26 April 2021

Sunny but cold and windy.  I had a quick walk around the Blue first thing followed by nine holes in the evening.  I came across a couple of very tame Mistle Thrushes admiring my drive down the 7th.  Some birds are a lot less wary in the summer - during the winter it was difficult to get close without them taking flight.  There are quite a lot around the course at the moment - they are larger than Song Thrushes and always appear quite long-necked.

Mistle Thrush [7th Blue]

I saw another large thrush this morning - a Fieldfare on the 5th.  This one is very late - most of the other winter thrushes disappeared very quickly some time in March.  

Fieldfare [5th Blue]

On the far left of the 4th I found some Honesty, one of the more colourful weeds of rough ground.

Honesty Lunaria annua [4th Blue]

I put a trail camera down besides the stream behind the 3rd Green.  I was hoping to get images of Water Voles.  I didn't get any, but an Otter did pass through:

Otter [3rd Blue]

Mostly though I got images of Brown Rats, which I guess is not surprising.  Prioritising science over aesthetics, I have included a quick video:

2 March 2021

 

Sunny yesterday, but somewhat greyer today.  A few White Dead-Nettles are starting to flower around the 12th tee on the Red:

White Dead-Nettle Lamium album [12th Red]

A large flock of Fieldfares on the 11th fairway (Blue) with some Starlings and Redwings mixed in.

Fieldfares, Starlings and Redwings [11th Blue]

I had a brief view of a Kingfisher on the 2nd Blue - sadly too brief to get a photo, but this Treecreeper and Green Woodpecker were a little more helpful.

Treecreeper [3rd Blue]

Green Woodpecker [2nd Red]

13 February 2021

 

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.

Redpoll [3rd Blue]

Roe Deer [5th Blue]