Tuesday, August 11, 2015

Least tern delivers a fish, Sandy Point State Reservation

Photograph of a least tern delivering a fish to its partner

While I was watching this least tern incubating its two eggs on the beach, I had the pleasure of observing its partner bring it a fish. In the excitement of this unexpected moment, I unfortunately clipped the tips of the wings of the bird who stopped by only briefly enough to hand off the fish and fly off again. While I'm excited to have a nice record of the moment, I'm a bit bummed that I made such a technical error. I waited around for a while longer to see if I would be lucky to witness another exchange, but unfortunately it never came. A valuable lesson that I've heard before, but failed to execute, is that when photographing birds that are likely to flap their wings (like in this case, or especially with birds that are bathing in shallow water), it's always better to zoom out and leave extra space. You can always crop away the excess later, but you can't regain the tips of those wings in post-processing.

Photograph of a pair of least terns on their nest sharing a fish

View more photographs of terns.


Submitted to Wild Bird Wednesday -- follow the link for this week's posts!


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31 comments:

  1. eileeninmdAugust 11, 2015 at 3:58 PM

    They are pretty birds, great shots of the Terns!

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  2. Brian KingAugust 11, 2015 at 6:39 PM

    Great catch, Pat! You are absolutely right about space for the wings. I've had that happen when photographing herons.

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    1. Pat UlrichAugust 11, 2015 at 8:03 PM

      Thanks, Brian! It's always disappointing when it does happen, but sometimes hard to avoid when you get an unanticipated moment like this.

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  3. mickAugust 11, 2015 at 7:39 PM

    A great moment to capture - regardless of clipped wings!

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    1. Pat UlrichAugust 11, 2015 at 8:04 PM

      Thanks, Mick! I think the top one works a bit better for me, having only one clipped wing adds a bit of a dynamic edge, but with both in the bottom its more clearly a mistake. oh well, fun moment for sure!

      Delete
  4. Kenneth Cole SchneiderAugust 11, 2015 at 9:01 PM

    The important thing is that you caught the action, and your photos are nicely composed as well.

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  5. Margaret Birding For PleasureAugust 12, 2015 at 3:24 AM

    Fantastic cpatures

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  6. Adam JonesAugust 12, 2015 at 3:45 AM

    Great images of the Tern. So crisp and sharp.

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  7. Sharon WagnerAugust 12, 2015 at 10:49 AM

    Great action shots! Thanks for dropping by my blog.

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  8. A Colorful WorldAugust 12, 2015 at 10:25 PM

    It's an exciting moment...and the photos are wonderful! Don't worry about the clipped wingtips!

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    1. Pat UlrichAugust 13, 2015 at 6:47 PM

      Thanks so much, Marie! It was a really exciting moment to witness through my lens

      Delete
  9. RajeshAugust 13, 2015 at 1:07 AM

    Amazing shots of the birds. I like the clarity.

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  10. GreenComotionAugust 13, 2015 at 8:17 AM

    Great captures of the birds feeding!
    I have never seen this bird in person and so I enjoyed seeing your photos all the more.
    Have a Beautiful Day!
    Peace :)

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  11. Phil SladeAugust 13, 2015 at 11:23 AM

    Nice shots Pat. Don't worry about those wing tips, my eyes just focused on those yellow bills. I hardly ever see Little Tern (our equivalent) now as they have suffered a downturn from predation and disturbance on beaches etc.

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    1. Pat UlrichAugust 13, 2015 at 6:49 PM

      Thanks, Phil! These birds are under pressure here as well -- in MA they are officially a species of "Special Concern".

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  12. RantenAugust 13, 2015 at 12:18 PM

    Beautiful pictur!

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  13. sunshineAugust 13, 2015 at 5:06 PM

    Wonderful birds and photos.

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  14. Mary Howell CromerAugust 14, 2015 at 5:30 AM

    Excellent and quite beautiful too~

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  15. NatureFootstepAugust 14, 2015 at 5:49 AM

    such wonderful photos. Loved to see them feeding. :)

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    1. Pat UlrichAugust 14, 2015 at 7:11 AM

      Thanks, NF! It's always exciting to have a chance to incorporate an extra element like feeding behavior into an image

      Delete
  16. betty-NZAugust 15, 2015 at 4:15 AM

    These are fantastic shots, so clear and clean and colorful.

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