Perspective toward Piel Castle The shingle spit curves toward what remains of the old pier and to Piel Castle. There's yellow ragwort and the blue flowers of bugloss. We watch a trio of ringed plover, always difficult to pick out amongst pebbles of the shingle- despite their bold patterned plumage. In the distance we make out a group of birds huddled on the shingle beside the old pier. As we come closer we see they are eider in eclipse plumage. The occasional seal pops up its head to regard us.
Look at those sunlit clouds. It's rare to have a day so fine.
Look at those sunlit clouds. It's rare to have a day so fine.
Screened by a hide, we sit looking out over a channel where a seal pops up and cormorant show dark against the shingle. Screeching tern are fishing, flying toward us with rapid beats of their long, narrow wings. The colony is out across the water at some distance on the grassy fringe of the spit so I'm focused on the birds that fly head-on toward us and over the hide. Through binoculars I couldn’t have identified them but my camera has them - a colony of Sandwich Tern. The images aren't sharp, the tern are too far off. So I spend some while editing them to crop to the most distinct and interesting parts. And I send them to Jeff Holmes who has the expertise and field-craft to interpret even these indifferent image, to tease-out what we're seeing.
Nice to see a thriving colony of Sandwich Terns. I can see young birds in your photo. They have speckled markings on their backs. If two young survive, each parent will assist one youngster on migration, I've seen this in Spain during September, the adult being pestered almost non stop by the youngster!!
With Jeff's guidance I can just about make out a couple of young tern in the foreground of the group. Looking back on that day at Walney I think finding the sandwich tern was the particular thrill.
Nice to see a thriving colony of Sandwich Terns. I can see young birds in your photo. They have speckled markings on their backs. If two young survive, each parent will assist one youngster on migration, I've seen this in Spain during September, the adult being pestered almost non stop by the youngster!!
With Jeff's guidance I can just about make out a couple of young tern in the foreground of the group. Looking back on that day at Walney I think finding the sandwich tern was the particular thrill.
As tern fly in to the colony their long, narrow wings are visible. And the bright white of the bird with its soft grey mantle and black cap- the forehead turns white after June. On the left of the image are two youngsters with speckled markings on their backs.
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