Took the family to see the latest Harry Potter film at Teeside Showcase Cinemas but didn't fancy it myself so it was a two and a half hour treat of birdwatching for me at Saltholme RSPB Reserve. Lunch came first and whilst munching away on the open veranda a Sandwich Tern just drifted by so I don't have to travel all the way up to the Farne Islands , get on a boat , then jump onto an island just to see this bird . Life is so easy sometimes . There were a lot of Arctic and Common Terns about and I'm always struck how aggressive they are . At Paddies Hide a plodding Herring Gull many times bigger than a Tern came just to close to their breeding island and up shot a Tern and as soon as the Gull saw it it desperately tried to move away but to late the Tern just went right into the side of it and made sure it never came back . Mega drama . At the same place it was good to see a pair of Little Grebes with what must be a second brood all paddling across the water but diving simultaneous well the fledglings were just behind the parents . I also saw a Little Egret fly over for the first time , I've seen them walking and hunting but never flying and at first I thought it was a White Heron , but the RSPB Warden guy put me right . The grasses , rushes reeds and flowers were at their peak and overwhelming with their sweet smell and the sound of the reeds swooshing in the wind was enchanting . A lot of kids were there with their parents and some of them had RSPB supplied long nets to capture insects and investigate . Just in a small part of the Reserve but it was good to see . A nice afternoon out so nice that I'm taking Fiona there as soon as possible !