I haven’t been to the Tarn for a few weeks, so was very surprised to find the west end completely covered in algal bloom. I imagine this has partially been a result of the recent weather.
The major impact of this bloom is to lower the oxygen levels in the water, which in turn promotes the growth of the organism which causes Avian Botulism. The last time we had an outbreak on the Tarn we lost a lot of our waterbirds.
Thankfully the eastern end is still clear, probably because the river which feeds the Tarn runs from east to west and the flow concentrates the algae at one end,
I had company for part of my walk.
There were not many butterflies, but 3 species of dragonflies -Emperor, Migrant Hawker and at least 8 Common Darters, which is the highest count I have seen on this site.
Pete's Favourite Things 