looduskalender.ee

 

 

 

In view of the grey seal monitoring camera an Arctic tern pair have already been “playing” for several days, and in such locations they nest too – whether  they will get offspring we will see. A quite common breeding bird in teh Estonian islands and on the coast, in favourable conditions breeders may be up to ten thousand pairs, but they are still fascinating to observe.

 

The exterior of the Arctic tern female and male is similar. The deeply cleft tail may make up almost half of the length of the bird; the Arctic tern is up to thirty-five centimetres long and weighs around a hundred grams.

 

The crown of the head is black to the beak, the chest and belly grey, and note the eye-catching white stripe at the end of the black crown. The beak is completely red, which does not always show in the web camera in certain light conditions. The legs are very short and likewise red; the terns try to walk in places bare of vegetation, and rise into flight from the spot.

 

Arctic tern nest. Alumine Vaigas, Vilsandi

 

The clutch normally has two eggs that blend exceptionally well into nature and the nest is usually only a furrow in the ground or between rocks.

 

Arctic tern has caught a stickleback. Laidevahe, Saaremaa

 

More about their behaviour and everything else if they stay in camera view.