![\"forsters](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/forsters-tern-8373-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTerns tend to be graceful and highly maneuverable flyers and those skills are very much on display when they’re fishing.<\/p>\n
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\u00a01\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I found this Forster’s Tern fishing at Bear River MBR last June and decided I’d attempt to photograph it coming out of the water after a dive – easier said than done.\u00a0 And to catch it with a fish would be a bonus.\u00a0 This species is known for feeding on “small” fish but this one is ridiculous – hardly worth the bother.\u00a0 If you look very<\/em> carefully you can see\u00a0the miniscule fish behind the upper part of the bill.\u00a0\u00a0 I’ve cropped this shot unconventionally\u00a0in order to include the “splash” behind the bird.<\/p>\n These birds fish relentlessly.\u00a0 Their quarry is\u00a0small, as is their success rate.\u00a0 In one\u00a0Forster’s Tern study, 1538 dives produced 369 fish for a success rate of 24%.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n The fish is more easily seen in this next shot.\u00a0 When they come\u00a0off the surface\u00a0they usually shake excess water out of their feathers in mid-air.\u00a0 I caught this tern just before the shake, where it has twisted its wings in order to\u00a0get good action for the upcoming shake.\u00a0 I missed the shake with this\u00a0bird but…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00a01\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n I did manage to capture it on another day with this Caspian Tern.\u00a0 I didn’t have enough shutter speed to get the quick\u00a0movements particularly sharp but this shot shows just how convoluted their posture can become from the\u00a0violent action.\u00a0 I like the upside-down head and the water\u00a0flying straight up from the bill.\u00a0 Notice that the nictitating membrane is closed to protect the eye.<\/p>\n Forster’s Terns sometimes drop their fish prey (especially when it’s a slightly larger fish) from heights of about 60 feet and then re-catch it at about 30 feet (the reason for this behavior is apparently not fully understood).\u00a0 If I ever feel like I need a huge<\/em> photographic challenge, that could\u00a0certainly be it!<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Terns tend to be graceful and highly maneuverable flyers and those skills are very much on display when they’re fishing. \u00a01\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I found this Forster’s Tern fishing at Bear River MBR last June and decided I’d attempt to photograph it coming out of the water after a dive – easier said than done.\u00a0 And to catch it with a fish would be a bonus.\u00a0 This species is known for feeding on “small” fish but this one is ridiculous – hardly worth the bother.\u00a0 If you look very carefully you can see\u00a0the miniscule fish behind the upper part of the bill.\u00a0\u00a0 I’ve cropped this shot unconventionally\u00a0in order to include the “splash” behind the bird. These birds fish relentlessly.\u00a0 Their quarry is\u00a0small, as is their success rate.\u00a0 In one\u00a0Forster’s Tern study, 1538 dives produced 369 fish for a success rate of 24%. \u00a01\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light The fish is more easily seen in this next shot.\u00a0 When they come\u00a0off the surface\u00a0they usually shake excess water out of their feathers in mid-air.\u00a0 I caught this tern just before the shake, where it has twisted its wings in order to\u00a0get good action for the upcoming shake.\u00a0 I missed the shake with this\u00a0bird but… \u00a01\/1250, f\/6.3, ISO 500, 500 f\/4, 1.4 tc, natural light I did manage to capture it on another day with this Caspian Tern.\u00a0 I didn’t have enough shutter speed to get the quick\u00a0movements particularly sharp but…<\/p>\n![\"forsters](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/forsters-tern-8374-ron-dudley.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"caspian](\"http:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/02\/caspian-tern-6546-ron-dudley.jpg\")
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