5 July 2021

 

A Hobby is a small falcon that can be seen around the course in summer from time to time.  It feeds on small birds and insects, particularly dragonflies.   This one was flying over the 6th on the Blue.

Hobby [6th Blue]

Plenty more young birds around.  Robins are speckled brown in their first few months before acquiring a red breast and more familiar colouring.

Robin [6th Blue]

Juvenile Great-spotted Woodpeckers are similar to adults but have a red cap.  

Great-spotted Woodpecker [Tubney range]

Juvenile treecreepers are pretty much identical to adults.  This one was being fed by an adult.

Treecreeper [6th Blue]

A couple of new flowers in the rough by the 4th Red:

Perforate St John's-wort Hypericum perforatum [4th Red]

Field Scabious Knautia arvensis [4th Red]

Lots of Pyramidal Orchids out now over the course.  This one was on the 18th Blue.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [18th Blue]

5 June 2021

 

Very hot and sunny today - everything looking very lush and green.  

On the Doghouse range I managed to find another of the rare Frilford plants - Hoary Cinquefoil.  This is another Potentilla and can be identified by the downy white hairs on the back of the leaves and stem.  I found it on the left of the range near the car park.

Hoary Cinquefoil Potentilla argentia [Doghouse range]

Easier to spot, the Lupins on the Doghouse range are quite spectacular at the moment.

Tree Lupin Lupinus arboreus [Doghouse range]

There are a couple of species of Sandwort around the course at the moment, these are rather inconspicuous white flowers.  Thyme-leaved Sandwort grows to the right of the 15th Red and the much larger Three-nerved Sandwort grows in a few places, including the wood behind the 6th Blue and on the left of the 13th Red.

Thyme-leaved Sandwort Arenaria serpyllifolia [ 15th Red]

Three-nerved Sandwort Moehringia trinvervia [6th Blue]

Lesser Stitchwort is fairly common and can be found growing in the rough in various places around the course.

Lesser Stitchwort Stellaria graminea [13th Red]

The next batch of orchids are starting to flower in the damp areas.  Common Spotted Orchids are the most frequent around the courses.  

Common Spotted Orchid Dactylorhiza fuchsii [16th Red]

Yellow Irises are also starting to show, particularly around the pond by the 4th tee on the Blue.

Yellow Iris Iris pseudacorus [4th Blue]

Also plenty of insects about at the moment.  This Beautiful Demoiselle was on the 4th Blue

Beautiful Demoiselle Calopteryx virgo [4th Blue]

Orange-tip Anthocharis cardamines [Doghouse range]

Small Copper Lycaena phlaeas [15th Red]

Fairly quiet bird-wise.  Most seem more focused on feeding their broods than posing for photos, but there are quite a few noisy woodpeckers around.

Great-spotted Woodpecker [2nd Blue]

11 May 2021

 I put up the trail camera to film the bird feeders for a couple of days.  There were plenty of clips of Blue Tits and Great Tits as you would expect, but I was quite surprised to see how often Great-spotted Woodpeckers visited the peanuts.  There is a pair on the video below - the male is the one with the red patch on the back of its head.

 A Nuthatch also visits regularly, which is also a bit of a surprise as I haven't seen or heard one in this corner of the course.

A week or so ago I also put it near the wood behind the 6th on the Blue.  This mostly recorded Rabbits and Grey Squirrels, but this badger also popped by to have a good look at the contraption.

5 April 2021

Discovered some more Moschatel in the woods by the 1st Green on the Red and a Bulbous Buttercup on the 5th.

Bulbous Buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus [5th Red]

As well as a few familiar birds and insects.

Great spotted Woodpecker [2nd Blue]

Moorhen [1st Red]

Song Thrush [1st Red]

Red-tailed Bumblebee [18th Blue]

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]