Common Tern - Sterna hirundo
Canon 600mm f6.3 for 1/800th @ iso250
A juvenile Common Tern with a crab, the crab having been brought in by one of the two adult birds. At this time the beach is littered with juvenile Common and Arctic Terns. All can fly it is just that most won’t and prefer to sit on the beach calling to be fed. In most cases one of the adult birds will bring the tiniest of food items to the juveniles, whilst the other adult bird will usually show a sand eel or small fish to the sitting juvenile, in the expectation that the juvenile will follow the adult to try and take the food item. Once the juvenile is engaged in this activity, and it has to be said watching this activity, it does take some encouragement to get the juvenile to participate, the adult will either feed the juvenile on the wing or drop the food item into the sea encouraging a diving session. Once the juvenile gets the food item it simply returns to the beach and the process starts again.
A juvenile Common Tern with a crab, the crab having been brought in by one of the two adult birds. At this time the beach is littered with juvenile Common and Arctic Terns. All can fly it is just that most won’t and prefer to sit on the beach calling to be fed. In most cases one of the adult birds will bring the tiniest of food items to the juveniles, whilst the other adult bird will usually show a sand eel or small fish to the sitting juvenile, in the expectation that the juvenile will follow the adult to try and take the food item. Once the juvenile is engaged in this activity, and it has to be said watching this activity, it does take some encouragement to get the juvenile to participate, the adult will either feed the juvenile on the wing or drop the food item into the sea encouraging a diving session. Once the juvenile gets the food item it simply returns to the beach and the process starts again.