The new photo story Seychelles terns published in the August issue of BBC Wildlife magazine.

 

The Seychelles represents a modern conservation success story: the series of extinctions that followed human settlement has been halted and, since 2011, over 50% of the archipelago has been protected. Yet there is a whiff of trouble in paradise. The islands’ terns are facing a new threat: climate change. Increases in ocean temperature reduce food availability, and in some of the Seychelles’ tern populations breeding success has dived from 75 to 1 per cent. These images aim to capture the variety and grace of these birds, and the dynamic, chaotic colonies that could vanish all too soon.