30 Days Wild day 27- Storm

This morning I sat and had breakfast outside on the deck in the sunshine, enjoying the birdsong and the tame robin which came to look for crumbs. Then the rain started.

It was gentle rain at first, filtered by the canopy of the trees. The birds stayed active, flitting about the branches as they foraged. A small bird I didn't recognise at first, which I'm now fairly certain was a willow tit, emerged. It bounced from branch to branch for a little while before taking shelter amongst dense ivy covering a nearby tree trunk.

Soon, however, there was nothing to be done but to sit inside and watch the rain. As it got heavier and the thunder started to boom, there was that wonderful feeling of being surrounded by wildness while being apart from it. Normally, I find the idea of the wild exciting. But sometimes, it's nice to watch it from indoors, separated by layers of warmth and glass.

There's something fantastic about watching a thunderstorm when you're inside in the warm and dry #30DaysWild pic.twitter.com/6Evh1zlfAH

— Alexandra (@OwlAli) June 27, 2017

30 Days Wild day 6- Walks in the rain part 2

I'd come back home for a couple of days on Monday, so it was back to Lincolnshire as the base for my random acts of wildness. The wet weather had carried on from yesterday, but this time with strong winds too, so I went for another walk in the rain today. It wasn't a long walk, just down to the co-op to get some fresh bread. But the weather made it feel exhilarating. It was the kind of day which made me want to revert to a small child and go jumping in puddles, although that may have had more to do with finally finishing exams!

I arrived back home about half an hour after setting out- windswept and bedraggled, with a photo of a soggy ladybird larva (and the groceries) all I had to show for my walk. It was brilliant.

30 Days Wild day 5- Swallows in the rain

 It was a rainy day in York today, one of those days which, when I was little, I'd have referred to as "nice weather for ducks." The ducks I saw on campus did not seem to agree. I had to go round to a friends in the morning, so I decided to get out my waterproof and walk rather than catching the bus. I saw barely anyone as I walked- everyone seemed to be sheltering. The weather didn't seem to be stopping the wildlife though. The hedgerows and trees around the paths were still full of movement and the sounds of singing birds. And the rain really didn't seem to be stopping the hirundines. There were swallows and house martins swooping over the lake on campus, catching insects. That's nothing unusual, but they were directly over the bridge across the lake. Walking over it felt almost like being high in the air, with birds swirling alongside me and just above my head. It was well worth getting rained on for.

In the meantime, here's what I did yesterday- catching up with the swallows and house martins round the @UniOfYork lake #30DaysWild pic.twitter.com/fcvDxC8OoZ

— Alexandra (@OwlAli) June 6, 2017

30 Days Wild day 25- Deep breath

We made our way back from Cambridge, which meant more motorway birding. Today we had a buzzard on a streetlamp, two hunting kestrels and a game of 'spot the raptor.' I managed to miss a bird of prey flying overhead at Peterborough services, which lead to a fun ten minutes of my boyfriend listing identifying features and me searching google images for possible answers. In the end we worked out it was almost certainly a red kite. Comparison to google images turned out to be a good identification tool, and it was surprisingly entertaining- at least it took our minds off politics!

We had another thunderstorm this evening. It had been muggy all day, and afterwards, the air felt fresh and cool and new.

The news and the internet were full of yet more coverage of the referendum. On Friday there were so many other things happening, but this evening it seemed to be all there was. I needed to just get outside. To feel the damp concrete of the slabs under my bare feet and breathe in the cool air and the smell of gardens after rain. To watch the dusk insects come out and hear the last birds of the evening singing. There's a peace to spending time outside, and it can calm and sooth me when not much else will. I needed that today.

30 Days Wild day 24

The 24th was both my boyfriend's graduation day, and the day after the EU referendum. With a busy day ahead, we had an early start. I delayed checking my phone for the result, and instead went outside to watch the sun shine on the early morning mist and turn the distance milky. 

As it turned out, taking 5 minutes to decompress outside was a very good decision indeed. As one of the 48.1% who voted to remain in the EU, the result was a huge disappointment. However, there was so much going on I was able to distract myself, at least a little. Those few moments of peace first thing helped a lot too. And other than the politics, it was a lovely day!

Obligatory graduation selfie

30 Days Wild day 23- Thunderstorm

The 24th was my boyfriend's graduation day, so Thursday saw us down in Cambridge again. We'd planned to head into town to meet a friend and maybe walk down by the river again, but the heavens opened as soon as we arrived. It was the kind of rain where you end up soaked in the space of 30 seconds, where the humidity which has been steadily building all day suddenly culminates. It reminded me of the sudden storms we had when I was in Tanzania over Easter; it was the African rainy season in East Anglia. 

So instead we ordered a takeaway, and listened to the thunderstorm go over. I always think there's something exhilarating in a summer storm, especially when you're warm and dry inside. For a little while, when it's directly overhead and the lightning flashes are concurrent with the booms of thunder, you can almost feel the charge of static electricity along with the humidity of the air. 

The storm took several hours to pass over, but afterwards it felt like everything had been washed clean. The air was cool, the humidity gone. The birds started singing again.

30 Days Wild day 11- Rainy days

Today I travelled back to Lincoln for a family party, which meant more wildlife watching from trains. This time it wasn't a bird of prey, but a roe deer. I love the way that elevated railway lines mean that you're looking down on fields It means you can see things which you wouldn't notice otherwise.

Back in Lincoln, it turned into a very rainy afternoon. I was walking back from the village green with my parents after wandering down to a street party when the heavens suddenly opened. We ran for cover.

Enjoying cooling off in the rain! #30DaysWild pic.twitter.com/5Qla0OfqvU

— Alexandra (@OwlAli) June 11, 2016

However, the rain was just too tempting. It cleared the air, which had been growing increasingly muggy all afternoon, and the sheer speed of it bouncing off puddles was almost hypnotic. It was the sort of rain you get in picture books, which makes you long for welly boots and bright yellow fishermen's coats.