Had a walk in the sunshine this morning. Lots of birdsong, with most of the summer migrants now arrived. Blackcaps can be heard all over the course with plenty of Whitethroats as well in the scrub. It was nice to see and hear a pair of Garden Warblers in the same place as the last couple of years on the right of the 13th Red.
Chaffinch [3rd Blue]
Garden Warbler [13th Red]
I also came across this Greater Celandine growing near the 1st Red. It is actually a member of the Poppy family and can be found in a few places around the estate, usually close to gardens.
I had a walk around the Red course this morning and played 9 holes on the Blue in the evening. One of the most spectacular sites is actually the area just above the car park where a fantastic display of Sheep's Sorrel makes creates some lovely rusty patches.
Sheep's Sorrell Rumex acetosella [Car Park]
There are plenty of other plants in the same area. Bird's Foot is tiny and grows over much of the waste ground at Frilford but is too small to see without a magnifier. Bugloss is larger and is another plant that grows on many of the waste areas on the estate.
Bird's-foot Ornithopus perpusillus [Car park]
Bugloss Anchusa arvensis [Car park]
At the other end of the car park a Chaffinch had a mouthful of caterpillars:
Chaffinch [18th Green]
On the 13th Red, it was nice to see a Garden Warbler - maybe the same bird in the same tree as last year, singing the same song.
Garden Warbler [13th Red]
The highlight of the front nine of the Blue was a Mallard and her six ducklings wandering across the 4th tee.
I had a quick walk around the front nine of the Blue while it was quiet this morning. There were lots of finches around again. The main flock was on the 9th fairway in front of the green, consisting of Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Bramblings and Redpolls. All of these are on the photo below.
Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Bramblings and Redpoll [9th Blue]
In the trees around there are also lots of Siskins. I came across this one having a bath in the ditch alongside the 4th.
There was a large flock of finches again today, this time feeding on the 1st, 2nd and 9th on the Blue. These were made up of Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Bramblings. You can see all three more easily in the photo below - Chaffinches the front two, Goldfinch on the left middle and Bramblings the back right two.
Bramblings, Chaffinches and Goldfinch [1st Blue]
Bramblings are the rarest of the finches around Frilford. They are distinguishable by their orange shoulders. I reckon that there were between 15 and 20 on the fairway and in the trees around. The one in the middle here is a female:
Brambling [1st Blue]
Bramblings, Chaffinches and Goldfinches [1st Blue]
I saw a Merlin for the second time on the Blue course, high above the trees to the right of the 2nd - scattering the small birds that it was hunting. There were plenty of Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds around the same area.
Wren [1st Blue]
The plant growing on the wall of the car park is Garden Arabis - a garden escape that is often found on old walls close to habitation.
A bright, crisp and cold morning. I walked a quick loop along some of the Red and Blue courses. Most notable sighting was a Kingfisher in the stream behind the 1st Green on the Blue course. I hadn't seen one at Frilford for several months so it was reassuring to know that there is at least one still around.
There are a few pairs of Mallard around the course at the moment. These two were on the pond by the 4th tee on the Blue:
Mallard [4th Blue]
A few birds are starting to nest. This Song Thrush is part of a pair that appear to be nesting in the hedge on the edge of the 3rd hole on the Green.
Song Thrush [3rd Blue]
Plenty of birdsong as well. The Song Thrush probably has the most musical of the birds that we are likely to hear on the course. Its song carries a long way, it has a lot of repeated phrases and clarity of notes. This was the same bird singing on the hedge being the pond on the 3rd. Listen out for a Green Woodpecker calling nearby in the middle.
Nearby a male Chaffinch was singing from one of the oak trees by the 4th tee. This bird is answering the calls of another nearby.
