30 Days Wild: Day 26

Mindfulness by the water

For day 26 of 30 Days Wild, I decided to go for a night-time walk. I say night-time, because my walk started just after 8:30pm, but it didn't feel like night at all! It's a walk I've done many times, and which I've written about here in 2017 and here for day 17. It's one of my favourite walks because, although it's only a short one at just under four miles, there is usually lots to see and you experience something different every time!

It started out along the disused railway line:

I managed to inadvertently startle some pigeons, that then flew up to a high branch:

I'm 6' 2" and this hogweed is taller than I am!

Then through the old tunnel:

Looking forwards on my route

Looking back to where I'd been

After the tunnel, the scrubland has grown some more. It's now really dense and there were lots of birds making some noise:

Then along towards the points. The track on the left of the photo below leaves the town and continues out into the countryside. The track on the right goes to nowhere - at the moment at least, there are plans afoot to bring the railway back into the edge of town:

The common evening primrose was looking beautiful:

Despite being flat, this is one of my favourite landscapes:

There were some cows in the field:

I could see the moon as the sun was setting:

Then on through the woodland:

Then I arrived at the canal tunnel. I always stop here on this walk, and just lean on the top and watch the world go by. Today my efforts were rewarding with a beautiful sunset (below and the main photo):

There were lots of geese here, as well as a few ducks (including one very loud one at 57 seconds!) and some other birds. I made a short recording:

I could see the moon from here as well:

After that, the walk is a little boring. By this time, all the daytime creatures have gone to bed, but all the nocturnal ones aren't out yet. As I walked along the canal, there's was nothing around! When I got to the river again (as you cross it twice on this walk, at different points) I disturbed a heron who was near the bridge. It flew up and out of sight faster than I can get my phone out for a photo!

This is another point where I always stop and listen to the water. I made a short recording of this too:

When I returned home, I needed to go into the shed. Inside I found a rather unfortunate large white butterfly:

At first I thought "How the hell did you get in here?!" but then I saw this:

Butterflies may be beautiful creatures, but they're not all that intelligent are they really? These two chrysalises are inside our shed. That means, as one butterfly has already discovered to its ultimate cost, that when they emerge there is no escape. This one had emerged and promptly become entangled in a spider's web. Another web has been constructed around the second, as yet unemerged, chrysalis. Now spiders - there's a clever creature!

As I was leaving the shed, I noticed some more empty eggs:

I'm used to seeing these yellow ones - they are all over the shed and lots on the back wall of the house. What I've not seen before were these pink ones:

I wonder what has emerged from these...!

Before I went inside, I quickly checked the pond. It's far too hot at the moment for the frogs to be out in the day, but the usually appear when it's cooler and dark. Tonight was no exception:

Our juvenile froggy

The adult male, whom we rarely see

Today's walk was really enjoyable, and I'm quite getting into this mindfulness malarkey! I recommend you try it sometime!

You can read all of my 30 Days Wild posts here!