The Hedge Sparrow

Hedge sparrows are rarely or never seen in groups. Male and female both have the same plumage.

The European Rabbit

It’s size is between that of the real hare and the flute hare… The rabbit lives on plant foods but it also eats its own droppings.

The Wild Duck

The male (the drake) is colorful with a shiny green head and a white collar, but there are also drakes without this white collar. Furthermore, drakes have a chestnut brown breast and curled black feathers on the tail. After the breeding season, the drake is more like the female. They can still be distinguished by the color of the beak: chamois in the duck, yellow in the drake.

The Spear Thistle

The plant is rich in nectar and is therefore attracts honey bees,...

Biodiversity

Since its creation and long before any environmental recommendation was issued, the Royal Ostend Golf Club has been paying every effort to protect the beautiful dunes and their original fauna and flora.

The Pheasant

The call of the male pheasant can mainly be heard…

Hare's Foot

In Belgium, hare's foot is quite common, especially in the dunes, the Kempen and urban areas, but it is rare in the Ardennes.

The Blackcap

The plumage of this migratory bird is grey-brown on the top and dirty white on the underside. The male has a black crown, while the female's crown is reddish brown.

The Green Woodpecker

The green woodpecker prefers an environment with old deciduous trees, where he can find plenty of ants.

In 2003 a ten year ecological management plan was introduced by the ROGC with the aim of creating a top links course while committing to a long-term vision to protect and respect the environment.

The Moorhen

The moorhen feeds on aquatic plants, grasses, insects and tadpoles, but also likes fish.

The Buzzard

When it comes to food, the buzzard is a flexible bird and an opportunist; he eats what is available. Hence its wide distribution. Field mice, moles or rabbits are often the staple food along with frogs and small birds.

The Grey Flycatcher

They can be spotted from April/May. By October they have practically disappeared.

White Nettle

Despite its vernacular name of "white nettle" or "dead nettle", it is not a true nettle. It does not sting. The white flowers and the square section stem make it stand out unmistakably.

A massive reduction in the use of water, pesticides and chemical fertilizers was achieved. Reseeding with grasses more resistant to drought (fescue and bent) is an ongoing process. Natural dune biotopes are re-introduced through the removal of exogenous plant species, resulting in the re-appearance of birds, amphibians, flowers and butterflies which had not been seen for many years.

Blue Sea Thistle

The young shoots are edible. The root was and is still used for medicinal purposes. The root has also been used as an aphrodisiac.

The Herring Gull

When the fox started to colonise the dunes in the 1980s. Instead, herring gulls started breeding on roofs.

The Sea Buckthorn

The plant is pollinated by insects and dispersed by birds. Its longevity extends up to 80 years.

The Black-tailed Godwit

The black-tailed godwit eats earthworms and larvae of insects such as crane flies.The black-tailed godwit is a migratory bird that begins to re-appear here around the end of February, beginning of March. Most have left by July. Black-tailed godwits hibernate in West-Africa where they live in large groups near mud-banked estuaries.

This project is embedded in a Nature Directive on the Belgian coast, supported by the Flemish Government.

The Cormorant

Its food consists of live fish such as roach, perch, zander and eel. There are thirty species of cormorants in the world. In Southeast Asia, tame cormorants are used to catch fish for their owners.

The Large Green Saber Mantis

This green grasshopper is an excellent jumper, able to fly huge distances for its size when disturbed or in danger. While most grasshoppers are considered to be harmful, this species is quite useful. Its food consists mainly of insects, although it sometimes also chews on plants. The large green saber mantis catches its prey with its spiky front legs and cuts it into pieces with its strong jaws.

Evening Primrose

Also called “Belle de Nuit”, “Donkey’s Grass”, “St-Anthony’s Ham” or “Gardener’s Ham” because the colour of its root resembles the colour of cooked ham.

The Black-headed Gull

Is an omnivore, mainly feeding on larvae, snails and worms which it finds in pastures and fields. You can sport the black headed gull along the waterline at low tide looking for mussels, clams, oysters or shrimps.

The Royal Ostend Golf Club is the first Belgian Golf Club to have obtained a five star GEO certification.

The Large Skipper

The large skipper is a small, orange butterfly, similar to the small skipper. Adults fly between June and August, when they can often be seen resting in sunny positions and long grass, or feeding on flowers such as bramble. Large skippers can be found on rough grassland and sand dunes, along roadside verges and woodland edges, in large gardens, or anywhere else with plenty of grasses.

The Winchat

The winchat is also a rare breeding bird on our Links course.

The Wheatear

Weateaters are migratory birds that hibernate on the savannahs in Africa and return in early spring. The wheatear travels the greatest distance of all migratory songbirds, it is the weatear that travels the greatest distance.

The Dragonfly

These dragonflies can be encountered close to running water and lakes.

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