The flight of the Arctic tern

One bird, above all others, embodies that sense of planetary connection: the Arctic tern.I have recorded Arctic terns in many places, including the Southern Hemisphere, but encountering them in Shetland feels especially profound. Here, they breed at the northern end of the world before embarking on a journey unlike any other.The Arctic tern holds the record for the longest migration of any animal on Earth. Each year, it travels from its breeding grounds in the high north to the waters surrounding Antarctica, and then back again. Over the course of its lifetime, that distance adds up to the rough equivalent of flying to the Moon and back.This is not poetic exaggeration. It is one of the most extraordinary biological feats on the planet.Imagine a bird moving through shifting biomes: Arctic light, temperate seas, tropical waters, roaring Southern Ocean swells, and the frozen margins of the Antarctic ice. Imagine the sounds beneath its wings changing constantly, from quiet northern dawns to the restless breath of global oceans.Now imagine following that journey through sound.www.thelisteningplanet.com