tern

Spring Caspian Tern Photos Plus A Bonus Osprey Image

By |2023-05-04T04:42:52-05:00May 4th, 2023|Categories: Birds, Caspian Terns, Ospreys, Salt Lake County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

At the end of last month, I had the pleasure of taking Caspian Tern photos as these terns were flying and fishing at my local pond.

Brown Pelicans And Memories

By |2021-08-07T03:58:20-05:00January 6th, 2021|Categories: Birds, Brown Pelicans, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Eleven years ago this morning I had an amazing time photographing flocks of Brown Pelicans plunge feeding in the Gulf of Mexico.

Photographing Immature Forster’s Terns On The Hunt And Catching Prey

By |2022-09-13T03:57:10-05:00September 21st, 2019|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I had fun testing my skills by photographing several immature Forster's Terns that were hunting for and catching prey at Farmington Bay WMA two days ago.

I’m On The Look Out For Caspian Terns

By |2023-05-04T16:22:18-05:00April 23rd, 2019|Categories: Birds, Caspian Terns, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The day I came home from camping in the West Desert the first bird calls I heard were from several Caspian Terns in flight overhead that were squabbling and diving at each other.

Yellow-rumped Warbler, Fall Colors on the Refuge Plus a Unique Forster’s Tern Experience

By |2024-04-07T03:51:46-05:00October 4th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Forster's Terns, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

There were birds that I photographed including this Yellow-rumped Warbler who perched out in the open with the fall colors of curly docks in the background.

Caspian Tern Banded at Malheur NWR Flying over Bear River MBR

By |2023-05-04T14:37:29-05:00September 14th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Caspian Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Although I didn't see it at the time I photographed this bird in flight the Caspian Tern did fly in close enough for me to capture images that showed it had bands on its legs.

Forster’s Tern With Prey At Bear River MBR

By |2022-09-13T03:54:12-05:00September 10th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I have had fun photographing Forster's Terns the last few times I have gone to Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, they are graceful, beautiful terns and they challenge my skills.

Juvenile and Adult Forster’s Terns in Flight at Bear River MBR

By |2022-09-13T03:58:47-05:00September 4th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , |

Right now these terns at the refuge are busy feeding their young although some of the juvenile Forster's Terns have already learned how to capture prey on their own.

Forster’s Tern Resting at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge

By |2022-09-13T04:01:22-05:00May 31st, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

A little more than a week ago I spotted this Forster's Tern resting on a log in the water at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge from the auto tour loop and I felt I had to hop out and take a few images from across the hood of my Jeep

Breeding and Nonbreeding Forster’s Terns

By |2022-09-13T03:46:36-05:00April 26th, 2017|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The differences in breeding and nonbreeding plumage of Forster's Terns is enough that some bird watching and bird photography novices might even think that they are two different species of terns.

Royal Terns Courting in Florida

By |2021-04-21T06:05:50-05:00April 25th, 2017|Categories: Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Royal Terns|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The "Circling" courtship behavior of Royal Terns was one that I found interesting because as the male circled the female she moved too and kept her sides facing him.

Hunting Forster’s Tern in breeding plumage at Bear River MBR

By |2021-08-10T16:37:50-05:00December 22nd, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

This Forster's Tern was hovering while hunting over a unit of water on the auto tour route of Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge in northern Utah in clear morning light.

Elegant Forster’s Tern in flight with a touch of added canvas

By |2022-09-13T04:04:45-05:00September 23rd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I've always loved this image of a Forster's Tern in flight because the pose is wonderful and the tern looks elegant against the gray of a distant storm cloud.

A morning spent at Fort De Soto six years ago today

By |2020-11-06T05:54:28-06:00September 4th, 2014|Categories: American Oystercatchers, Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Piping Plovers, Sandwich Terns, Semipalmated Plovers, Wood Storks|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Six years ago this morning I was photographing birds at Fort De Soto County Park and I wanted to share a few images and memories of that day.

Waves and a Forster’s Tern

By |2022-09-13T03:41:54-05:00September 3rd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The nonbreeding Forster's Tern in these two images is the same bird and the images were taken ten frames and a few seconds apart as the tern stood on the shoreline of the Gulf of Mexico in Florida.

Forster’s Tern and friend

By |2022-09-13T04:19:13-05:00March 28th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

This Forster's Tern image was taken several years ago on Fort De Soto County Park's north beach while it was resting on the sand as another tern was flying towards us both.

Some of the Birds I Love at Bear River National Wildlife Refuge

By |2024-03-22T09:18:28-05:00February 6th, 2013|Categories: American Avocets, American White Pelicans, Barn Owls, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Black-necked Stilts, Box Elder County, Duck hybrids, Eastern Kingbirds, Forster's Terns, Marsh Wrens, Snowy Egrets, Swainson's Hawks, Tundra Swans, Utah, Western Grebes, Western Kingbirds, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

One of my favorite locations to photograph birds in northern Utah is Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. I've selected some of the birds there that delight and entertain me while I observe and photograph them.

Gull and Tern Quiz

By |2021-08-27T12:35:15-05:00January 26th, 2013|Categories: Bird ID, Birds, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Gulls|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I came across this image this morning while working up my post Bird images from warmer days and all at 300mm or less and thought it might make a great image for a Bird ID Quiz.

Caspian Terns

By |2023-05-04T15:33:47-05:00September 10th, 2012|Categories: Caspian Terns, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia) are North America's largest tern with a wingspan of 50 inches and weighing in at 1.4 pounds.

Forster’s Terns

By |2022-09-13T03:50:38-05:00April 8th, 2012|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I moved from Florida to Utah I felt it was fortunate that some of the nonbreeding birds I used to see in Florida during the winter I now get to see in breeding plumage on their nesting grounds.

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