Beaks like tweezers
Arctic Terns have beaks like tweezers.
Or is it that tweezers are like Arctic Terns’ beaks?
It’s all part of our inversion of the metaphors, as the natural world recedes, and we become estranged from the land and from life.
More Arctic Terns
An Arctic Tern colony There's an Arctic Tern colony on Westray which is next to a road with a couple of parking spaces. It's… read more
An Arctic Tern with a Lumpfish Lumpfish grow to be large fish, sometimes washed up on the beaches of Westray. To see them as tiny fish,… read more
Fish on parade The Arctic Terns which breed on Westray come back with a constant procession of fish and then parade them up… read more
Time, slowed Arctic Terns live their lives in a rush. They've got to get their family ready for a journey from pole… read more
First flight I watched an Arctic Tern colony struggle to raise chicks over the last summer. There was plenty of food, although… read more
Fish from a stranger What happens when your colony collapses, your numbers are too low and you can't protect your chicks from predators? What… read more
Feeding time One of the most interesting aspects of bird behaviour is watching parents feeding their young. In this case, I can't… read more
Arctic Tern on the handrail We had only just arrived on Papa Westray when we saw an Arctic Tern on the handrail. They're such handsome… read more