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