11 September 2020

· Anglesey ·

A final session down on the rocks, watching Sandwich terns teaching their young how to fish. As I’ve noticed before, the adults are far more accomplished hunters than their offspring, aborting dives far more often, and diving in at much steeper (i.e. vertical) angles. The young clearly got the idea they were supposed to dive vertically, but always seemed to chicken out at the last moment, hitting the water at a much shallower angle. The also never seemed to abort their dives. But practice makes perfect, and learning from an expert must really help.

Sandwich tern
Sandwich tern

As I was about to head back to the caravan, a rock pipit joined me briefly on the rocks. Very similar to the far more common meadow pipits that populate my beloved Moor, but noticeably different: darker, with more pronounced markings. A bird I shall forever associate with this beloved rocky coast.

Rock pipit
Rock pipit

Richard Carter

Richard Carter is a writer and photo­grapher living in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. He is currently working on a book about looking at the world through Darwin’s eyes.Website · Newsletter · Mastodon · Facebook

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