Cry Freedom!

I reckon this was the cry from JB who had been unavoidably absent from his birding for three weeks and was glad to have his freedom back and be out once again.

Conder Green was quiet today when we arrived, it is always satisfying to know birds are never going to be predictable which is exactly what makes birding as interesting as it is, but Conder Green continued to make its claim to be as good as anywhere when it comes to returning Common Sandpiper and 14 were found today with little if any effort, also 2 Greenshank were on the pool. I must say I was rendered dump struck on the viewing platform by the comments from some visiting birders to our area when one of them claimed there had been 'lots of' Curlew Sandpiper on the Lune Estuary from Glasson Dock yesterday......Mmmmmmm!

A visit to Glasson Dock in the afternoon after the tide had fallen, JB will do the full run down on wader numbers on the LDBWS website whilst I noted 2 Greenshank which could well have been the two seen in the morning on Conder Pool, 2 Black - tailed Godwit, 3 Bar - tailed Godwit and a Whimbrel. A brief visit to Cockersands - where day trippers were out on Plover Scar - produced a Wheatear and 4 Whimbrel.

Gatekeeper at Fluke Hall

We decided a visit to Knott End was on the cards as August can be and was 'good' for 215 Sandwich Terns with at least 2 Common Tern, and 6 drake Common Scoter close in on the sea. A search for two Med Gulls known to be here at the time of our visit was completely ruined by yet another dog excerciser about which I refuse on this occasion to comment further. If you are in the Knott End area then a visit to Cockers Dyke is a must as it is excellent for Mediterranean Gull but not today, 2 Sandwich Tern an adult and juvenile were here, and 2 smart Grey Plover still in their brilliant breeding plumage, and I made the following reasonably accurate estimates of 3,000 Dunlin, 350 Lapwing, 125 Oystercatcher, and 10 Knot still showing some breeding plumage, and 4 Great - crested Grebe on the sea.

Wall Brown at Fluke Hall

At Fluke Hall 2 Wheatear made up my first three returning Autumn birds one a female and the other a first winter. Butterflies here were, 11 Painted Lady, 3 Wall Brown, 2 Common Blue, 2 Small Tortoiseshell, and a Gatekeeper.

With my thanks to Mike Watson I appear to have taken note of his computer tuition and learned from him the know how to place my pic's in between the text on the blog......Hope for me still!

By the way, todays pic's are credited to Pete Woodruff......so definitely still hope for me!