Arlington Reservoir, 03/08/2018

Today, in the scorching heat, I visited Arlington Reservoir. There were the usual large numbers of Canada Geese, with a few Greylag Geese in their midst. Black-headed Gulls were also out in quantity, and these were milling around near the edge of the water. I counted at least 13 Great Crested Grebes of various ages, from the slope from the car park, but the one of the highlights was a flyby juvenile Black Tern, which quickly flitted past, before flying off amongst the much larger Black-headed Gulls. It remained in the area until at least 13:00. The woodland was very quiet, apart from the Woodpigeons and Blackbirds, but butterflies were plentiful, with individuals being identified as Speckled Wood, Red Admiral, and Common Blue. From the hide came another highlight of the day: Little Stint on the dam, later relocating to the shoreline further round to the farm opposite the hide.