18 February 2024

 I had a walk around the Blue course this afternoon and found a fair amount of the front nine under water.  The stream through the 1st and 2nd had burst its banks and a fair chunk of the fairway was part of the flow.  The ditch to the left of the 3rd which is usually a  collection of puddles had become a fast-flowing channel.  Most of the fourth fairway was a water hazard.

1st Blue

2nd Blue

3rd Blue

4th Blue

Nothing too spectacular wildlife wise.  I have seen the Stonechats fairly regularly between the 4th and 10th on the Blue, otherwise mostly the familiar species.

Red Kite [10th Blue]

Brown Hare [7th Blue]

Sparrowhawk [9th Blue]

Pheasant [2nd Red]

12 March 2023

 

Went for a walk around the Blue and Red courses this morning and came across a Barn Owl hunting around the 3rd and 9th.  I see them occasionally on the course, usually in this area and brief glimpses.  This is the first time that I have been able to enjoy their ghostly presence for a few minutes.

Barn Owl [9th and 3rd Blue]

Elsewhere on the course, there are still quite a few Redwings still about.  I expect that they will return north in the next couple of weeks.

Redwing [13th Red]

This tame pheasant seems to frequent the Red course around the clubhouse and today was on the 18th tee.

Pheasant [18th Red]

22 April 2021

A sunny but frosty morning today.  Just some familiar birds about. These are the first Swallows that I have been able to photograph - on the wire around the reservoir.  I saw the first one on 1st April and numbers have been steadily increasing.

Swallow [Reservoir]

The number of pheasants on the course is also starting to increase.  It's hard to fathom how many of these are released ahead of the shooting season.  According the study that I read, the total number released each year is around 47 million.  At the start of the shooting season this means that over 60% of total UK bird biomass is made up of pheasants, i.e. around 150% of the total for the rest of the birds in the UK.

Pheasant [16th Red]

A couple of other familiar birds and animals in the sunshine.

Hedge Sparrow [6th Red]

Blackbird [16th Red]

Muntjac [5th Red]

9 March 2021

 

Lovely morning.  A few interesting birds about.  Starlings have been surprisingly uncommon on the course this winter, there is a small flock that I sometimes see on the Blue course.  Today they were feeding with the Redwings on the 9th.

Starlings [9th Blue]

A male pheasant was close by.

Pheasant [9th Red]

Much more common are Woodpigeons, this group were feeding on the ivy at the side of the 12th on the Red.

Woodpigeons [12th Red]

A Little Egret and Kingfisher brought a touch of the exotic to the first two holes on the Blue.

Little Egret [2nd Blue]

Kingfisher [1st Blue]

The Crossbills were centred around the 13th on the Red this morning, along with a Chiffchaff and a small flock of Siskins.  I could also see across to a Buzzard sitting in the sunshine on the 14th Green.

Chiffchaff [13th Red]

Buzzard [14th Green]

Redwing [5th Red]

5 February 2021

 

Walked around the Red and Blue before work this morning.  Highlights were a large flock of Siskins (100+) on the 9th on the Blue and the usual Pheasant by the bird feeders on the 13th on the Red.

Pheasant [13th Red]

Grey Squirrel [12th Red]

22 January 2021

 

Had a brisk but chilly walk around the Red and Blue course in the sunshine this morning.  Notable birds included:

• Pair of common gulls still on the reservoir
• Cormorant flying over the 5th on the Blue
• Pheasant flew up from almost under my feet near the bird feeders on the 14th on the Red

Cormorant [5th Blue]

Pheasant [13th Red]

Long-tailed Tit [5th Red]

Chaffinch [5th Red]

13/14 December 2020

 Managed to fit in a couple of 9 holes early evening over the weekend.  Highlights included:

Normal Redpoll flock (around 40 birds) feeding in birch tree on the 12th on the Red.

Crossbills (around 10) flying over 12th on the Red.

Raven croaking in the large tree next to the clubhouse.

Pair of pheasants in the late evening sunshine.

Pheasant - 9th Blue