On landing on Inner Farne Island and walking up the wooden broadwalk, you are greeted by guardsmen of the isle. The Artic Terns take to the wing and thinking you are a threat to their nest and breeding ground, start to bombard you with a continuous series of pecks to the head, sometimes quite aggressive bites!  These Terns have their nesting site adjacent to and among the roped off footpaths that surround the Inner Farne. Swooping low they can occasionally catch the unsuspecting visitor with a nasty nip to the head.

There around 2,000 - 2,500 recorded pairs of Artic Terns (2011) nesting on the Inner Farne Isles. They spend the winter months in the Antartic, returning to their birth place in the Spring, namely Brownsman Isle and Inner Farne on the Northumberland coast. Many of the birds have been visiting the isle for the last 20 consecutive years. During their lifetime the Artic Tern will have flown the equivalent of flying to the moon and back. In fact it was recorded in the Spring of 1982 that a Summer bird, ringed on Inner Farne was recorded in October the same year in Melborne Australia, a sea journey of over 14,000 miles, in just 3 months.

The Artic Tern is a medium sized bird, with a dark red beak and short red webbed feet. It has a black cap covering its head, a white tail with long outer streamers and a light grey back and belly. It is often seen diving and plunging for sea food.