View allAll Photos Tagged CommonTerns
Common Tern flying back to the colony to feed it's young with a sandflea at Nickerson Beach Park, Long Island NY. It was a great and beautiful day on the beach. So many birds flying, on the ground and chicks ranging in all different sizes.
Common Tern bringing in another sand eel from the ocean to feed it's young. Nickerson Beach Park, Long Island NY.
It is amazing to see these Common Terns fighting for airspace as they search for fish. To me it looks like Tern Clutter.
Common Tern - Sterna Hirundo
Juvenile
It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are a number of similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.
Breeding in a wider range of habitats than any of its relatives, the common tern nests on any flat, poorly vegetated surface close to water, including beaches and islands, and it readily adapts to artificial substrates such as floating rafts. The nest may be a bare scrape in sand or gravel, but it is often lined or edged with whatever debris is available. Up to three eggs may be laid, their dull colours and blotchy patterns providing camouflage on the open beach.
Population:
UK breeding:
12,000 pairs
The male Common Tern brings in a fish for it's mate. It's a breeding ritual. We saw many bring a fish in but, the male kept it and ate it. Manasquan Inlet, NJ.
A Common Tern with a Spearing bait Fish. There were so many Spearing along the shore line that they would come out of the water when the birds hit the water with their big splash. Stone Harbor Point NJ.
A tiny common tern chick falls down on its bottom after trying to eat and walk at the same time :-).
This is what it looks like just before the Common Tern poops on you trying to scare you away from the nest even though you are not close to it. Nickerson Beach Park, Long Island NY.
People travel the world., spend days in wet ditches., Venture through jungles., etc. ,etc...
All to capture that specular shot
When...
All you actually need to do is find a Common Tern., Switch up your shutter speed., and then click away from the comfort of your local bird hide!
The common man's spectacular shot!
Common Tern - Sterna Hirundo
It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are a number of similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.
Breeding in a wider range of habitats than any of its relatives, the common tern nests on any flat, poorly vegetated surface close to water, including beaches and islands, and it readily adapts to artificial substrates such as floating rafts. The nest may be a bare scrape in sand or gravel, but it is often lined or edged with whatever debris is available. Up to three eggs may be laid, their dull colours and blotchy patterns providing camouflage on the open beach.
Population:
UK breeding:
12,000 pairs
Common Tern - Sterna Hirundo
It is strongly migratory, wintering in coastal tropical and subtropical regions. Breeding adults have light grey upperparts, white to very light grey underparts, a black cap, orange-red legs, and a narrow pointed bill. Depending on the subspecies, the bill may be mostly red with a black tip or all black. There are a number of similar species, including the partly sympatric Arctic tern, which can be separated on plumage details, leg and bill colour, or vocalisations.
Breeding in a wider range of habitats than any of its relatives, the common tern nests on any flat, poorly vegetated surface close to water, including beaches and islands, and it readily adapts to artificial substrates such as floating rafts. The nest may be a bare scrape in sand or gravel, but it is often lined or edged with whatever debris is available. Up to three eggs may be laid, their dull colours and blotchy patterns providing camouflage on the open beach.
Population:
UK breeding:
12,000 pairs
This was probably the only family were Dad was still around. The males leave once the chicks are born.
Long Island, New York
Normally these birds will be entering their third spring by the time they have acquired their breeding plumage. They are quite noted for the aerial courtship dances they perform and by both genders. Following these performances nesting normally commences after the female has accepted fish offerings from her suitor.
A nest will contain 2 or 3 eggs which will be incubated for about 27 days and the mated pair will raise one brood between May and August. The nesting area is very noisy as they nest in colonies and usually involves gull colonies as well.
Their favored way to handle intruders in their nesting area is to dive bomb the offender repeatedly and defecate on him.
Their feeding technique is to plunge dive for their prey which is mainly small fish but also includes aquatic invertebrates.
This bird is starting to go into a plunge dive after prey along the shoreline of Lake Ontario.