News
News from the Sudbury Riverside – September 2010
Summer on the Sudbury riverside, as always, has been absolutely wonderful in spite of weeks of drought followed by torrential rainfall. After the long winter months there is simply so much to see and enjoy in terms of the unfolding natural history. The highlight for this year, of course, has to be the return of water voles to our river channels and ditches. With so much wildlife about one could be forgiven for assuming that all is well.
Throughout the summer months house martins, swallows and swifts constantly advertise their presence with their various shrill calls and twitters as they wing their way over the riverside meadows. All three species feed on the many flying insects that are associated with cattle grazed farmland and at various heights in the sky the birds provide a wonderful spectacle. Yet it is clear that some of these birds are travelling considerable distances to feed over the Sudbury riverside as nesting sites in the town continue to decline.
A few years ago arrangements were made to secure a shoe box under the eave of a house in Cross Street to re-house a family of young house martins whose mud nest had fallen to the ground. Now there are no nesting martins in Cross Street and a similar picture of decline continues around the town. Out in the wider countryside all three species, once so abundant, are now often seen in flight either as solitary birds or in very small groups. Let us hope such a decline can be reversed so that the birds continue to fill our skies with their summer presence.
The rain finally began falling during the time that many people take their holiday. This turned the seared landscape green again and soon provided the cattle with something to eat. At this time of year, however, the nights become longer and cooler and grass growth slows down. Only a few weeks of the grazing season remain.
On Friday 15th October, the Sudbury Rotary Club will hold a fund-raising quiz evening at the town hall on behalf of the Sudbury Common Lands Charity. Why not support your local environmental charity by forming a team? There will also be a range of fantastic raffle prizes. Contact 01284 828219 for more details.
