Check your Ivy now

Well here we go then, my first blog post.

The title of the Blog comes from the project I am running in the fine village of Stutton, Suffolk, nestled between the Stour Estuary (to the south) and Alton Water reservoir (you guessed it, to the north). Nationally, House Sparrows have undergone a 67% decline in the last 25 years and yes, we need to do something about it. Some very keen volunteers from the Shotley branch of the Suffolk Wildlife Trust are making some House Sparrow terraces for us and I am doing as much as I can to raise awareness in the village and try to encourage as many householders as possible to stick one up on the side of their house. Nestboxes won't be enough though. We need to get gardens buzzing and chirruping with insects as well. More on that later.

But for now, I am sat in the kitchen listening to the Ryder Cup (come on BBC get it back on terrestrial), both windows have had a geometrid visit, but have gone as soon as I have reached for a moth pot. Not to be put off, I read on the excellent Suffolk Moths blog http://suffolkmoths.org.uk/blog/, that some good moths have been coming to Ivy flowers elsewhere in the county. Despite the 15 knot breeze blowing outside, a quick look at the ivy-shrouded tree stump in the hedge outside found a sole Large Yellow Underwing. I was hoping for an Orange Sallow, but perhaps the wind has kept the smaller chaps tucked away. Knowing that now is the time to be out looking, tomorrow I shall find some suitably sheltered ivy elsewhere during the day, so that I can have a butchers after dark tomorrow.

Bird obs were limited to things over the garden today, in the form of eight Meadow Pipits and a couple of Siskins. From what I read on the twitter-sphere, today has been an excellent day for House Martin passage.