View allAll Photos Tagged CommonTerns
A Common Tern hovers in the air before diving to try to nab a little fish from a prairie lake. Terns are among the most difficult birds to capture in flight - they're so fast, they can turn so suddenly. No pun intended.
But they will also hover, and that gives the autofocus a chance to lock on. And they look more angelic than most birds. Such elegant wings!
Common Terns breed throughout the province of Saskatchewan, in both prairie and boreal forest habitats.
My life has been more insane than usual over the past two days, with a doctor appt., grocery run (240 km round trip), then broken sleep, up at 4 a.m. to get to the grouse lek before dawn, followed by an afternoon nap... I'll catch up on commenting over the weekend!
Photographed at Lonetree Lake, near Bracken, Saskatchewan (Canada). Don't use this image on websites, blogs, or other media without explicit permission ©2021 James R. Page - all rights reserved.
Common Tern chick taking on a rather large fish. I don't know the outcome as it collapsed in a heap with the taill still protruding from its beak and I wasn't able to hang around to see.what happened. I'm sure it's OK.
Before plunge-diving into water, a tern is flying over water to search for fish just below the surface.
These fantastic terns wheel about the skies looking for fish beneath the water. Then they dive and snatch their meal from below the surface.
My goal this morning was to try and get the Common Terns diving and catching fish (if the wind was blowing right and the sun was out). They are easier to capture than the Least Terns, but they are still somewhat erratic. The real challenge though is focusing on the birds near the water, especially if there is any splash. Your camera loses focus quite easily. I did make a few adjustments to my camera settings and I had more success than the other day. This was a lot of fun, although after an hour I was through - too much to do at home. (2 of 4)
I had seen four of these on my local lake the other day, so I went back yesterday to see if they were still around. Fortunately I found this one perched on a buoy and as you can see I was able to get quite close without it feeling uncomfortable in my presence.
I stopped by Wrightsville Beach again today for about an hour. The nesting season begins, and I witnessed lots of mating activity. The first shot shows a Tern calling out, and later being joined by its mate.
Two common terns, fresh from fending off a gang of black-headed gulls, soar in perfect unison through a clear blue sky. The front bird carries a silver fish in its bright red bill—likely bound for their chick—while the second flies just behind and below, guarding its partner in classic echelon formation. Photographed from below at just the right moment in their turn, this image captures not only the symmetry of their flight, but the essence of teamwork and instinctive trust between mates in motion.
Common Tern / sterna hirundo. Straws Bridge, Derbyshire. 12/08/22.
One last shot of a recently fledged Common Tern, present on my local lake this month. There were two juveniles, closely attended by both parents. As they were extremely confiding, they offered great photography opportunities - I maximised them!
BEST VIEWED LARGE.
Blashford Lakes, Hampshire.
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