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.

22 June 2025

 Played a couple of times on the Blue course this weekend and had a walk around the Red course.  It itsnoticeable that the rough is getting longer.   One of the more attractive plants that you may come across if your driving is errant is the Musk Mallow.  There are plenty on the Red course.  This one was behind the 4th.

Musk Mallow [4th Red]

I have looked hard, but seen very few snakes around the estate over the last three or four years.  Last week I saw a very small grass snake next to the 13th tee on the Red but was unable to get a photo before it slithered off.  On the Blue course however I came across this Grass Snake in front of the 2nd tee.  It had captured a frog, and unless I have badly misread the situation, the frog was having a pretty bad time.

Snakes are able to dislocate their jaws in order to swallow prey that is wider than their mouth.  Even with this trick this snake looked to have bitten off more than it could swallow.  

Grass Snake [2nd Blue]

There were a pair of Spotted Flycathers around the 3rd and 9th on the Blue.

Spotted Flycatcher [8th Blue]

After the excitement of hearing and occasionally seeing a Lesser Whitethroat on the 5th Red in May I came across a pair of Common Whitethroats today, clearly nesting close by.  These are a little less secretive than the Lesser Whitethroat and I was able to get a couple of photos.  The male is in the top photo and is a little more colourful than the female (bottom photo)

Whitethroats [5th Red]

It is good to see that the Stock Doves are still nesting somewhere near the greenkeepers' shed on the 16th Blue. This pair was on the roof today.

Stock Dovers [16th Blue]

Linnets are always a feature of the course in summer.  They nest in the gorse, particularly on the 5th and 15th on the Red. This one was singing on 15th.

Finally I came across this moth in the car park.  It is called Burnished Brass due to the colouring on it's upper wings:

Burnished Brass Diachrysia chrysitis [car park]

14 May 2025

 Had a walk around the estate today.  This year I have heard a Lesser Whitethroat on the course for the first time in a few years.  Its territory seems to be centred around the footpath to the left of the 5th on the Red course.  They are easy to hear, but virtually impossible to see or photograph as they generally stay hidden in bushes.  In several hours of trying, this is the best picture that I managed to get.

Lesser Whitethroat [5th Red]

There also Linnets nesting in the gorse in this area.  They are a little less secretive and there are lots of them.

Linnet [5th Red]

A little lower down the footpath you can find a patch of Heath Dog Violets, one of Frilford's speciality flowers.  They are a bit bluer than the more common violets and have a yellow spur.

Heath Dog Violet Viola canina [4th Red]

Cinnabar moths are quite common on the courses at this time of year.  They have distinctive red colouring and fly during the day.  Later in the year, look out for their black and yellow caterpillars.  This one was on the grass on the 1st Blue.

Cinnabar  Tyria jacobaeae [1st Blue]

Also on the 1st Blue I came across this freshwater mussel shell.  I suspect that this may have been eaten by an otter and left on the fairway.

Freshwater Mussel [1st Blue]

10 April 2023

I had a few holes and a few walks around the course over the last week or so.  It was nice to see a few ducks on the reservoir, particularly on Monday when it offered a bit  of shelter from the wind.  There were six Gadwall (5 males and 1 female), which is the most that I have seen around Frilford, as well as around a dozen Tufted Ducks and some Coot.

Gadwall [Reservoir]

Gadwall [Reservoir]

Tufted Ducks [Reservoir]

This Little Grebe was close to the edge in calmer conditions earlier in the week.

Little Grebe [Reservoir]

Elsewhere around the course there are lots of Linnets about.  This flock was roosting in the trees on the Green course.  There are also a few Redpolls and Siskins still around

Linnets [9th Green]

Redpoll [15th Red]

21 August 2022

 

Popped out a few times over the week for nine holes and a stroll.  It is fairly quiet nature-wise.  I did come across this tiny frog hopping across the 3rd fairway on the Green course - one of the few areas that generally stays fairly moist.

Common Frog [3rd Green]

There was a Little Egret on the 1st Blue yesterday evening and a Kingfisher on the 3rd.  There are still lots of Spotted Flycatchers about.  There were at least 6 around the 10th tee on the Blue course and unusually they were mostly feeding on the ground.

Spotted Flycatcher [10th Blue]

Otherwise nothing too spectacular.  This Muntjac was on the 8th Blue and the Linnet was one of the flock that is resident around the reservoir.

Muntjac [8th Blue]

Linnet [Reservoir]

19 May 2022

A couple of weeks ago as I walked through the scrubby area between the 14th and 15th Red I heard a bird song that I didn't quite recognise, but assumed that it must have been a Blackcap.  I heard the same again this morning, but managed to track down the bird which turned out to be a Garden Warbler.  It is the first time that I have seen one at Frilford.  This individual was quite obliging and sang pretty much continuously for half an hour.  Garden Warblers are the same size as a Blackcap and, other than the song, have no real distinguishing features.  My bird book describes them, rather harshly, as 'nondescript and featureless'.  It was nice to see one nevertheless.

Garden Warbler [15th Red]

It is interesting to compare the song to this Blackcap that I filmed on the 9th Blue a couple of weeks ago. The Blackcap is a little more melodic with shorter phrases.

There were a lot of Linnets on the 13th-15th Red.  They nest in the Gorse bushes.

Linnet [13th Red]

Look out for Common Twayblade in Two Pine Fen.  It is the second of Frilford's orchids to flower and though not as colourful as the others they are very numerous.

Common Twayblade Neottia ovata [4th Green]

24th April 2021

 

Another crisp clear morning, with plenty of different birds singing.  Blackbirds are one of the most common birds around the estate and are singing all over the courses at the moment.  Their song does not quite have the musical quality or clarity of a Song Thrush.  I've also only noticed this year that they seem to start singing slightly later than thrushes - perhaps for fear of being shown up.  This one was on the 8th, you can also hear a Wren in the background.

There are lots of warblers singing around the course.  I heard at least three Willow Warblers and numerous Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs.  This clip is a Chiffchaff on the 6th, but you can also hear a Blackcap singing in the background.

I saw and heard a Lesser Whitethroat on the left of the 2nd on the Blue, towards the end of the fairway.  They are rather shy birds and difficult to spot, and have a white throat with uniform grey upper-parts and dark legs.  I heard one in the same spot last year, so hopefully it should be around for the summer.

Lesser Whitethroat [2nd Blue]

 Like most warblers, Lesser Whitethroats have a distinctive song, in their case ending with a bit of trill - diggadiggadiggadigga, which you can hear in this brief clip:

There are lots of Linnets singing around the course all over the Blue and Red - this one was on the 5th Red:

The Reed Buntings are also still around the 3rd and 4th on the Blue:

Reed Bunting [3rd Blue]

There are quite a few mammals around at the moment.  I regularly see Roe Deer and Muntjac.  There are a few baby rabbits about and at least 2 pairs of Brown Hares on the Blue course.  This one was on the 15th.

Brown Hare [15th Blue]

Hares are longer-legged than rabbits and also move very differently:

I had a nice moment walking along the footpath beside the 5th on the Red when a Stoat ran towards me, seemingly oblivious to my presence until the last minute.  I could just have done with a bit more warning to get the camera set up properly.

18 April 2021

 

Had a walk around the Red and Blue courses this morning.  A few more plants to tick off for the year, although I'm learning that identification of a lot of species is far from straightforward.  Bluebells are one flower that is fairly easy and a few are appearing on the left of the 13th on the Red.

Bluebell Hyacinthoides non-scripta [13th Red]

This small shrub grows in some quantity on the the left of the 13th on the Red and I think that they are some sort of currant.  I will go for Red Currant for the moment and will hopefully get further clues when they fruit.

Red Currant Ribes rubrum [13th Red]

I think that this is a Dove's Foot Cranesbill on the left of the 15th on the Blue:

Doves-foot Cranesbill Geranium molle [15th Blue]

I think that this is a Wood Forget-me-not on the left of the 13th Red.

Wood Forget-me-not  Myosotis sylvatica [13th Red]

I think that this is Slender Speedwell on the 3rd on the Red.

Slender Speedwell Veronica filiformis [3rd Red]

This is definitely Field Mouse-ear - with the 15th on the Red in the background.

Field Mouse-ear Cerastium arvense [15th Red]

Not too much around bird-wise.  A few more Swallows, four Tufted Duck on the pond by the 4th tee on the Blue and lots of Linnets in the gorse on the 5th and 15th Red, where I think that they nest.

Tufted Duck [4th Blue]

Linnet [5th Red]

Song Thrush [6th Blue]