Everyone likes a ‘good news’ story and particularly so, if it relates to wildlife because so much news relating to our native fauna tends to be gloomy. We constantly hear about declining numbers of different species and local or wider…

 It is a bird I look out for on the common lands every summer. The grey wagtail is a stunning creature, small and sleek with grey and black feathers on its back and a gorgeous yellow underbelly, and of course,…

We are witnessing real declines in our wildlife driven by the burden of increasing human population and the need to meet its requirements. In terms of wildlife, when species are widely distributed, localised disasters such as disease, predation or habitat…

The watcher in the woods that should not be taken for granted In some quarters, the wood pigeon is despised and regarded as faintly ridiculous, but the Sudbury’s Common Lands would be poorer without this under-appreciated bird, writes Ross Bentley…

Grasslands account for more than half of the planet’s ecosystems; they are IMPORTANT. Climate change coupled with conversion to cropping or afforestation is threatening them and in turn the wildlife associated with them, for they support some of the world’s…

  One of the many gifts the Common Lands offer up to the people of Sudbury is the explosion of buttercups that appear each spring.   Among the daises, clover and dandelions, they are already showing well and over the…

We all know that the history of grazing on the Sudbury Common Lands stretches back into the mists of time. There are many references to it from the late twelfth century onwards, but it is only the more recent past…

Calling volunteers – are you up for helping maintain our magnificent meadows? People flock to Sudbury’s Common Lands to enjoy the wide-open green spaces and natural beauty, but there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes…

At this time of year swans are holding territories and nest building. There is no doubt that swans are an emotive subject in Sudbury. Rather like the familiar household spread, you either love them or hate them, although the reasons…

The names may have sounded unassuming but storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklyn caused their fair share of upheaval as they blew through Sudbury in mid-February. The damage caused by the high winds has been clear to see on the common…