I was re reading my recent blogs and realised I'd forgotten to include accounts of another local golf course in Highworth which I have visited a couple of times.
This is a pristine golf course, privately owned and is larger than the disused one behind where I live. There are three ponds on the course so I thought that they might provide extra interest for my walking and wildlife recording.
The path to the golf course is very narrow in places where it skirts the edge of a field, but thankfully I have not met anyone coming towards me, apart from one occasion when I was nearing the end of the path so the oncomer could wait in the gateway.
Most of the plantations on the golf course are new, and although a few butterflies were spotted there didn't seem many birds, although I saw one pheasant and heard a green woodpecker. The first of the ponds I found, had a coot and a pair of Canada geese on it (perhaps this was the same pair I saw flying over Pentylands last week). At the second, there was the unmistakeable sound of a reed warbler. I sat at the edge and waited but only just got a fleeting glimpse of the small brown bird flitting through the reeds. The final pond gave me a chance to find some early damselflies and dragonflies. I have not really been focussing on these insects but decided to take a few photographs, which enabled identification as a large red damselfly,azure blue damselfly, and seen but not photographed a broad bodied chaser. Another green/blue dragonfly was seen, but I could not identify it as it never stopped where I could take a proper look!
narrow footpath to the golf course
azure blue damselfly
large red damselfly
Canada geese
view from one of the ponds towards Wrag barn
where I saw the reed warbler
Canada geese
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