21 June 2026

 

With a sunny morning and no other commitments I walked for a couple of hours around the Blue and Red courses today.  Lots of insects around the courses, particularly butterflies and dragonflies.  Ringlet is a very dark Butterfly and is named because of the eye-like rings on its underwing.

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus [3rd Blue]

Pained Lady is more colourful and is a migratory butterfly.  They are quite common this year.  This one was on the 3rd Blue.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui [5th Blue]

There is plenty of long grass on the Blue course at the moment.  Bad for my golf, but good for the Small Skipper which you can see making short flights between stems.  

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris [5th Blue]

The largest dragonflies on the estate are the Emperor Dragonflies.  They quite often settle on the gorse.  This was one of many on the 5th hole. This one is a male - you can tell by the bright blue abdomen.  Females have a green abdomen.

Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [5th Red]

Another common dragonfly is the Black-tailed Skimmer.  There are always lots of these around the pond on the 3rd Blue.

Black-tailed Skimmer Orthetrum cancellatum [3rd Blue]

Eating a dragonfly on the 3rd Blue was a Spotted Flycatcher.  This is the first time this year that I have seen them on the course.  I saw a pair this morning on the red course and this evening on the Blue.  Hopefully one or more pairs will next again this year.

Spotted Flycatcher [3rd Blue]

On the 2nd on the Blue there were a few Greenfinches.  These also nest on the estate - there is a small colony in the hedge behind the practice area.

Greenfinch [2nd Blue]

14 June 2026

 I had a brief walk around the Blue and Red courses this morning.  I think that there is one pair of Egyptian Geese left after the territorial dispute and they have raised three chicks.  They are usually found around the pond on the 3rd.

Egyptian Geese [3rd Blue]

There are plenty of other young birds around the course at the moment, including this Dunnock on the 5th Red.

Dunnock [5th Red]

Field Pansies are quite common, but are still one of my favourite Frilford flowers.  They grow on the Blue course, including in the car park at the Tubney range, but are quite small and inconspicuous.   

Field Pansy Viola arvensis [15th Blue]

I am often amazed and amused at where I find golf balls in my visits to the more remote areas of the three courses.  This ball was embedded in the branch of the tree to the left of the 5th hole on the Blue.

31 May 2026

 I had a quick walk around the Red course early this morning.  I was surprised to come across a couple of noisy Oystercatchers on the banks of the reservoir.  I'm not sure if they are going to stay and breed.  Whilst primarily a shorebird there are a few pairs nesting in Oxfordshire.  I last saw one at Frilford in June 2023.

Oystercatchers [Reservoir]

I also ventured into Two Pine Fen to have a look at the Orchids.  My botanical expertise does not extend to reliably separate the Narrow-leaved Marsh Orchids from Southern Marsh Orchids, but I think that this one may be one of the rarer Narrow-leaved.

Narrow-leaved Marsh-Orchid Dactylorhiza traunsteineri [16th Red]

25 May 2026

Whilst tuning my game at the Doghouse Practice Ground today I managed to spot Hoary Cinquefoil - one of Frilford's rarities.  I haven't seen this for a couple of years and it is pretty tiny, so difficult to spot, but reassuring to see that it is still around. 'argentea' in the latin name means silver - referring to the silvery hairs on its stem and leaves.

Hoary Cinquefoil Potentilla argentea [Doghouse Practice Ground]

Stag's Horn Plantain is much more abundant at the Doghouse but still quite unusual inland.  Not quite so photogenic as some of our other plants.  

Stag's Horn Plantain Plantago coronopus [Doghouse Practice Ground]

2 May 2026

I walked around the Red course this morning.  It was good to hear lots of birdsong.  The warblers were particularly vocal.  At the side of the 5th hole I heard Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warblers and Blackcap.  Sadly the Lesser Whitethroat was elusive, but it was good to see a pair of Garden Warblers.  I usually see these to the right of the 13th hole but this pair seem to be nesting on the 5th.

Garden Warblers [5th Red]

Blackcap [5th Red]

Plenty of plants in the light rough at the moment.  Sheep's Sorrel gives the rusty colour on much of the Red and Green courses.  

Sheep's Sorrell Rumex acetosella [12th Red]

Field Mouse-Ear also grows on the Red and Green courses and is very common at Frilford, but quite rare elsewhere.

Field Mouse-ear Cerastium arvense [6th Red]

19 April 2026

 

I had an early morning walk around the Blue course.   There was quite a lot of commotion on the first green with two pairs of Egyptian Geese arguing loudly, probably over territory.  Eventually one of the pairs retreated.  The dead tree by the side of the first green seems like a prime next site.

Egyptian Geese [1st Blue]

In amongst the Mallards on the 4th tee was a male Gadwall.  There is a pair that nests on the reservoir which I see fairly regularly - but not so often out on the course.  The white wing bar of the male is quite distinctive.

Gadwall and Mallard [4th Blue]

5 April 2026

 

Had a walk around the Blue and red course in the sunshine this morning.  Whilst some of the winter finches are starting to depart the course the resident Goldfinches and Chaffinches are still around. This Goldfinch was between the 4th and 5th on the Red

Goldfinch (5th Red)

There seemed to be a lot more water in the reservoir than I have seen for a while.  There were also a couple of Stock Doves on the shoreline.  They nest near on inside the Greenkeepers hut on the Blue course.

Stock Doves (Reservoir)

There were a lot of birds in the gorse today - whilst much has been cleared, there is still plenty around.  Linnets in particular nest in the gorse - this one was on the 13th of the Blue

Linnet [12th Blue]

It was nice to see a pair of Reed Buntings as well.  These were on the 11th of the Blue.  They usually nest near the pond on the 3rd but are probably looking for a new spot now that the vegetation here has been cleared.  The bird below is a male, with a Dunnock perched nearby.

15 March 2026

Anyone playing the Blue course recently will have noticed a couple of new additions to the regular wildlife at Frilford.  Two Egyptian Geese have taken up residence and can be seen on the front nine most days.   Egyptian Geese are an introduced species, first arriving in St. James’ Park in 1698 from it’s natural range of Egypt and North Africa.

Egyptian Geese [1st Blue]

Next to the reservoir I can across some holes in the sand.  These are made by Mining Bees - a genus which contains 67 species.  

They are common around the course - I have been stung by one on the Green course when searching for my ball in a bunker.  Sadly my expertise does not extend to classifying these in any more detail.

Mining Bee

30 November 2025

 Had a walk around the Blue course today.  I was pleased to see a pair of Stonechats around the gorse on the 8th/10th.  I saw some last winter, but not over the summer.  A male and female were there today.

Stonechats [10th Blue]

Not far away I had a good look at one of the bird-scaring kites.  Tough to identify a species.  The head looks to be Bald Eagle, the tail looks to be a hawk and the wings are shaped like a falcon.  Hopefully it is convincing the Rooks and Crows to keep off the fairways - although I have my doubts...

Kite sp.  [10th Blue]

I hear Ravens quite often around the estate.  Their cronking sound is quite distinctive but I only usually see the flying overhead.  This one perched atop one of the pine trees by the 13th Blue.  The can make out its large beak.

Raven [13th Blue]

Just a bit further along the path, behind the 16th green, I came across this Muntjac.

Muntjac [16th Blue]

11 October 2025

 

I had a quick walk around the reservoir this morning and played the Green course in the afternoon.  The highlight was a large flock of finches and pipits around the plants that are seeding near the reservoir.  There must have been a couple of hundred birds - mostly Goldfinches, but also Meadow Pipits (20+), Chaffinches and a couple of Reed Bunting.

Meadow Pipit [Reservoir]

Goldfinches [Reservoir]

Musk Thistle Carduus nutans [15th Green]

24 September 2025

 

Crossbills [8th Green]

I haven't seen Crossbills at Frilford since the great influx in 2020/21, but I came across a small flock on the Green course today.  There looked to be six or seven, including this pair who were in the treetops beside the 8th.

31 August 2025

 

Swallows [Reservoir]

I had a walk round the estate  this morning.  There were large numbers of Swallows and House Martins congregated around the reservoir - no doubt feeding up before making the trip south for the winter.  It is always rather a sad sight seeing the birds ready to leave us, particularly as the number of Swallows seems to have declined a lot in the last few years.

Devil's Bit Scabious Succisa pratensis [13th Red]

Devil's Bit Scabious is one of the late flowering plants at Frilford.  It grows in Two-Pine Fen, particularly on the 4th hole on the Green course.  This is a new patch on the 13th on the Red.  I haven't been up too much of late, but couldn't spot Grass of Parnassus that grows on the 4th hole on the Green course - hopefully this is still present, but that I missed it.

26 August 2025

 I came across this large caterpillar feeding on Himalayan Balsam by the stream on the 3rd Blue.  It will ultimately turn into an Elephant Hawk Moth if it doesn’t get eaten.  With this aim the eye pattern is designed to deter predators.

Elephant Hawk Moth Deilephila elpenr [3rd Blue]

Frilford is always a good spot for Mistletoe Thrushes.  There are also a few pairs of Song Thrushes that breed on the estate.  It was nice to see this young one on the footpath by the 5th Red.

Song Thrushes [5th Red]

Feral Pigeon fly over the course from time to time and occasionally land.  This one was on the 4th tee on the Blue.

29 June 2025

 

Scorching weather at the weekend, so I ventured out in the early morning and late evening.  There are several pairs of Green Woodpeckers nesting around the course at the moment and both juveniles and adults are easy to spot.  This one gave some nice views around the 2nd green and provided some consolation to the seven shots I had taken to play the hole.

Green Woodpecker [2nd Blue]

In the the back of the 8th green and around the 10th tee there were a lot of birds enjoying the multitudes of flies, including Blackcaps, Blue Tits and Chiffchaffs.  This Nuthatch was searching for grubs and beetles on the tree trunks.

Nuthatch [8th Blue]

There are plenty of flowers out at the moment.  Meadowsweet grows in various areas of the estate, including on the left of the 18th.  It has an almond scent and it was once widely used as a sweetener in food and mead - hence the name.

Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria [18th Blue]

Cinnabar moth caterpillars are easy to spot with their black and yellow colouring, which is also a warning to potential predators that they are toxic. This one was near the footpath on the 4th Red.

Cinnabar Moth Tyria jacobaeae [4th Red]