace.

   At the recreation ground, the thwack of a cricket match provided the backdrop for a lone rook’s flight toward the cemetery rookery.
  Inside the cemetery, the atmosphere was lively; rooks foraged on the grass while the colony overhead made a proper racket. The resident partridges kept their distance on those characteristically tiny legs. Further up, in the farmer’s field, a crowd of thirty rooks took to the sky at my approach, leaving the grass momentarily still.
  Inside the cemetery, the atmosphere was lively; rooks foraged on the grass while the colony overhead made a proper racket. The resident partridges kept their distance on those characteristically tiny legs. Further up, in the farmer’s field, a crowd of thirty rooks took to the sky at my approach, leaving the grass momentarily still.

  The highlight, however, was a flash of pink: a chaffinch darting into a hawthorn shrub, just after two brown moths finished their aerial dance. From greater stitchwort by the wayside to a majestic white Pyrenean sheepdog at the finish, it was a proper showcase of local life.

Daily Template
Weather: 13°C (11°C wind chill), sunny with moderate NE winds.
Wildlife Observations: Wood pigeons, rooks (colony active), partridges, brown moths, chaffinch, jackdaw, gulls, sparrows, and feral pigeons.
Botany: Greater stitchwort.
Distance: 2.05 miles.
Time: 44 minutes.
Activity Reward: 25 Heart Points.
 

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

The Narrative
   The air temperature hovered between 12°C and 13°C, though the moderate north-easterly breeze made it feel significantly cooler—somewhere between 7°C and 11°C. My walk began around the outskirts of the lake, where I captured a striking photograph of a chestnut tree’s upright, white “candle” flowers set against the water.

After checking in on a female swan sitting comfortably on her nest, I continued along the path, passing dozens of rabbits scampering through the sunshine. A jay made a brief appearance on the path ahead before darting off as I drew near.

   Further along, I encountered the cob swan resting on a grassy bank beneath a tree and managed to snap a lovely photo of him.

Reaching the end of the lake, I took a moment to photograph the sheer beauty of the water before leaving the woodland—which was currently blanketed in a carpet of wood anemones.

Gunton lake

I joined the public pathway towards Corton, paused to photograph a vocal robin on a fence post, and admired a massive cherry blossom tree looming over the trail. At the fork in the road, I turned away from Corton, heading back toward Gunton Hall. After a brief encounter with a yellow Labrador and its owner, I re-entered the grounds, spotting a squirrel by an oak tree and a pied wagtail in the field.

I finished the circuit by photographing the cob swan once more, now floating gracefully, and spending some time with the Egyptian geese and their remarkably fluffy goslings.

The Stats
Distance: 2.64 miles
Duration: 58 minutes
Heart Points: 16
Conditions: 12°C–13°C (Wind chill: 7°C–11°C)
Wind: North-easterly, 13–15 mph
Key Sightings: Egyptian geese (with goslings), cob and pen swans, jay, robin, pied wagtail, rabbits, and wood anemones.

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

A Wild Encounter
   The air held a crisp edge as I set out across a field toward the lakeside path. A rowdy congregation of twenty corvids claimed the grass, oblivious to the delicate wild primroses pushing through the rough weeds beneath them. Along the banks, a carpet of bluebells demanded attention; I couldn’t resist pausing to capture their vibrant hue. On the water, large gulls floated in a state of constant, noisy squabbling. Rabbits were everywhere; their bobtails disappeared into bushes and shrubs along the way.

   The highlight of my walk arrived abruptly: a male muntjac deer, antlers held high, blocked my path. We shared a silent moment before I managed a few photos, and then, with a flash of fur, he vanished into the shrubs. As I pressed on, grey squirrels spiralled up ancient trunks, and blackbirds darted beneath the heavy purple canopy of rhododendrons.

   Near a dense thicket of bulrushes, I found a female swan tucked away on her nest, while her mate, the cob, preened himself in solitary indifference further out. Before heading back, I spotted a moorhen guarding five fluffy chicks in a nearby pond. The finale came at the exit, where I met Margaret just in time to see an Egyptian goose parading two spirited goslings across the path.

Daily Stats
Metric Detail
Temperature 12°C–13°C (54°F–55°F)
Wind Speed 7–9 mph (11–14 km/h)
Distance 3.18 miles
Duration 1 hour 12 minutes
Heart Points 19

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

   The sun was out, but that 19 mph easterly wind had enough bite to turn a mild 14°C into a brisk 12°C. I stuck to the usual route, spotting a wood pigeon darting across the road before pausing to capture the red-blossom hawthorn nestled under the pines on Foxy Lane.

   A male blackbird provided the soundtrack near the play area, while the local rooks and a solitary magpie claimed the recreation ground. Even the neighbourhood’s “friendly” Pitbull was taking it easy, dozing in a sun-drenched corner. In the cemetery, the cherry blossoms were putting on their final show, carpeting the ground in a cycle of growth and decay. The highlight, however, was a muntjac deer grazing 100 yards off. I managed a few shots before it vanished behind a shed, only for it to reappear and trot toward the far fence as I headed for the gates—a charming sight, even if their taste for memorial flowers makes them a bit of a local nuisance. After a quick snap of some pink sorrel in the hedgerow, I passed the leisure centre where five feral pigeons were holding their regular rooftop meeting.

Daily Nature Log

Metric Details

Weather 14°C (Feels like 12°C), Sunny, 19 mph East wind

Distance 1.62 miles

Duration 33 minutes

Intensity 23 Heart Points

Flora

Red-blossom Hawthorn, Flowering Cherry, Pink Sorrel

Fauna

Wood Pigeon, Blackbird, Rooks (approx. 6+), Magpie, Pitbull Terrier, Muntjac Deer, Feral Pigeons (5)

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