30 July 2023

 

I played the front nine of the Blue course a few times over the last couple of days.  The brood of Canada Geese that live on the 3rd/4th look pretty near fully-fledged now.  They did present a potential obstacle as I lined up my putt on the 3rd, but moved out of the way to see me 2 putt for the usual 5.

Canada Geese [3rd Blue]

On the way to Blue course, just to the left of the bridge I came across a patch of these fungi, known as the Death Cap.

Death Cap Amanita phalloides [1st Blue]

You will probably guess from the name that they don't make good eating.  In fact they are considered to be the most poisonous fungi on earth.  If you are feeling a bit peckish pre-round and tempted to chew on one, you may want to consider this note on the symptoms of poisoning:

'Within 6 to 12 hours after consumption, violent abdominal pain, vomiting, and bloody diarrhea appear, causing rapid loss of fluid from the tissues and intense thirst. Signs of severe involvement of the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system soon follow, including a decrease in urinary output and a lowering of blood sugar. This condition leads to coma and death in more than 50 percent of the incidents.'

There are a lot of Brown Hares around the courses at the moment.  One behaviour that I see a lot is that they crouch down very low in an attempt to stay hidden.  This is very effective in the thick rough where I have almost trodden on a couple - less effective on the short grass though..

Brown Hare [5th Blue]

It is the time of year when there are lots of young birds hunting insects around the estate.  They quite often hunt together in waves of various species.  I had an enjoyable 20 minutes this morning on the 10th tee watching a mixture of Treecreepers, Spotted Flycatchers, Blue Tits, Long-tailed Tits and the odd Treecreeper.

Spotted Flycatcher [10th Blue]

Treecreeper [10th Blue]

22 July 2023

 Had a few walks around the course over the last few days.  Things are fairly quiet wildlife wise. There are lots of gulls on the fairways and I have seen and heard the Oystercatchers flying over a few times.  This juvenile Grey Heron tends to stalk the pond on the 3rd Blue in the early morning.

Grey Heron [3rd Blue]

Most of the Orchids have now gone over, but there is still plenty of colour in the rough.  One of the highlights at this time of year are the delicate but prolific Harebells on the Red course.

Harebells Campanula rotundifolia [12th Red]

It is a good time of year for butterflies.  Meadow Browns and Small Skippers are very common in the rough, as are Green-veined Whites.  This one was waiting for the morning dew on its wings to evaporate before being able to fly around.

Green-veined White Pieris napi [12th Red]

The Holly Blue has bright blue upperwing and a paler underwing with small black spots. They are quite common around the estate.  This one was feeding on the path by the reservoir.

Holly Blue Celastrina argiolus [4th Red]

2 July 2023

 

I had a walk around the Blue first thing this morning and the Red early afternoon.  The highlight of the morning was some nice views of Spotted Flycatchers on the 4th.  I have seen them in the same spot in the tree to the left of the fairway for the past couple of years.  A family nest in the cluster of trees to the left of the stream.

Spotted Flycatcher [4th Blue]

On all of the courses there are large numbers of Small Skippers in the rough.  These two appeared to be squabbling over a patch of Common Centaury.

Small Skippers Thymelicus sylvestris on  Common Centaury Centaurium erythraea [4th Red]

There were a couple of Red Admirals on the bridge between the Red and Blue courses and this one helpfully settled on a sunny patch.

Red Admiral Vanessa atalanta [1st Red]

The Small Heath is a rather inconspicuous butterfly that I have seen a bit over the last few weeks over the long grass, particularly on the Red course.

Small Heath Coenonympha pamphilus [4th Red]

This Water Mint was flowering early near the 4th tee Red, a long way from water.  This plant is very common on the Blue course from late July onwards.

Water Mint Mentha aquatica [4th Red]

Closer to water, there was a large influx of Lesser Black-backed Gulls on the reservoir.

Lesser Black-backed Gulls [Reservoir]

1 July 2023

I put on my wellies on for a wade around Boundary Fen this afternoon.  Among the many insects there were large numbers of Large and Small Skippers.  I presume that Large Skippers are slightly the larger but it is not easy to tell.  More reliable distinguishing features are the patterning on their wings, whereas Small Skippers are a more uniform orange colour.

Small Skipper Thymelicus sylvestris [Boundary Fen]

Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus [Boundary Fen]

Other butterflies around included Marbled White, Ringlet, Red Admiral, Comma and Large White.

Ringlet Aphantopus hyperantus [Boundary Fen]

Comma Polygonia c-album [Boundary Fen]

The Marsh Lousewort has spread rapidly since being introduced four or five years ago and is an important plant in the ecosystem here.

Marsh Lousewort Pedicularis palustris [Boundary Fen]

Rather more delicate is Bog Pimpernel, which grows in large quantities in Boundary Fen and has tiny, but very ornate pink flowers.

Bog Pimpernel Anagallis tenella [Boundary Fen]

I played a few holes around the Green course afterwards and came across this Wild Onion, one of several in the long grass to the left of the path near the 16th tee.

Wild Onion Allium viniale [16th Green]

24 June 2023

 

I had a quick walk around the Green course this morning and played nine holes on the Red this evening.  I was pleased to see that Marsh Helleborine have colonised the damp area in from of the stream on the 4th Green.  I have not seen them here before and a good outcome for the conservation work carried out in this area.

Marsh Helleborine Epipactis palustris [4th Green]

The Chalk Fragrant Orchids nearby are nearly in flower and a few Pyrimidal Orchids are also appearing around the course.

Pyramidal Orchid Anacamptis pyramidalis [6th Red]

Chalk Fragrant Orchid Gymnadenia conopsea [16th Red]

The Tubney range contains a lot of flowers and insects at the moment.  Hares-foot Clover grows in prolific quantities.  The rather alien-looking Common Cudweed is also common here.

Common Cudweed Filago vulgaris [Tubney range]

Hare's-foot Clover Trifolium arvense [Tubney range]

In amongst the grass there were a lot of Silver-Y Moths - so called because of the inverted Y visible on its wings.

Silver Y moth Autographa gamma [Tubney range]

I was pleased to see a Common Sandpiper on the reservoir.  This is the first that I have seen here since the work on the reservoir last year.

Common Sandpiper [Reservoir]

20 June 2023

 

Viper's Bugloss Echium vulgare [15th Blue]

I have had a few visits to the course over the last week or so.  One of the most spectacular sights at the moment is the Viper's Bugloss which has colonised the area between the 13th and 15th on the Red, which was cleared last year.  Other than Bluebells carpeting a spring wood I can't think of many comparable displays of floral blue.

Cinnabar  Tyria jacobaeae [15th Red]

Not far away on the 15th Red was this Cinnabar moth.  It is a day-flying moth that can often be found in this area.

Common Broomrape Orobanche minor [18th Blue]

At the back of the 18th on the Blue was this rather odd-looking brown plant - a Common Broomrape which is parasitic on members of the pea family.  

Whitethroat [7th Blue]

After the excitement of the Oystercatcher and Egyptian Goose over the last couple of weeks, it was back to more familiar birds.  Whitethroats are very common on the course but can be difficult to spot.  Sometimes their calls give them away - this one is giving an alarm call.

House Sparrow [Reservoir]

This House Sparrow was one of two or three that breed around the reservoir.

14 June 2023

 

I had a walk in the glorious sunshine first thing this morning.  There were lots of birds on the fairways - mostly Jackdaws and Rooks, but also this Oystercatcher with them on the 8th.   

Oystercatcher [8th Blue]

You will probably be more used to seeing Oystercatchers at the seaside where they feed on the rocks, but they are also found inland where they feed in open area such as playing fields and golf courses.  Locally they turn up fairly regularly at Farmoor and Radley Lakes.

Nearby, in the rough between the 10th and the 8th I came across these orchids.  They look like Common Spotted, but are much larger than all of the others on the course.  I suspect that they are hybridised with Southern Marsh.  I found some similarly impressive specimens a couple of years ago about 30 yards away.

Common Spotted Orchids Dactylorhiza fuchsii [10th Blue]

Elsewhere I came across this young Brown Hare sitting motionless to avoid detection and lots of Jackdaws on the 16th tee Blue

Brown Hare [7th Blue]

Jackdaw [16th Blue]

11 June 2023

 

Beautiful sunny still morning today.  I had a walk around parts of the Blue and Red course.  An Egyptian Goose stopped off at the reservoir, a new addition to the Frilford list.   

Egyptian Goose [Reservoir]

As its name suggests, the Egyptian Goose is an introduced species, first recorded in England in 1678, but is now fairly common, particularly in urban parks.   

Trickier to spot, but easier to hear, there are still plenty of warblers singing and feeding.  This Blackcap is usually singing near the bridge near the 1st Blue, although is tricky to spot.

Blackcap [1st Blue]

Also easier to hear that see are the various Whitethroats nesting around the estate.  This one was skulking in the gorse to the left of the 5th Red.

Whitethroat [5th Red]

Willow Warblers seem to be the opposite.  I have scarcely heard one this year, but always seem to find a lot feeding.  This one is fairly regular in the gorse between the 4th and 5th Red.

Willow Warbler [4th Red]

Various insects around.  I think that this is a Hairy Dragonfly near the 13th tee Blue, well camouflaged amidst the undergrowth. The Emperor dragonfly was rather more conspicuous with early-morning due on its large wings.  The Common Blue Damselfly was near the 3rd on the Red, but they are fairly common on the Blue and Red course

  

Hairy Dragonfly Brachytron pratense [13th Blue]

Emperor Dragonfly Anax imperator [1st Blue]

Common Blue Damselfly Enallagma cyathigerum [3rd Red]

This Large Skipper looks more like a moth, but is actually a butterfly.  This is a male - sitting on a leaf waiting for a female on the 4th Red.

Large Skipper Ochlodes sylvanus [4th Red]

The Southern Marsh Orchids are in full bloom just short of the pond on the 9th Red.  There are also some Common Spotted here as well and Early Marsh Orchids as well if you have time to search.

Southern Marsh Orchid Dactylorhiza praetermissa [9th Red]