Daily Nature Log ✍️

Sheringham Park Wander
    The sun was out in force, pushing temperatures to 27°C, but a gentle breeze and the high canopy of Sheringham Park provided some welcome relief. After settling Margaret comfortably at the National Trust café with a cup of tea, I set off to explore the shaded trails.

  Ancient beech trees stood like sentinels alongside a fruit-laden apple tree, while a bank of sow thistle was bursting with parachutes ready to catch the breeze.

   The woodland trails produced some lovely sights—a rustic heather-thatched shelter, an old wooden five-bar gate bathed in sunlight, and a majestic aged rowan laden with red berries. Birdlife remained cleverly hidden away in the shade, but the sweeping views over farmland down to the sea more than made up for it.

    After a brief stroll through the Bower to admire the hardy flora holding out against the dry spell, I headed back to the café—navigating past a lively parade of Cockapoos and curious mixed breeds to rejoin Margaret.
Daily Log
Location: Sheringham Park
Conditions: 27°C (81°F), gentle wind (7 mph), warm and mainly sunny
Distance: 2.01 miles
Duration: 45 minutes
Google Fit: 19 Heart Points.

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

Daily Nature Log ✍️

    A sweltering start today—19°C to 24°C with a gentle southerly breeze, leaving me quickly regretting the lack of a water bottle in the full glare of the sun. High overhead, a couple of wood pigeons crossed the sky as I set off, while down on the recreation ground, die-hard cricketers braved the heat beating down on the pitch.

   In the cemetery, three rooks flew over and a large herring gull glided effortlessly on the thermals. Pathways were bustling with cabbage whites and a solitary meadow brown butterfly. Passing the leisure centre, a lone gull sailed past while fifteen feral pigeons dominated the rooftop. Nearby at the colony, around twenty gulls were raising an absolute racket. A Jack Russell was out for a stroll opposite the playground, rounding off a lively loop.

Stats: 1.67 miles | 36 minutes | 19 Google Fit heart points.

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

   At 5:00 PM today, it was a breezy 18°C (feels like 15°C with the west-north-westerly wind) as I set off around the recreation ground.
    A lone corvid pecked at the parched, brown grass while a groundsman was busy painting white lines on the pitch. I pointed out the giant hosepipe lavishly watering the nearby town football ground. He gestured to the cricket pitch and chuckled, “They’ve got a bigger area of pitch grass than us.”  Hard to argue with that!
    I strolled down the cemetery pathways, sending three startled  woodpigeons into flight, and paused to photograph a lovely weeping cherry tree. Tucked along the border, tiny purple flowers were braving the drought; Google Lens later identified them as resilient verbena.

   Crossing into the empty field at the top, three magpies scattered into the struggling new woodland. Along the hedgerows, hawberries were just blushing pink, and five or six rowan trees flared brilliantly with clusters of ripe scarlet berries. Two blue tits darted high into the trees along Cemetery Drive.
    Reaching the leisure centre, I counted 20 feral pigeons lined up on the roof, a black-headed gull perched stoically in his usual spot, and a rowdy colony of about ten gulls causing a racket over at the abandoned factory.

   Before heading back, a fellow walker passed by with an impressive Labrador/Husky cross—a handsome dog I managed to photograph once he was let off the lead.

Distance: 1.82 miles
Time: 39 minutes
Google Fit: 20 heart points. 

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

Daily Nature Log ✍️
    A brisk 18°C start—though a 9 mph breeze dragged the felt temperature down to 15°C—across parched turf showing the stark marks of recent drought. Past the recreation ground, a yellow Lab ambled by, while the ‘friendly’ Pitbull delivered a few low barks from his unlikely perch atop a garden trampoline!
    Wild creatures stole the show near the cemetery: one muntjac deer slipped stealthily under the Goji berry hedge, while a second went on a sudden sprint with a cheeky magpie in hot pursuit. Wood pigeons scattered into the sky, rooks reclaimed their treetop nests, and a small covey of juvenile partridges trotted along in the distance.

    After pausing to admire resilient pink great willowherb defying the dry spell, the return route via the leisure centre offered a grand total of feral pigeons lined along the rooftops and a chorus of gulls raising their customary screaming clamour.

Stats & Metrics
Distance: 2.78 miles
Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
Heart Points: 24 (Google Fit)
Conditions: 18°C (feels like 15°C), 9 mph wind.

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

Daily Walk: Felbrigg Hall Estate
Date: Wednesday, 5th August 2026
Weather: 20–21°C (feels like 23°C), W/SW wind 7–18 mph.

Narrative
    I left Margaret comfortably settled in the Squire’s Pantry with a pot of tea and a cheese scone, and set off across the sun-scorched, parched field towards the lake. Sheep were huddled in every scrap of shade, while a few braved the heat to graze on stunted thistles—one plant so moisture-starved it had turned bright yellow. Crows pecked at the dry earth for nourishment, and though droppings were everywhere, the local rabbits remained firmly hidden from the afternoon sun.

    Reaching the lake brought an instant transformation: vibrant, healthy green reeds and grass framing the water. Blue damselflies skimmed the surface, three stately swans drifted sedately across the middle, and a solitary female mallard fed along the reed beds. In the distance, two young anglers cast their lines into the water.

    On the return loop to the Hall, Large and Small Cabbage Whites danced over the dried grass, while magpies and crows hopped and circled in search of insects. Back at the main building, dog walkers of every description were out in force.
I rejoined Margaret, who was deep in her ebook, and we headed home.
Stats
Distance: 2.3 miles
Duration: 53 minutes
Google Fit: 15 Heart Points.

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

Daily Nature Log ✍️

    When I set out this afternoon, it was a warm, largely cloudy 26°C (78°F) with a gentle southwesterly breeze (6–9 mph). Cabbage whites—both large and small—flittered about everywhere I walked.

    Over at the town football ground, at least 40 corvids were busy gorging on the lush grass, clearly enjoying the bumper crop of worms brought up by days of heavy watering.

    I looped around the recreation ground and past Cemetery Drive. The resident Pitbull Terrier was strutting about his garden, fully absorbed in a barking match with neighbouring dogs, leaving me to stroll past completely unbothered.

    Entering the cemetery’s top field, I spotted a pair of magpies and a pair of rooks flitting between saplings in the young woodland. From there, I cut through the natural garden and followed the main road down to the leisure centre, where around 20 feral pigeons held court on the roof, and a lone black-headed gull posted up on his usual private rooftop perch.

    Passing back by the football ground, the corvids were still out in force, allowing me to snap a quick photo before finishing up.

Daily Stats:

Distance: 1.81 miles

Time: 39 minutes

Google Fit: 27 heart points

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

Daily Nature Log 

Weather & Walk:

   Stepped out into a warm 21–22°C (70–72°F) afternoon with a brisk 16 mph north-easterly breeze. Off to a quiet start—birdlife was scarce, save for a pair of wood pigeons canoodling on a rooftop.

Along the Way:

   The recreation ground looked completely deserted, an expanse of parched, sunburnt grass. Spotting life took a keen eye: a few cabbage white butterflies, brown fluttering insects, hardy yarrow, dandelion-like flowers, and purple thistles with bindweed sneaking beneath the hedges. A solitary gull cruised overhead in search of lunch, and a few more whites danced around the goji berry hedge. Near the cemetery road, I enjoyed a quick reward—picking a handful of ripe, succulent blackberries straight off the brambles.

Encounters & Highlights:

  Sighting of the Day: Spotted a handsome male muntjac deer regarding me warily from the shade of a willow tree. Snapped two quick photos before he casually stood up and loped off into the brush.

Passed a fellow walker with a yellow Labrador and exchanged greetings.:

Ten feral pigeons and one spotlight-stealing rook perched up on the leisure club roof.

A relaxed tabby cat sauntered across the road right as I rounded off the walk.

Daily Stats

Distance: 2.9 miles

Google Fit: 21 Heart Points

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

Daily Walk & Wildlife Log
Narrative
    Winds at 11 mph gave the 21°C air a cooler 18°C edge as I set out. Next door’s lavender was buzzing with honeybees, while cabbage whites fluttered near the recreation ground. With football and cricket matches under way, birds wisely steered clear of the pitches, leaving the borders to the butterflies.

  Past the house, the “friendly” pitbull offered a warm bark before settling for a nap. Four sparrows darted around a hawthorn shrub alongside a swift blue butterfly. At the cemetery, white and comma butterflies fluttered among the fallen leaves. Then came the highlight of the day: a green woodpecker swooped across with its distinctive flight—far too fast for a photo! I did, however, snap three wood pigeons perched at the entrance.

    At the leisure centre, 30 feral pigeons circled the rooftop, settling into their regular roosting colony. Finally, I photographed some beautiful, trumpet-shaped bindweed flowers—pernicious plants hated by gardeners everywhere!
Daily Stats
Distance Walked: 2.73 miles
Duration: 1 hour 4 minutes
Google Fit: 19 heart points.

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

Daily Nature Log
   Out at 2:30 pm into a gentle 19°C north-east breeze (feeling more like 25°C).
   Five jackdaws sprawled on the parched grass beneath the pines by the recreation ground, while cabbage whites fluttered nearby. Over at the colony, the gulls were raising a deafening racket. Snapped a meadow brown—wings firmly shut, looking for all the world like a fallen leaf. More cabbage whites drifted restlessly along the goji berry hedge without landing.

    The “friendly” Pitbull Terrier was out cold in his garden, barely batting an eye as I passed the cemetery road. Inside, the pathways were buzzing with butterfly activity, including another zooming meadow brown. A solitary woodpigeon held its usual perch, while a startled flock of feral pigeons circled frantically over the leisure centre before settling on the roof. On a nearby factory rooftop, twenty gulls squawked back and forth, and I spotted a lovely comma butterfly tucked away in a garden border to finish.
Stats
Distance: 1.76 miles
Time: 38 minutes
Heart Points: 21

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