Tern Over
by AnnaJo Vahle
Title
Tern Over
Artist
AnnaJo Vahle
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
Lying on my belly on the white sandy beach, I watched as a Least Tern returned to it's mate and their chick. The chick was only one day old. The parents kept a close eye on it. They took turns fishing and feeding each other and their baby. Even though the beach was well marked with stakes and string, they were difficult to see. The chick seemed to disappear when it laid still. The camouflage was impressive. We watched for movements of the parents so that we might see the baby. Often the chick would hide beneath the parent. The adult least terns were quite aggressive in keeping away people and predators. They flew in fast and squawked at us as they dove for our heads and faces. We had to duck constantly to avoid their little yellow beaks. They brought tiny little fish to their family. They seemed to be mostly little shiners. The nests were simply a little depression in the sand. They didn't line them with any kind of nesting materials. This little family was one of 47 breeding pairs of this endangered species on the beach. The nesting site was just an area on the sandy beach away from dunes and tall grasses. They blended in so well when they were still that one marveled at the simplicity of it all. They are the smallest American tern.
Uploaded
June 19th, 2013
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Viewed 1,873 Times - Last Visitor from Ottawa, ON - Canada on 03/22/2024 at 5:35 AM
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Comments (35)
Gary F Richards
Outstanding tern on the beach composition, lighting, shading, excellent color and artwork! Fl voted
Larry Kniskern
Congratulations, AnnaJo – your stunning scene has been selected as an Honorable Mention from the Go Take a Hike Photography Group’s Wildlife Families photo contest! It has been placed in the Special Recognitions thread in the group discussion board for archive.
Dawn Currie
Congratulations on placing 2nd in the "Spring is here in Nature Photography - Birds" contest! Wonderful family portrait
Nikolyn McDonald
Very nice family and in flight capture. Congratulations on your 2nd place win in the recent juried Spring is here in Nature Photography - Birds contest.
Bob Orsillo
Awesome photography Annajo! Your timing was perfect - great description. v/f/tweet/su/g+