Forster’s Tern Flying Low Over A Pond

I don’t post photos of terns very often so I figured it’s high time I did.

 

1/4000, f/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM + EF 1.4 III Extender, not baited, set up or called in

This Forster’s Tern in nonbreeding plumage was actively fishing at Farmington Bay WMA four months ago (9/19). “He” had just emerged from an unsuccessful dive for a fish so we see water drops coming off of him as he begins to gain elevation.

I like his wing position and the background in particular. Most of my photos of terns in flight have blue sky in the background which I’m not very fond of, especially with a mostly white bird. I much prefer these early fall colors with the splashes of blue water below. A catch light with the eye surrounded by that black mask was a bonus. Typically their nearly black eye surrounded by the black mask is a photon-sucking trap that makes getting noticeable light in the eye unusually difficult.

I realize that posting a tern in midwinter is out of season for me but I’m quickly tiring of snow and cold so this morning I yearned for a summer bird and at least a hint of refreshing green.

Ron

 

 

22 Comments

  1. Nice clean photo. I like the stark transition from fuzzy shadow (I assume that is shadow) to sharper clarity on the underwing. I, too, am struck by the way the blue water and wings complement each other.

  2. I like the falling water droplets and the background colors.

    You are starting to sound like my husband, “Iā€™m quickly tiring of snow and cold”. He is back down in St George in our condo 4-5 days. I love the cold and snow. It is so beautiful after all the new snow fall yesterday.

    • April, I have mixed feelings about snow but it’s usually about this time of your that the scales begin to tip in the negative direction. I’d prefer about a month of intense winter and the rest of the year spring and fall weather.

  3. Great example of catching a decisive moment! I agree with all of your comments about this photo. Congrats! So glad you shared this one “out of season.”

  4. Ahhhh, those silver wings and tail. šŸ™‚

    Seeing Terns reminds me of an old Bil Keane book of puns I had when I was a kid. One drawing showed two men exchanging a sausage and a bird. The caption read, “Taking a Tern for the wurst.”

  5. Yet another beauty.
    Love those raised wings – and the water droplets.

  6. Nice to get a peek at a Forster’s tern in nonbreeding plumage. I’ve only seen them when they are all spiffied up for their lady friends, and didn’t realize how they changed in winter. And nice sharp detail, Those wings almost glow!Nancy

  7. Very good photo. As others have mentioned here, the wings are especially striking. His color against that background and then with the blueish water in the foreground below him really makes for an excellent picture. The black eye in the black mask reminds me of the Loggerhead Shrike. Always a challenge.

  8. Beautiful, Ron.. šŸ™‚ The silver/blue in the wings is lovely against the fall colors and capturing a catch light in the dark eye are is a challenge met. šŸ˜‰
    Weather forecast keeps “teasing us” about warmer weather. In theory, “tomorrow” it will make 35……… Of course, that, no doubt, means wind…. Cold and snow (in our case lack of snow) DOES get old.

    • Sounds like chinook winds might be in your near future, Judy. I have so many memories of them, and the Santa Ana winds when I lived in southern CA. Thank you.

  9. Good morning Ron,great capture of those high speed wing beats and water droplets trailing away!It’s been cold shooting this side of the mountains this week,100 mph winds yesterday in the mountains,I can’t imagine diving into that frigid water face first just to get lunch!!! BRRRR!! HAVE A GREAT DAY!

  10. Ron: For some reason tern’s wings appear particularly beautiful to me, wings that you have captured tack-sharp in your photo. Not just a tern, but a thing of beauty very well captured in your photo.

  11. Eye-catching photo! A most flattering photo for this bird…your background is the key here. This is a bird species I rarely takes photos of other than to practice flight shots. I agree…a good choice for this morning. After last week-end’s ‘no-show much forecasted snow storm’, we were given about 6 inches of the white fluffy stuff over night. Listening to the weather last p.m., you could hear the glee in the weatherman’s voice! šŸ˜ƒ

    • Thanks, Kathy. I really shouldn’t complain about the snow. Next summer I’ll probably wish we’d had more this winter. But white and cold get old after a while…

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