On most parts of the course can be seen the Great Spotted Woodpecker (Dendrocopus major). It has prominent white patches on the wings and a red nape distinguishes the male. The flight is a conspicuous bounding flight and the call a sharp ‘tchick’. A pair nested last year behind the third green in a hole excavated in a willow tree and the year before they nested next to the ninth green. We will find out soon where they have nested this year as the young call incessantly as they wait to be fed on grubs. 

The woodland area to the left of the 4th tee has had a Chiff Chaff ( Phylloscopus collybita) breeding in there for many years now. This is a small green bird that visits these shores in the summer. It has a distinctive high pitched monotonous call, ‘chiff chaff, chiff chaff’, hence its name.

At the back of the 5th green a pair of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor) has a nest on one of the derelict barges, the same place as last year. We hope they may use the ditches on the course again to nurture their cygnets. 

Whilst playing the 6th hole you may have heard a Green Woodpecker (Picus viridis). The call is a loud laughing sound or ‘plue-plue-plue’. Another name is Yaffle bird. This Woodpecker spends a lot of its time feeding on ants.

One interesting fact about the 6th hole is that to the left of the tee on the lower level the rare Bee Orchid flowered. As this flower only survives in chalky areas I can only assume that the stones that line the banks of the Canal must be Limestone which has created the required habitat.  

In the trees to the left of the 6th fairway there is always a Carrion Crow ( Corvus corone)  nesting: a large, black bird with an all black beak (unlike the Rook (Corvus frugilegus) which has a bare face patch at the base of the beak). Crows nest singly and Rooks nest in communities. So if you see a single Rook it is a Crow and if you see a large gathering of Crows they are Rooks!

In the conifer plantation short and right of the 6th green a pair of Long Tailed Tits (Aegithelos caudatus) nested constructing a beautiful domed nest of moss, lichen, and cobwebs. This is a very small black and pink bird, more than half of whose length is occupied by its tail. It is usually heard before it is seen, flying in groups flitting from tree to tree, calling with a soft ‘tupp’ and spluttering ‘tsirrup’. 

Last year a Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) nested in the conifers on the left side of the 7th green.  This bird is considered the most common of the Finch family. Its slate blue head pinkish brown underparts, green rump and white wing flashes distinguish the male. When the female is on eggs, the male will sit on a branch close by monotonously calling ‘tsup, tsup’. 

The most common nesting bird on the golf course is actually the Green finch (Carduelis chloris). 

The left hand conifer on the practice putting green currently has a nest. The sad thing is that last year at least four nests were destroyed by the grey squirrels (Scirius carolinensus). The squirrels not only eat the eggs but also have a penchant for young birds still in the nest. A lot of articles are now being written in conservation magazines about the potential benefits to wildlife if these vermin were culled at least, or totally eradicated at best. We would see a vast increase in young fledglings on the course if there were no squirrels. 

The most common mammal seen is the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The unusual thing about ours is that black rabbits are becoming more numerous, especially near the 11th tee.  These originate from one that was set free a number of years ago by a past Stewardess. They have interbred with the wild population, and what you see now are third or fourth generation. 

Ponds and ditches are very productive areas for wildlife. For instance the pond in front of the twelfth has a resident pair of Moorhens (Gallinula chloropus) or Waterhens as some people know them, which favour nesting just below the path at the waters edge on the lily pads or in the reeds. This pair had four broods last year! 

For a number of years now players have found a young Tawny Owl (Strix aluco) on the ground by the 13th Tee. The nest was in an old squirrel dray in the Leylandii trees which have now been removed. An alternative nesting box has been placed at another location on the course. A point to note is that if you find a young bird on the ground you should leave it alone. The parents know it is there and will be waiting to feed it when there is nobody around. If you pick it up and move it in the mistaken belief that you can rescue it the parents will assume it is dead or lost and will abandon it. 

We have numerous wildflower species (most people call them weeds). For instance in late April and May there are the delicate whitish pink flowers of the Lady’s Smock or Cuckoo Flower.

Another country name is Milkmaids ( Cardamine Pratensis). This plant is actually the floral emblem of Cheshire and can be seen on the damper areas of the course, especially along the ditch that crosses the 15th, 16th & 18th fairways. It is a favourite food plant of the early appearing Orange Tip Butterfly (Antocharis cardamines).

The holes in the banks of these ditches are made by a rare and protected species of mammal known as Water Voles. A couple of years ago they were wrongly identified as Water Rats but there is no such animal in the U.K. There are water voles (Arvicola amphibious) or brown rats (Rattus norvegicus). Water voles are very shy but if you are lucky enough to see one they are distinguished by their snub nose and short tail (as against the pointed nose and long tail of the Brown Rat). What most people hear is the familiar plop as they dive.

Unfortunately the water vole is in sharp decline due mainly to loss of habitat and predation by wild mink . Sadly there have been recent sightings of mink around the course. 

There are a number of nesting boxes around the course in which Great Tits (Parus major) - that’s the one with the black head, and Blue Tits (Parus caeruleus) -  the blue headed one, nest. 

Lymm is well known for its fox ( Vuves vulves)  The fox is truly indigenous to Britain, as shown by the fact that its bones occur in the red crag of the Pliocene times. Worthy of mention are the fidelity of the dog fox and the devotion of the vixen to her young.

Other mammals seen if only rarely are the Stoat (Mustela erminea) and the weasel (Mustela nivalis). The easiest way to tell them apart is the Stoat has a conspicuous black tip to its tail and is larger than the weasel.  

A nice note to finish on is to inform you that the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) that nested next to the Pro’s shop fledged three young and took them to the pond at the side of the drive.  

There is much more wildlife than mentioned here, so maybe one day a list can be compiled of all birds, mammals, insects, flora etc to be seen on the course.

It would be appreciated if any sightings of interest were recorded and passed on so that we can keep this information as up to date as possible.

Brain Ankers
May 2004

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