Here is another photo from our trip to the Isle of May. In my last post, I shared a photo of a rock pipit that I had photographed on the island and I briefly mentioned being dive-bombed by terns. Here is a photo of an arctic tern; thankfully, this one wasn’t seeing us as a threat to its nest and we kept a mutual distance. ⠀
Arctic terns are known as ‘sea swallows’ because of their body shape and long tail streamers. They are also the ultimate long-distance migrants, with one bird recorded as clocking up 59,650 miles flying from its breeding grounds on the Farne Islands to Antarctica and back again. Although terns aren’t globally threatened, they are thought to be declining in numbers and are particularly sensitive to changes in the marine environment.⠀
If you’re planning on visiting anywhere these birds nest, I would recommend wearing a hat. I witnessed many pecked heads and near misses as unsuspecting visitors made their way along one of the paths that pass the colony. The terns on the island, understandably, defend their nests from perceived threats in any way that they can.⠀
Although this is another image that suffers from heat haze, I love the colours I was able to capture; the bright blue sky, the green moss and the crimson red bill pop and the grey and white of the bird’s feathers mirror the bare rocks in the foreground. The tern holding a sprat in it’s bill was an additional piece of luck. What I like most about this photo is that the bird is relaxed. I could have stopped to take a photo of the dive-bombing terns and tried to get a more interesting in-flight shot, but the number of people doing that made me feel a bit uneasy about how much stress we could be causing. Maybe my next visit will be quieter and I will find a way to get a more interesting shot that doesn’t make the birds or me feel uncomfortable. For now, I’ll happily settle for this image. ⠀