loading

Nature

NATURE NOTES

Spring brings colour to the course which, with the added attention of the green staff, starts to produce the sort of aesthetics that we can enjoy for months to come. The first sign of wildflowers was a small patch of Daisy below the 13th green but most early species are yellow and following the Gorse (which can flower in any month) came Lesser Celandine, Dandelion, Primrose and the planted Daffodils, all before the end of March.

March also saw the first butterflies of the year. A rather tatty Small Tortoiseshell on the 9th could well have wintered in the tractor sheds but a Peacock quickly followed together with freshly emerged Brimstones and a Comma. April brought Orange-tips and Green-veined White; an excellent start to our yearly list of around 16 species.

At the beginning of March, birdsong was largely from Robins and the resident thrushes (Blackbird, Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush) but there was often a nice mix of species around the clubhouse feeders and several members reported up to four Buzzards (the call is very much like the meow of a cat), often over the 9th fairway or 10th tee. The fir trees around the course hold a small population of Lesser Redpolls and I first noted those “buzzing” overhead on 7 April. Migrant birds then started to arrive and on 25 March, I counted eleven Chiffchaff singing during an EGGS event. More members were then reporting their first Curlews of the year and early April produced Willow Warblers in song along the railway edges, Blackcaps singing in the central ravine and a whole mix of tits and finches. The main avian highlight, however, was probably the male Ring Ouzel seen by two EGGS near the 17th tee on 22 April. I wish that I had seen that one! Few mammals were reported although a Brown Hare was seen on several occasions.

All in all, a small part of the rich biodiversity that Sickleholme can boast and that we should cherish.

Bryan Barnacle