B For Butterflies.

Painted Lady. Brian Rafferty. 

A visit to Aldcliffe and on to Stodday, turned out to make Tuesday a better butterfly day than a bird day for me, with another three figure count made, including a Painted Lady, up to 75 Large White, 13 Speckled Wood, 9 Gatekeeper, and 4 Meadow Brown. 

In the main the birds have fallen silent now, making life a little more difficult for a birding dude like me, but a Willow Warbler gave itself away with it's 'hweet' call, 32 Canada Geese, a Little Egret and Grey Heron were all around the Frog Pond. Freeman's Pools yielded 6 Little Grebe, and a pair of Coot at the far end with two young.

On a very quiet Conder Pool to join with Freeman's Pools, 55 Lapwing, 7 Cormorant, 6 Little Grebe, and 6 Tufted Duck. In the creeks and downstream channel, 8 Common Sandpiper, and toward the estuary, 2 Greenshank were with 50 Redshank. A Red Admiral and Speckled Wood were seen along the coastal path, and a Painted Lady here was my ninth this year since I saw my first at Langden Brook in Bowland on 31 May, 

Turnstone. Howard Stockdale.

On the Lune Estuary at Glasson Dock, a couple on the 'odd one out' list, a stunning male Turnstone in breeding plumage, and a Ringed Plover, neither of which go beyond occasional here. I picked out c.250 Redshank, 30 Dunlin, and 5 Black-tailed Godwit, and a Greenshank emerging from the Conder mouth was probably one of the two seen earlier in the channel from Conder Green. 

Thanks to Howard for his stunning breeding plumage male Turnstone, and to Brian for his equally stunning Painted Lady....Please take a look at Brian's recent trip on the Liverpool Bay Pelagic with action packed Gannet images.