Things to remember:
- I got up at 5.15am (UK time) so that I might be able to run under the shade of the forest I'd overnighted in - before it got too hot to do anything. I did a humble 5.5k and was drenched in sweat even then. It took longer to get cleaned up than the run itself had taken.
- The morning thereafter was spent bumbling through pleasant French villages as the heat of the day built relentlessly. Bumbling through pleasant French villages makes me happy.
- Lunch was spent under dense tree cover in a spot we've previously overnighted at. I heard (and Merlin confirmed) middle-spotted woodpecker here.
- More minor-road bumbling followed in the afternoon until there came a point where heat soak won the day, it just became too hot to function safely so I found some shade down a track and started the process of attempting to cool the hab box down enough to be able to actually get in it.
- The spot's proved right enough. I haven't seen a soul but have spotted what I'm pretty sure were a pair of goshawks. I've also heard both a turtle dove and my first cicada of the year.
- It's a very good spot for insects and I've seen good numbers of broad-bodied chasers as well as a couple of other dragonfly species I couldn't identify.
- Many of the insects have insisted on checking out the interior of the (cooling) hab box, including the fearsome-looking but totally harmless lesser sabre comb-horn crane fly in the pic. It was a bit grumpy when being ushered out.
Post composed at 22:05 on Monday 25th May from my intended overnighting spot N 47.42059°, E 03.91292° / http://maps.google.com/maps?q=loc:47.42059%2C03.91292
