9 August 2023

 Had a quick walk around the Blue and Red courses in the sunshine early this morning.   Beside the 10th tee on the Red I came across half a dozen or so Soapwort plants.  I usually see Soapwort on the 14th/15th of the Red, this is the first time that I have come across them on the 10th.  Their leaves/roots, when boiled, lather up and produce a mild detergent - hence the name.   

Soapwort Saponaria officinalis [10th Red]

There are a lot of young birds around the course at the moment - particularly Willow Warblers and Blackcaps.  This young Blackcap was in the Wood between the 16th and 17th Blue.

Blackcap [16th Blue]

The Grey Heron was next to the pond on the 1st Blue this morning and this rather tame young Roe Deer was in the woods behind the 6th Blue.

Grey Heron [1st Blue]

Roe Deer [6th Blue]

6 August 2022

 

I had a walk around the courses first thing this morning.  Wherever the grass hadn't been watered it was a rather crispy brown.  Nothing too unusual bird-wise, other than a Hobby which I saw very briefly behind the sixth green on the Blue course.  The family of Spotted Flycatchers were in their usual spot on the left of the 4th Blue.  Another family of 5 or 6 birds was on the 13th Red.

Spotted Flycatcher [4th Blue]

Spotted Flycatcher (juvenile) [13th Red]

Lots of other common birds about, particularly Long-tailed Tits, which seem to appear in waves of 20 or 30 birds, often interspersed with Treecreepers, Chiffchaffs, Goldcrests and Blue Tits.

Long-tailed Tit [4th Blue]

There also a few species of dragonflies and butterflies about.  This Black-tailed Skimmer was on the 3rd Blue.

Black-tailed Skimmer  Orthetrum cancellatum [3rd Blue]

Brown Argus is a fairly common butterfly found on calcareous grassland, so it was no surprise to find several on the Doghouse practice area.  

Brown Argus Aricia agestis [Doghouse practice ground]

On the 5th Blue I came across this Common Wave moth feeding on a Creeping Thistle.

Common Wave Cabera exanthemata [5th Blue]

There are also plenty of late-flowering plants around the courses - providing splashes of colour among the brown grass.

Common Restharrow Ononis repens [Doghouse practice ground]

Soapwort Saponaria officinalis [14th Red]

Harebell Campanula rotundifolia [15th Red]

4 August 2021

 There are three kinds of mint around the course at the moment.  The most common is Water Mint which grows around most of the ponds and wet areas of the courses.

Water Mint Mentha aquatica [Boundary Fen]

On the left of the 1st on the Blue you can find Corn Mint, which is similar, but lacks the flowers at the top of the stem.

Corn Mint Mentha arvensis [1st Blue]

By the side of the pond on the 6th Blue, this looks like Pennyroyal, which has well-separated spikes of small flowers.  This is a very rare native plant but more common as a garden escape, which I presume this patch is.

Pennyroyal Mentha pulegium [6th Blue]

Another lilac-flowered plant, Soapwort, grows in a pretty dense patch on the left of the 14th on the Red.

Soapwort Saponaria officinalis [14th Red]

A few butterflies were warming up first thing.  These Red Admirals were on a tree next to the 14th tee Red.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta [14th Red]

This Painted Lady was on the 5th Blue.  These butterflies are unusual in that they migrate, starting out in the deserts of North Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East and spreading northwards as far a Britain.

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui [5th Blue]