It adds more of a challenge as the wildlife gets on with its day in a much more subtle way - harder to see but all the more rewarding when seen. The hurdle then to jump is in taxing my memory to record such sightings until I can use my notebook in a drier moment or two.

These mental notes taken, in truth, allows the sightings to be imprinted deeper into my recollections. Those swallow and house martin, finding food on the leeward side of a tree line with their sorties out over a wind-swayed crop, whizzing into my memory cells.

The lapwing finding food easier to come by as the invertebrates come closer to the surface or those young Pied wagtail, happily exploring a mound of chicken manure for where there’s muck there’s insect food!

The barley standing defiant as both wind and rain sweep patterns through its ranks of variable green, as my camera and binoculars are encouraged to work in conditions they should not really be asked to do, whilst my waterproofs take on this day’s blustery weather with reasonable success.

My day moved contentedly along in a lighter step, happy not to be pounded by the 30 degree sunshine we have had of late. Head up and into the fresh damp air, I wandered west where the wild, perhaps bemused by my smiling demeanour, came out to look as I passed by - these moments captured as best possible into my camera.

The juvenile black headed gull relaxing in the middle of a field, the young great spotted woodpecker pausing on its snack to check me out, the corn bunting jangling its keys song whilst a male yellowhammer watched it intensely - the yarrow looking so bright under a grey sky.

Yes this jaunt in weather less welcome to some was for me just another opportunity that was rich in the ways of the wild out on our Mosslands.