Terns

[NuttyMeg]

Hi all,

The last couple of days I have got great enjoyment from watching terns fishing on the sea. Talk about amazing acrobatics of the air! I love seeing them divebomb into the water and re-emerge

I'm thrilled to have them within watching distance (I live on the sea front) as I haven't seen them before and as a result have spent a lot of time following them with the binnys . I can only assume they are Common Terns still in winter plumage, they have black beaks & legs and slightly grey upper bodies. But then they move so quick it's difficult to make out much more detail. Is there any obvious way of telling species apart by slight differences on flight?

Thanks for reading

NuttyMeg

[Seajay]

Hi Meg.
Common Terns have an orange-red bill always with a black tip. Their wings are slightly different shades of grey, the outer primaries being a shade darker.
Arctic Terns are very similar but have longer tail streamers and their beaks are blood red with no black tip. The trailing edge of the wing does not have a little nick like the Common and the wings look transparent from below which makes for a beautiful photo.
The way you describe them, dive-bombing continually into the water I would think they were Common Terns.
Little Terns are smaller and have a white patch on the head and yellow legs. Roseate are paler and have a pinkish tinge to the breast when breeding.

Colin

[Geoff F]

Look up Sandwich Tern and see if they look correct. Also keep an eye open for Black Terns. I did see a few off Prawle Point, S. Devon last Spring.