One day I’d like to see slow-motion video of a hovering tern. In the meantime sequences like this will have to do.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I photographed this Forster’s Tern last May 29th at Bear River MBR as it hovered over a pond while hunting for fish. These are four of eight images taken in a burst that lasted .8 of a second and presented in the order they were taken.
Hovering terns in bright sunlight are difficult to expose properly because their bright whites with direct sunlight on them tend to blow out easily, especially if the blacks around their eyes are exposed well. Because of those blacks it’s particularly important to get a catch light to define the black eye in this species. I did some exposure adjustments during processing in an attempt to mitigate the exposure problem and once again I had more shutter speed than I really needed.
Terns use their long, narrow wings to hover in the same spot over fish before potentially diving on them and that effort provides the photographer with a variety of graceful poses that often remind me of an avian ballet.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
Their legs, which match the color of most of their beak, often hang down as they hover which I think provides an interesting visual effect in combination with their long, pointed and graceful wings and beautiful fanned tail.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I don’t often catch their wings held as vertically as this so I thought it was an interesting flight posture.
1/5000, f/7.1, ISO 800, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in
I don’t remember if this tern dove on a fish or gave up and flew to a different spot but this is the last image of the sequence that I kept.
I’ve yet to photograph hovering terns this spring but I’ve definitely been watching for them. I have opportunities with both Forster’s and the much larger Caspian Terns and I enjoy photographing both of them as they hover over fish because you never know what convoluted and interesting flight postures you might get.
And the potential for finding a unique or even spectacular flight pose certainly makes the painful process of culling images more interesting.
Ron
Such a beautiful bird. You captured him perfectly!
I meant the first image…I love the serrated shadow of the wings on the neck…sorry I’m a bit distracted these days….
You’re probably shut down for the day so I’m most likely talking to myself, something I often do anyway, but i’ve been revisting this posting…several times and find myself coming back to that second image…it’s so incredibly beautiful!!!
No words needed… Pure ecstasy.
Congratulations Ron
I’m glad you like them, Jorge. Thanks.
Ron: A black and white bird so very well exposed! And the focus, perfect from tail to beak to wingtip! Thank you for showing how well it can be done.
Thanks very much, Richard.
Their choreography puts our highly paid professionals to shame doesn’t it? And throws more mud at our misplaced ‘superior species’ delusion.
Yup, they’re incredibly graceful athletes, EC.
Yes, Ron I did notice those amazing curved outer tail feathers in the first photo. Do you know if a bird has the ability to manipulate that kind of feather or does it take it’s form and angle because of the air currents?
Marvin, the curving would only be due to the force of air on the extra long and flexible feather.
Oh yes, an avian ballet! What a wonderful way to describe it. And insert that repetitive, redundant Oh WOW! here please.
That hover is another one of those bird things that delights my soul and that they do so easily. I’m so bummed that I chose the wrong line and got the two-leg, gravity thing instead of large, beautiful wings, feathers and flight! Poor prior planning that was!
What a spectacularly LOVELY series of photos! Thank you!
Thanks very much, Laura.
I love that fanned tail, he must use those tail feathers as a stabilizer while hovering. Thanks for showing us images that we could never catch with our eyes while watching such a show.
“he must use those tail feathers as a stabilizer while hovering”
Could be, Marvin. Did you happen to notice the elegant curve of the left outer tail feather in the first image? I think it’s pretty neat.
Very nice, Ron. And that slow motion video you’re hoping for? Perhaps it will be scored to the music of “Tern Lake”. Just a little ballet humor…
Cheers,
Dick
Ha, I’ll have to search for a clip like that and see if they used it for the score, Dick. Wouldn’t be surprised…
Many, many, MANY years ago, I saw a documentary on Grandma Moses paintings…it was accompanied by music only…no narrator, no words. I’ll never forget it! I can see sometimg similar with Ron’s photography…
Gorgeous pictures, Ron–they captured anatomical detail and posture so beautifully that they immediately spawned a question for me : those extra-long and graceful outside tail feathers must serve
some kind of special function—can you speculate about a reason for this adaptation ?
“Speculation” is all it is, Kris, but my guess is that those long, streaming outer tail feathers either function as sexual ornaments or to make quick aerial turns easier for the bird. Or both…
Gorgeous series Ron!
Charlotte
Thank you, Charlotte.
“A Hovering Ballet”… A perfect description! Each one is a favorite…as I scrolled, each one got better!!! You see, and capture, such beautiful images….
That description worked for me, Patty, so I’m glad you thought it was appropriate. Thank you.
LOVE these shots!!! The last one made me think he was referring a baseball game and someone just slid in home!! 🙂
Thanks for sharing these!!
Ha, you’re right, Carol. SAFE!
Absolutely lovely!
Thanks, Alison.
Beautiful shots Ron! You must have a huge external capacity to keep all these shots you take.
In my younger days I use to band both Common and Roseate Terns on the MA coast. We would rarely see a Forster’s, but it did happen. Didn’t get a good look at them until we went out west.
Wish I had taken my camera out during those times!
“You must have a huge external capacity to keep all these shots you take”
Dick, I don’t keep them all – not by a long shot. I estimate that I delete about 90% of the images I take.
Great photo’s, Ron! 🙂 The certainly do provide a wide variety of poses in the process of hovering. I can see where the contrast in their coloring could present a challenge exposure wise and then trying to get a catch light in the black eyes on top of it. Well done! 🙂
Judy, In my experience terns are some of the most difficult birds to expose properly. It can be extremely frustrating to get a spectacular flight posture and only have to delete the image because the whites are blown.