28 May 2022

I spent a bit of time this morning trying to spot some of the rare plants at the Doghouse range.  One of the rarest is Annual Knawel which is endangered in the UK and has declined due to herbicide use.  It is a tiny plant with green flowers and so very inconspicuous, but it grows in quite large quantity near to the car park. 

Annual Knawel Scleranthus annuus [Doghouse practice ground]

Close by is knotted clover, slightly larger and easier to spot, but certainly not obvious.

Knotted Clover Trifolium striatum [Doghouse practice ground]

Smooth Catsear is another rare species and the tiny yellow flowers cover the practice ground around midday.  There is also Sheep's Sorrell (on the right) and Bird's Foot (bottom left) in the photo.

Smooth Catsear Hypochaeris glabra [[Doghouse practice ground]

Stag's horn Plantain usually grows by the sea, but there is quite a lot of this near the car park.

Stags horn Plantain Plantago coronopus [Doghouse practice ground]

On the Red course the Garden Warbler was still singing incessantly from the Birch tree to the right of the 13th.

Garden Warbler (13th Red)

Most of the small birds are working hard to feed their broods at the moment and evade the likes of this Jay which looks to steal the eggs and chicks. 

Jay [Yellow course]

Wren [13th Red]

6 March 2022

 

There was a large flock of finches again today, this time feeding on the 1st, 2nd and 9th on the Blue.  These were made up of Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Bramblings.  You can see all three more easily in the photo below - Chaffinches the front two, Goldfinch on the left middle and Bramblings the back right two.

Bramblings, Chaffinches and Goldfinch [1st Blue]

Bramblings are the rarest of the finches around Frilford.  They are distinguishable  by their orange shoulders.  I reckon that there were between 15 and 20 on the fairway and in the trees around.  The one in the middle here is a female:

Brambling [1st Blue]

Bramblings, Chaffinches and Goldfinches [1st Blue]

I saw a Merlin for the second time on the Blue course, high above the trees to the right of the 2nd - scattering the small birds that it was hunting. There were plenty of Wrens, Robins and Blackbirds around the same area.

Wren [1st Blue]

The plant growing on the wall of the car park is Garden Arabis - a garden escape that is often found on old walls close to habitation.

Garden Arabis Arabis caucasica [Car park]

7 August 2021

Lots of small birds feeding on berries and seeds around the courses at the moment.  The wood around the 13th/16th of the Blue course is particularly productive, with Willow Warblers, Goldcrests, Goldfinches, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Blackcaps, Treecreepers, Nuthatches, Great-spotted Woodpeckers, Spotted Flycatchers, Robins and Wrens all very easy to see.

Willow Warbler [16th Blue]

Goldcrest [16th Blue]

It is particularly encouraging to see lots of Spotted Flycatchers around the course at the moment.  A pair was hunting for flies in the wood and is the third location on the estate that I have seem a family of Flycatchers.  It is possible that it is the same birds following me around, but more likely that there are two or three groups of birds.

Spotted Flycatchers [16th Blue]

On the reservoir there are a couple of resident families of Tufted Ducks, Coot and Little Grebes with Cormorants and Canada Geese calling in from time to time.

Little Grebe [Reservoir]

There are also lots of birds feeding by the 3rd on the Blue.   This is a juvenile Goldfinch feeding on a Marsh Thistle.  It has the yellow wing bar, but not yet the red face.

Goldfinch [3rd Blue]

Wren [3rd Blue]

6 March 2021

 

Had a walk around all of the courses in the sunshine this morning.  A few more flowers are appearing:

Common Storksbill Eodrium cicutarium [3rd Red]

Shepherd's Purse Capsella bursa-pastoris [Driving Range]

I chatted to one of the group of volunteers who work regularly on behalf of English Nature on the swampy area to the left of the 13th.  

This area is calcareous fen, which is very unusual in England and they are looking to restore the environment so that it supports some of the rare plants, including orchids and louseworts which were formerly recorded here and are seen in the marshy area around the 4th on the Green and the 16th on the Red - you can see more details on  https://freshwaterhabitats.org.uk/projects/oxfordshire-fens-project .  This habitat, along with the acid grasslands on the estate is the main reason for Frilford's site of special scientific interest (SSSI) status.

Elsewhere I saw a flock of around a dozen Linnets to the side of the 5th on the Red and a pair of Bullfinches in the same spot, the first time that I have seen either species on the course this year.

Linnets [5th Red]

Other birds included: 

Kestrel on the 2nd Blue

Stock Doves on the 2nd Red 

Redpolls feeding on the ground in the trees on the 1st Blue 

A couple of Chiffchaffs on the 1st and 2nd of the Blue

Grey wagtails near the Greenkeepers' hut near the 16th Blue

Chiffchaff [2nd Blue]

Blue Tit [3rd Blue]

Wren [3rd Blue]

Grey Wagtail [16th Blue]

Redpoll [1st 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]

1 December 2020

 Last day of lockdown.  The course was looking in excellent condition on a sunny, frost morning.  I had a brief walk around the far end of the Red course.

Was fortunate enough to get views of a stoat first thing, just on the edge of the 12th fairway.

Stoat [12th Red]

Stoat [12th Red]

Not far along on the 12th was the usual flock of Redpolls.  I reckon there to be 30-40.  They fly around the top of the birch trees in particular, feeding on the seeds.  They are difficult to spot and are well-camouflaged among the leaves.

Lesser Redpolls [12th Red]

Lesser Redpoll [12th Red]

Elsewhere large numbers of Redwings and Fieldfares feeding on the berries, a party of 6 wrens in the scrub by the 15th and a buzzard in the trees behind the 13th.

Wren [15th Red]

Buzzard [13th Red]