Rushmere Common News - May 2026

Our AGM will be on Thursday July 2nd 2026, at Tower Hall,  Broadlands Way, Rushmere St Andrew, Ipswich IP4 5SU commencing at 7.30pm. The agenda will be made available closer to the time.

A few of the Trustees have been using the free Merlin Bird ID app to identify the birds on the common this spring. The Merlin app based on ebird is an app available on both android and apple which identifies birds through their song or by picture. The app is by Cornell Lab of Ornithology and is designed as a “birding coach”. More information can be found at Merlin.allaboutbirds.org. The information gathered and saved to bird lists will also feed into wider bird studies. So far we have recorded 36 different species including skylarks, siskin, crossbills, blackcaps as well as many common garden birds. Full list on our website. The birds are more dense around the wooded areas as well as the lower thicker gorse. This is very encouraging as it supports our plans to manage the more leggy gorse. 

Those scrubby, bramble areas are important too. The small birds, small mammals and rodents can often be seen or heard in those areas.  With the pond supporting some of our amphibian friends, the common really is a great diverse ecological space.  Please respect and enjoy it.

The golf club, our warden and the trustees have all been made aware of a few instances of damage to trees, greens and tees recently. Please be mindful and report any anti-social behaviour or criminal damage to 101 or via the online reporting tool on suffolk.police.uk This way we can continue to keep the common as a safe and enjoyable space for all. 

A reminder to dog owners. There have been instances of various parasites such as lung worm, fleas, ticks etc. Please seek vet advice if your dog becomes ill or behaves out of character. The common is a natural wild environment with many wild animals and habitats that support all different forms of nature even those that are less desirable to our canine friends. Another reason to pick up your dog’s waste and dispose of it in bins provided..

E: clerkrushcommoners@gmail.com

W: http://rushmerecommonerstrustees.onesuffolk.net/