Conservation & Ecology


Here, they are listening for the minute sounds the worms make as they traverse their underground burrows. Other birds, such as the Oystercatcher, rely heavily on their sense of touch, using special sensitive cells at the tips of their bills to probe the ground for invertebrates. As for ‘seeing’ Pied Wagtails on your course, this should not present a problem as they also build their nests in a variety of man-made habitats from dry stone walls, old machinery and all sorts of niches and gaps


sometimes in large numbers, combing the turf for all manner of invertebrates. Many consider this bird to be a pest due to their obtrusive behaviour, especially at the bird table where they often dominate and boss other species present. However, things are not going well for the Common Starling, as it has now been upgraded to BirdLife Internationals ‘Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern’. BirdLife International is a partnership between 116 national conservation organisations and they consider the Starling to be under real threat, showing a rapid decline here in the


UK of 80% of the


that present


themselves all around a golf course. The Pied Wagtails are evidently taking advantage through association with us, but it is worth remembering that they too are offering us a service in return, as they clear thousands of potential pests from our turf every day.


This unique symbiotic relationship between greenkeeper and bird, which the Pied Wagtail demonstrates, can also be attributed to other species commonly encountered on the golf course. One such species is the Common Starling, a familiar sight within towns, parks, gardens and, of course, golf courses. Here, they can be seen,


population in the last forty years. Similar to Pied Wagtails, Starlings show a marked preference for closely cropped turf in which to forage. This highly opportunistic species is also able to concentrate foraging efforts in the most profitable areas of the turf by using a range of complex cues which we are yet to understand, almost like a sixth sense. As this species is able to hone-in onto these hotspots of invertebrates, they prove to be of major benefit to the greenkeeper as they are able to clear whole stretches of turf from pests; especially the larval stage of Crane Flies, the infamous Leatherjacket. The benefits don’t stop here with this


bird as, by probing the ground in search of prey at over 120 times per minute, they also provide an effective aeration


Antony Wainwright, a previous winner of


Conservation Greenkeeper of the Year and one of the team at Turton Golf Club in Lancashire, begins a series of articles on conservation and ecology, by looking at birds and their value to the golf course environment


Golf Courses are Avian Havens


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116  |  Page 117  |  Page 118  |  Page 119  |  Page 120  |  Page 121  |  Page 122  |  Page 123  |  Page 124  |  Page 125  |  Page 126  |  Page 127  |  Page 128  |  Page 129  |  Page 130  |  Page 131  |  Page 132  |  Page 133  |  Page 134  |  Page 135  |  Page 136  |  Page 137  |  Page 138  |  Page 139  |  Page 140  |  Page 141  |  Page 142  |  Page 143  |  Page 144  |  Page 145  |  Page 146  |  Page 147  |  Page 148