A WALK ON THE WILD SIDE - WINTER VISITORS

 A couple of birds that are not commonly seen on the Links have recently been spotted. Both the Redwing and the Fieldfare are members of the Thrush family. Although they breed in Scotland they are mainly winter visitors arriving in flocks from Scandinavia and Northern Europe when the weather turns colder. When feeding in groups they can be quite noisy. At this time of year they will mainly feed on berries such as rowan although worms and other insects are also eaten.

Redwing.

Fieldfare.

Unfortunately I couldn't get close enough to get good photos but if you keep a look out you may be lucky enough to see these colourful birds for yourself. Both the Redwing and the Fieldfare were seen near the practice ground / greenkeepers' sheds. Although they were both on their own, there is a chance other flocks will pass through in the coming weeks.

Les Rae,

First Assistant,

Montrose Golf Links Limited.

VERTIDRAINING GREENS

We plan to commence vertidraining of the greens on Monday 14th December. Weather permitting, it should take around 6 days to complete the work over the 2 courses. We carry out this operation every year in order to relieve the compaction caused by the mowers, turf irons and golfing traffic.
  With the weather we have seen recently a few of the greens have also started to flood, with the water taking time to drain away during spells of heavy rain.  Vertidraining will help alleviate this problem and will result in firmer healthier greens.
 We will roll the greens afterwards to help smooth out the surface and will endeavour to keep disruption to a minimum.

Les Rae,

First Assistant,

Montrose Golf Links Limited.