- Cristobal Sánchez
With no more baggage than a few feathers and no rudder but the wind. Never stopping, yet never losing breath. Steadily moving towards a destination that changes with the path and circumstances, bridging the gap between the cold at your back and the warming sun on your face, fueling your wings.
You can’t capture a sunrise, but you can make every day have as much sunlight as possible if you navigate skillfully.
The nature of these restless birds, inhabitants of the Arctic and subarctic regions, drives them to migrate in search of good weather. As summer wanes and daylight diminishes near the North Pole, these long-distance travelers begin a journey around the world, only to return six months later when days start shortening in the South. They live two summers each year, a dream for anyone.
Unlocking the Arctic Tern's 5 Curious Secrets: A Source of Travel Inspiration
1. THEY FLY OVER OPEN SEA EASILY
The journeys of the tern are not set in stone. Being a long-distance flyer, it’s not concerned about following a fixed course; instead, it adapts to the surrounding weather conditions. They are so adaptable that they can even sleep while in flight. The wind is their ally, and fishing is their sustenance.
If a current takes them out to sea, they’re not afraid. They adjust their flight to continue making progress. Conversely, if their migratory route takes them along the African coast, the tern will enjoy rugged views of the cliffs and might even engage in freshwater fishing in a lagoon near the beaches. Indeed, a few hundred kilometers detour presents no challenge to this remarkable traveler.
Like an eternal sun-and-beach tourist leaping from one hemisphere to another just as the weather changes. North to South and back to warmth. Without following the norm or trends or visiting common places. The key to the Arctic tern’s survival lies in its adaptability to its environment. Also, its breeding colonies inhabit areas sparsely populated by humans. These solitary destinations are the best to let imagination soar and escape the ordinary.
2. LACK OF CUNNING IS NOT IN THEIR NATURE
Their incredible survival instinct compels them, if necessary, to scare off other birds through steep dives to steal their freshly caught prey.
Monotonous straight-line flights aren’t for our friends. Adventure is always present in the life of the tern. The anticipation before the journey is its most potent aspect. The destination is the journey. One must learn to value each journey stage, not just the end. If you’re not proud when taking the first step, you won’t be at the last either.
Timmy Travel, also known as “young Traveling Timmy,” is a specimen of Sterna Paradisaea. As its scientific name suggests, these birds have something to do with paradise.
Timmy is an Arctic tern. The first offspring of a 4-year-old tern couple. After a courtship process based on the male’s ability to procure food and offer it to the female, they chose to hide their nest in a colony of about 200 individuals near a lighthouse on the southern coast of Greenland.
Like all its kind, Timmy was born during the boreal summer from an egg hatching after nearly a month of incubation. An attribute of these birds is their aggressive defense of the nest against any intruder. Additionally, the parents incubate the newborn chick for the first ten days of life. The parents provide the feeding, mainly fish, during the first month and a half. The largest portion is always for the chicks.
Once Timmy developed his definitive plumage, his parents taught him the necessary techniques for self-feeding. Not long after, the beginning of the end of summer arrived. There’s less daylight every day. This indicated that our traveler would soon embark on his first grand adventure.
He was prepared for his first migration, heading to the southern part of the world in search of longer and warmer days. His instincts beckoned him towards the unknown; a wanderlust was born. An intrepid creature, measuring less than half a meter in length from beak to tail, and weighing about 100 grams, was about to cover an average of 330 kilometers per day to reach his destination.
3. THE LARGEST ANINAL MIGRATION IN THE WORLD !
Timmy’s journey, guided by his parents and the rest of the flock, was not a straight line, as previously mentioned. In the first leg of the journey, they flew along the southwestern European coast, making a pit stop somewhere in the North Atlantic, north of the Azores. They halted at areas abundant in fish to regain strength, enabling them to reach their destination without further stops.
Afterward, they headed south towards Cape Verde. There, some expedition members continued further south, flying a few hundred kilometers off the coast of Africa.
Timmy, his parents, and others set the course for South America. Upon reaching the waters near the coast of Brazil, they embarked on the last leg of the journey. A route that took them to the Weddell Sea, located in the Antarctic Ocean.
After traversing half the world, the reward for this group of adventurous tourists was to enjoy a new summer. However, they didn’t remain idle. During the wintering period, the terns remained anything but still. They were flying almost constantly. This behavior, known as pelagic, makes sighting them from solid ground quite rare, as they typically glide over the sea waters.
As summer was ending, young Timmy once again felt the days growing shorter. What would mean the arrival of melancholic autumn for most was a rekindling of his instinct to seek paradise for this Arctic tern. In this case, the journey would be a return home to the southern Greenlandic colony where he was born.
4. ALL SET FOR THE JOURNEY NORTHWARD
Once more, the terns demonstrated that traveling in a straight line isn’t their style; they always prefer to flow with the surrounding elements. During their migration northward, they traced an S-shaped path, presumably taking advantage of the air currents.
5. THEIR ANNUAL MIGRATIONS CREATE AN INFINITE PATTERN
From their wintering area in the Weddell Sea, they established a migratory route that ascended near the west coast of Africa. Then, they veered back towards the Americas, passing through Massachusetts. This time, their average daily distance exceeded 550 kilometers.
The life of the Arctic tern unfolds with hardly any time to unpack. It barely rests for a few months during the boreal summer. This is when it takes advantage of rest and breeds new specimens. It’s during this period and in this location that it’s ideal for observing them on solid ground.
The rest of the year is spent in its eternal quest for the sun. Always flying from season to season before they occur. An avant-garde creature, ahead of its time and ahead of time itself. A gifted bird that, like a true explorer, understands the importance of accumulating experiences.
Crossing the Atlantic, for instance, isn’t an extraordinary feat for our red-beaked friends. Considering their extensive travels, choosing between the African or South American coastlines to reach Antarctica is a decision the tern makes on the fly.
ADVICE FROM THE ARCTIC TERNS TO TRAVELERS
- It's better to carry only the necessary luggage and avoid the burden that excess baggage can bring.
- The sooner you reach the opposite hemisphere from where you are, the sooner summer will begin again.
- If you flow with the elements around you, you can even sleep peacefully during the journey.
- Let the wind lull you along your path.
- A thorough and complete stop is better than two half-hearted ones.
Just like the Tern, we are in constant pursuit of summer. Any time of the year is perfect for traveling if your destination is clear.
