Time, slowed
Arctic Terns live their lives in a rush. They’ve got to get their family ready for a journey from pole to pole for a life of long daylight and a year with two summers.
I chose a relatively long exposure for this photograph of a hovering bird so that I could show some natural wing-blur. I love how in-focus the head and beak is, as it stabilised its neck to be able to lock onto a clear view below.
More Arctic Terns
Arctic Tern feeding A memory of last summer with the Arctic Terns of Westray. There were so few chicks in this colony that… read more
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
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