Good to see the reservoir filling up this weekend, hopefully it won't be too long before the geese and ducks return. Haven't seen anything unusual on the course, but it was nice to have a bit of sunshine to photograph the birds.
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| Kestrel [4th and 5th Red] |
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| Long-tailed Tit [5th Red] |
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| Goldcrest [13th Blue] |
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| Redwings [driveway] |
This week has been the first proper cold spell of the winter and it has coincided with the arrival of the first winter visitors - I have seen Redwings, Siskins and Redpolls flying over various parts of the courses this week.
The scale of the work on the irrigation system is very impressive. The reservoir is completely drained at the moment as the silt is removed and should create a significantly more efficient watering system once completed, although duck photos may be at a premium this winter.
If you have been perplexed recently after a shot into the 4th green on the Blue has seemed further away than expected or disappeared entirely, I may have the answer. I played the hole this evening and watched a Carrion Crow roll and then fly off with my playing partner's ball, dropping it in the field behind the 5th tee (much to my amusement). I then left a ball on the green and watched as same crow returned to the oak tree behind the 4th green and, once we had left the green, did exactly the same thing with this ball. It is quite a feat to open its beak wide enough to grab the ball.
If this happens and you see a crow or other animal take your ball, then this is covered under rule 18-1 (Outside agency). You are able to replace it at the spot where the ball was originally resting without penalty. I am a country member at Perranporth Golf Club in Cornwall and they have the same problem on the 11th fairway, but with Herring Gulls rather than crows. The birds think that they have found a rather round egg.
A few other, less troublesome birds in the sunshine.
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| Kestrel [4th Blue] |
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| Blue Tit [5th Red] |
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| Red Kite [13th Blue] |
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| Redpoll [3rd Blue] |
Plenty of sunshine in the last few days. At the back of the 5th Blue I spotted the distinctive berries of the Spindle - a small shrub. The berries turn bright pink when ripe and have an orange seed inside. They are also very poisonous.
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| Spindle Euonymus europaeus [5th Blue] |
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| Kestrel [Reservoir] |
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| Buzzard [2nd Green] |
One more new plant today - Black Nightshade growing in the wood on the Blue. I can't believe that I will come across many more this year, but have managed to identify around 250 wild flowers in total around the estate in 2021, and I'm sure that there are plenty more that I have missed.
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| Black Nightshade Solanum nigrum [6th Blue] |
In the hedge on the left of the 2nd on the Blue you can see the Bedeguar Gall - commonly known as Robin's pincushion. This is a fibrous growth that occurs on roses caused by the larvae of a tiny gall wasp, Dipoloepis rosae.
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| Dipoloepis rosae [2nd Blue] |
Brimstones are usually the first butterflies that I see in spring. They are yellow with a distinctive wing shape. There are still some around now - this one was on a reed in Boundary Fen.
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| Common Brimstone Gonepteryx rhamni [Boundary Fen] |
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| Kestrel [Doghouse range] |
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| Kingfisher [4th Blue] |
Baking hot day today. Lots of dragonflies around today - I was able to spot 5 species:
Beautiful Demoiselle - The ones with dark wings that are common on the first few holes of Blue.
Azure Damselfly - Small blue Damselfly. Lots around the water on the Blue.
Black-tailed Skimmer - The males have a blue body and the females are brown. These are common in the area to the left of the 15th Red.
Emporer Dragonfly - Britain's bulkiest Dragonfly, with a blue and green body. On the pond to the left of the 4th Blue and in the rough on the Red.
Four-spotted Chaser - Brown Dragonfly with spots on its wings - lots of them around the pond on the 4th Blue.
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (male) Orthetrum cancellatum [15th Red] |
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| Black-tailed Skimmer (female) Orthetrum cancellatum [15th Red] |
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| Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [15th Red] |
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| Four spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata [4th Blue] |
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| Azure Damselfly Coenagrion puella [1st Blue] |
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| Beautiful Demoiselle (male) Calopteryx virgo [1st Blue] |
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| White Waterlily Nymphaea alba [1st Blue] |
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| Water Forget-me-not Myosotit scorpioides [1st Blue] |
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| Celery-leaved Buttercup Ranunculus sceleratus [1st Blue] |
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| Brooklime Veronica Beccabunga [4th Blue] |
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| Blackcap [13th Red] |
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| Kestrel [9th Blue] |
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| Cinnabar Tyria Jacobaeae [15th Red] |
First trip out in 2021. Had a very pleasant walk around the Blue course in the sunshine. Stood by the 4th tee as a waves of birds came through the oak trees between the 4th and 9th tees. First a flock of Long-tailed tits with blue tits, great tits and a treecreeper mixed in...
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| Long-tailed Tit [4th Blue] |
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| Treecreeper [4th Blue] |
A flock of Siskins then arrived...
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| Siskin [4th Blue] |
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| Crossbill [4th Blue] |
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| Crossbill [4th Blue] |
Walking further down the 4th and 5th I had nice views of a Kestrel.
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| Kestrel [5th Blue] |
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| Grey Wagtail [2nd Blue] |
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| Siskin [1st Blue] |
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| Nuthatch [1st Blue] |
