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]

22 June 2025

 Played a couple of times on the Blue course this weekend and had a walk around the Red course.  It itsnoticeable that the rough is getting longer.   One of the more attractive plants that you may come across if your driving is errant is the Musk Mallow.  There are plenty on the Red course.  This one was behind the 4th.

Musk Mallow [4th Red]

I have looked hard, but seen very few snakes around the estate over the last three or four years.  Last week I saw a very small grass snake next to the 13th tee on the Red but was unable to get a photo before it slithered off.  On the Blue course however I came across this Grass Snake in front of the 2nd tee.  It had captured a frog, and unless I have badly misread the situation, the frog was having a pretty bad time.

Snakes are able to dislocate their jaws in order to swallow prey that is wider than their mouth.  Even with this trick this snake looked to have bitten off more than it could swallow.  

Grass Snake [2nd Blue]

There were a pair of Spotted Flycathers around the 3rd and 9th on the Blue.

Spotted Flycatcher [8th Blue]

After the excitement of hearing and occasionally seeing a Lesser Whitethroat on the 5th Red in May I came across a pair of Common Whitethroats today, clearly nesting close by.  These are a little less secretive than the Lesser Whitethroat and I was able to get a couple of photos.  The male is in the top photo and is a little more colourful than the female (bottom photo)

Whitethroats [5th Red]

It is good to see that the Stock Doves are still nesting somewhere near the greenkeepers' shed on the 16th Blue. This pair was on the roof today.

Stock Dovers [16th Blue]

Linnets are always a feature of the course in summer.  They nest in the gorse, particularly on the 5th and 15th on the Red. This one was singing on 15th.

Finally I came across this moth in the car park.  It is called Burnished Brass due to the colouring on it's upper wings:

Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis [car park]