Linnets are on the RSPB’s Red List of endangered birds so this is a great site to see on the Links.

Birds in full voice on the Links

The yellowhammers, wrens, linnets, skylarks and chaffinches have all been in full voice this past week or so with the greenfinches making a particularly interesting noise – see video below.

It’s also home building time as you can see by the linnet and its nest material in the header image. Linnets are on the RSPB’s Red List of endangered birds so this is a great site to see on the Links.

In other news, we have two new sand martin nest sites! These were built using old railway line sleepers and recycled sand. Sand martins usually use vertical sand banks, dunes or upright areas such as the one in the picture to nest in so let’s hope we can attract a pair, or a few pairs as martins are communal nesters. The boys seemed to have a good time building it too with Colin, Fergal and Paul all lending a hand – the technical services team also chipped in assisting with the nest hole drilling so great team work all round!

enviro blog 2

Elsewhere on the greenkeeping team front, the Eden Course team are busy preparing their reedbed system for the forthcoming mowing season. The reedbed is nature’s way of cleansing water via phytoremediation (the process of removing pollutants using plants, in this case common reed). Well done to Richard and Jim as it can be a slow, painstaking job.

enviro 3

Three types of butterfly have been sighted this past fortnight (small tortoiseshell, large white and a peacock) with a single swallow and a single wheatear noted on the 10th and 14th of the Jubilee Course respectively. The 16th saw four sand martins and there’s a merlin flying around too so it’s all go at the Home of Golf of late.

Words by James Hutchinson, Environmental Officer

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