Thursday's Birds.

Apologies for yet another title lacking originality.

Grass Cutting. Pete Woodruff.

Members of the FDL - Farmers Defence League -  can relax, the pic isn't there to criticise what the farmer's up to, but to illustrate the grass cutting at Cockersands on Thursday which attracted at least 300 Swallows over the field feeding on the insect bonanza.

Whimbrel. Pete Woodruff.

The Whimbrel - in the poor quality pic above - and 3 Brown Hare were in the same grass cut field when I returned there later in the afternoon. 

I watched a Wheatear flying a foot above the water, the bird appeared to be heading west out to sea towards Pilling. Later 16 Canada Geese came in off the sea and flew inland, and a Great Crested Grebe was off Plover Scar which was disappointingly completely void of birds at high tide.

Merlin/Kestrel. Stuart Piner.

Earlier the same day at Cockersands, SP had excellent views of a Merlin and Kestrel in ariel conflict and took full advantage of the situation with the camera to achieve some excellent results.

On Jeremy Lane, 12 Goldfinch and 4 Small Tortoiseshell, and at Glasson Dock on the Lune Estuary, a Mediterranean Gull was with c.250 mainly Black-headed Gull, 13 Little Egret counted, c.250 Golden Plover, with 6 Wigeon a sign of the approaching winter.

Best bird a Conder Green was a juvenile Ruff in the creeks, with 2 Common Sandpiper, c.40 Redshank, with a similar number of 40 Teal noted. 

Little Grebe. Bob Bushell @ Birdsfod

On Conder Pool, an increase by one with 5 Little Grebe seen today, this is the peak count since I found two had returned to the pool on 28 July. Last years figures in excess of today's count for Little Grebe on Conder Pool were....7 on 26 August, and 10 on 1 September.

Thanks to BB for his brilliant 'walking on water' Little Grebe.