The most obliging birds today were clinging onto pine cones around the 16th on the Blue. Coal Tits are the smallest of the tits that I commonly see around the course. They are rather like miniature Great Tits, but are rather less colourful and have a distinctive white stripe on their nape - more obvious in the second photo.
Coal Tit [16th Blue]
Siskins and Crossbills were on good form in the sunshine.
Siskin [16th Blue]
Crossbill [16th Blue]
Here is a female crossbill calling, then joined by some Siskins on the 4th Red.
Other birds/animals of note include:
3 Stock Doves feeding near the Blue practice area;
Several Skylarks singing over the fields to the left of the 2nd-6th on the Blue; and
Brown hare on the 1st Blue.
A couple more rather obscure flowers to add to the yearly list:
Beautiful morning, had a walk around all 3 courses. Nothing particularly noteworthy, but all looking good in the sunshine. Siskins, Crossbills and Goldfinches were all feeding around the 3rd and 4th on the Red.
Siskins [4th Red]
Crossbill [3rd Red]
This Long-tailed Tit was gathering nesting material in the gorse beside the 18th Blue.
Long-tailed Tit [18th Blue]
There are plenty of Great Tits singing around the course at the moment. This one is a male. The males have broader black stripes across their front than females. Great Tits have one of the most impressive repertoires of different calls of any British bird with over 100 different songs being recorded. This bird only felt the need to employ one of these.
Other birds about include one of the two Magpies that always frequent the trees around the 12th Red, a Coot on the reservoir and a Buzzard flying over the first couple of holes on the Blue.
Magpie [12th Red]
Coot [reservoir]
Buzzard [2nd Blue]
This Muntjac Deer didn't spot me whilst it was grazing in the area between the 15th and 13th on the Red.
A few more familiar flowers are appearing all around the course - a bit of yellow about today.
Have walked various bits of the course over the last couple of days. There are definitely signs of spring with flowers starting to appear, birds singing and nesting and even butterflies starting to appear.
Plenty of Crossbills still around on the course. This flock was in the small pine tree to the right of the 11th tee on the Blue, flying down to drink from the large puddle that persists there - not far from where my sliced drive usually ends up.
Crossbills [11th Blue]
They also frequent the pine trees by the greenkeepers shed, such as this male and female.
Crossbills [16th Blue]
Elsewhere, there are Song Thrushes are still very vocal. This is the usual one nesting near the 3rd green on the Blue.
This Mistle Thrush looked to have found a potential nest site behind the 6th Green. I also heard a Skylark for the first time this year to the left of the 2nd on the Blue.
Mistle Thrush [6th Blue]
There are plenty of Hedge Sparrows singing. Their song always sounds very upbeat and cheerful.
and other resident birds.
Woodpigeon [4th Blue]
It is a little early for the main spring migrants, but I did spot this Chiffchaff at the side of the 4th fairway and another singing behind the 6th on the Blue. These are generally summer visitors, although a few do overwinter.
Chiffchaff [4th Blue]
A few flowers are starting to appear. Some are vary obvious, such as the Snowdrops, which are now very visible on the course:
Rather overcast today as I walked around different sections of the 3 courses. A few more flowers starting to appear.
Daffodil Nacissus pseudonarcissus [12th Red]
Dog's Mercury Mercurialis perennis [1st Blue]
Daisy Bellis perennis [1st Blue]
Elsewhere this was one of two pairs of Canada Geese noisily disputing ownership of the pond on the 3rd of the Blue.
Canada Geese [3rd Blue]
I also spotted a pair of Stock Doves on the Greenkeepers' hut behind the 16th on the Blue. They are easy birds to overlook as they are similar in size and appearance to Woodpigeons. On close inspection however you can see that they slightly darker, lack the Woodpigeon's white neck patch and have a thin black wing-bar rather than a broad white wing bar.
Stock Dove [16th Blue]
Compared to some Woodpigeons that I photographed behind the 3rd on the Blue in November:
Woodpigeon [3rd Blue]
I also regularly see a Green Woodpecker in one of the oak trees along the hedge on the 2nd on the Blue, where I suspect they may be nesting and a pair of Mallard around the pond by the 4th tee.
Had a quick walk at lunchtime today. Nothing of particular note. The weather is somewhat milder than the weekend, but there is still sufficient ice on the ponds to hold the weight of the ducks.
Mallard [4th Blue]
This is one of the Blackbirds which appear to be nesting in the hedge behind the 3rd tee on the Blue.
Blackbird [3rd Blue]
A Treecreeper was doing as its name suggests near the stream behind the 3rd Green on the Blue:
This rabbit on the 6th Red is the first that I've seen on the course for a while:
Braved the arctic conditions to inspect all three courses this morning. Didn't spot any new flowers, but plenty of birds around.
The main flock of Redwings seemed to be centred on the 3rd hole on the Blue when I walked past. There were also a few Fieldfares mixed in. Fieldfares are quite large thrushes, about the size of Mistle Thrush but rather more colourful, with a slate grey nape and rump. Like the Redwings, they are winter visitors. There were large numbers in early December, most likely migrating through, but I have not seen many since. In the photo below they are the larger pair at the back
Fieldfares and Redwings [3rd Blue]
There are also flocks of Redwings on the 14th Red and 6th Green. In the latter flock there were also some Mistle Thrushes mixed in.
Mistle Thrush [6th Green]
One of the characteristic sounds around the courses at the moment is woodpeckers drumming. We have both Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers resident. This one was near the bridge between the Red and Blue courses.
Great Spotted Woodpecker [1st Red]
They tend to find a hollow branch or trunk such as this one so that the sound resonates. Woodpeckers have a pad of shock-absorbent tissue between the bill and skull to reduce the effect of the impact.
Elsewhere I managed to grab a photo of a wren on the 15th on the Green and a rather distant shot of some Lapwings flying over - there were actually several small flocks that flew across.
Wren [15th Green]
Lapwings [15th Red]
On the Blue course I had a nice view of a Redpoll in the ditch behind the 3rd green and saw four Roe Deer on the 5th fairway. A Stock Dove also took off near to the nest box on the 2nd.
Icy but sunny conditions over the last couple of mornings.
This morning there was a Little Egret in the stream that runs along the 2nd on the Blue. These small white herons are more familiar on the Continent, where they are very frequent along any sort of water. They are relatively new additions to Britain - they were quite rare before 1990, but are now fairly common and you will usually see one if you go to Farmoor reservoir. I have seen them occasionally at Frilford - usually on the first three holes on the Blue course. They are striking but dainty birds. They also have characteristic yellow feet, as you can see from the second photo.
Little Egret [2nd Blue]
Little Egret [2nd Blue]
Elsewhere there were a couple of Roe Deer on the 7th fairway on the Red.
