A photo sequence of Sandwich Terns in a pairing display including a Sand Eel offering and a charming dance around each other at Balnakeil Bay, near Durness in the far North West of Scotland in June this year. They were some distance away on the beach and taken with a 600mm lens and are heavily cropped so the quality is not too great.
The pair fly in with a Sand Eel....
....and land, presumably the male with the tasty offering....
...., and start dancing,....
....with the Sand Eel quickly consumed (the pass was sadly missed).
The terns rotate around each other....
....waving their heads.
They move closer to the sea...
....The male makes his move....
and attempts to mate.
All in 3 minutes.