Sandwich Tern

Above: Sandwich Tern
Below: Common Tern.

Sandwich Terns visit the UK between March and September and breed at a few coastal sites that are usually nature reserves. I believe that they are found with other breeding terns at Cemlyn Bay on Anglesey and at Hodbarrow RSPB reserve in Cumbria. They can also be found on a number of coastal sites on passage, especially in late July and August.

Terns can sometimes be difficult to identify, but the sandwich tern is probably one of the easiest. Is has a typical tern shape, long slim body, forked tail, short legs and long sharp beak. The general colour is white below and light grey above, also typical of most terns visiting the UK. In summer plumage it also has a black cap extending down to just include the eye. Again this is fairly typical of most terns. So what are the distinguishing features? Well there are few that helps us to spot the sandwich tern easily. Firstly, the short legs are black, in most similar terns they are red. The beak, often red or red/black in the other common terns, is glossy black with a bright yellow tip in the sandwich tern. The black cap on the head also often has a ragged crest at the rear whilst other common terns lack this crest. A common tern is shown below left for comparison.

Photographing sandwich terns (and most other terns) is actually quite difficult. This is because it is difficult to expose both the black and white parts of the bird correctly. I often lose the eye in the black cap. To get the eye to show, you need the light to be good, you need careful exposure that allows the eye to show without washing out the white areas completely. If you can get the eye to catch the light so much the better. I can't tell you the best way to do this yet as I'm still trying to figure it out myself. In any case, you usually can't reposition yourself on the other side of these birds. So if you have the chance take lots of pictures and vary your exposure if possible until you get it right.

So where to go to get your pictures? Well as already mentioned Cemlyn Bay on Anglesey and Hodbarrow in Cumbria are two breeding colonies that should be tried in summer months. You are likely to also see Common Tern, Roseate Tern and Little Tern at these two sites. At the time of writing (July 2007) I have not visited these sites myself but will be hoping to in the summer of 2008 as these terns are going to be high on my target list nest year. For Sandwich Terns I am lucky in that I won't have to go so far. In August they appear in huge numbers, some still in summer plumage, some changing to winter plumage and a large number of juvenile birds. They appear at various places around the coast but the beaches at West Kirby and Hoylake have to be two of the best places to see them and photograph them. You'll need a long lens or good digiscoping gear, but they sit on the beach in large numbers and with care can be approached close enough for a reasonable shot with a long lens (400mm or more). Good luck!