Terns and Skimmers

Spring Caspian Tern Photos Plus A Bonus Osprey Image

By |2023-05-04T04:42:52-06:00May 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.

An Assortment Of Spring Birds From Bear River MBR

By |2021-12-04T04:11:12-07:00April 23rd, 2021|Categories: American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Clark's Grebes, Double-crested Cormorants, Eared Grebes, Forster's Terns, Gadwalls, Great Blue Herons, Long-billed Curlews, Red-winged Blackbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Today I wanted to share an assortment of spring birds all photographed at Bear River MBR yesterday on a bright and beautiful morning.

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

By |2022-09-13T03:57:10-06:00September 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.

Some Of The Birds Seen At Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge During The Month of May

By |2024-02-09T08:22:42-07:00May 19th, 2019|Categories: American Avocets, American Bitterns, American Coots, American White Pelicans, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Black-crowned Night Herons, Blue-winged Teals, Box Elder County, Brown-headed Cowbirds, California Gulls, Cinnamon Teals, Clark's Grebes, Cliff Swallows, Forster's Terns, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitchers, Marsh Wrens, Northern Shovelers, Red-winged Blackbirds, Ruddy Ducks, Savannah Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Utah, Western Grebes, White-faced Ibises, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

May is a time of renewal at Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and as the marsh begins to green up the migrant birds return and along with the year round residents their songs and calls can be heard over the wetlands.

I’m On The Look Out For Caspian Terns

By |2023-05-04T16:22:18-06:00April 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 |2021-01-20T10:37:35-07:00October 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 |2023-05-04T14:37:29-06:00September 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 |2022-09-13T03:54:12-06:00September 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 |2022-09-13T03:58:47-06:00September 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 |2022-09-13T04:01:22-06:00May 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 |2022-09-13T03:46:36-06:00April 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 |2021-04-21T06:05:50-06:00April 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.

Black Skimmer in a Fog over the Gulf of Mexico

By |2022-04-24T06:46:52-06:00December 24th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

Whenever I view this photo of a lone Black Skimmer in flight on a foggy Gulf shore I feel a wave of joy and peaceful feelings wash over me.

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

By |2021-08-10T16:37:50-06:00December 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.

Courting Black Skimmers on North Beach, Fort De Soto

By |2022-04-24T06:59:10-06:00November 29th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

On a hazy, windy day in May of 2008 I was able to sand crawl on my belly close enough to some Black Skimmers to watch and photograph them courting.

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

By |2022-09-13T04:04:45-06:00September 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.

Black Skimmer Skimming the Gulf

By |2022-04-24T05:06:40-06:00April 29th, 2016|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

My own technique for photographing this Black Skimmer skimming the Gulf and other skimmers that day was to sit down in the water right where the waves crested and moved on shore.

An Adult Forster’s Tern Hovering Over Prey

By |2022-09-13T04:15:12-06:00April 8th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , |

When I photographed this Forster's Tern hovering over prey there were several others in the area doing the same thing which makes it difficult to decide on which bird to photograph.

Scoop Of Black Skimmers Flying Past Shell Key

By |2022-04-24T06:56:02-06:00October 26th, 2015|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

I haven't seen Black Skimmers in over six years now but in my mind I can still hear them calling when I look at my images of a group of them in flight.

Welcome September…

By |2023-10-12T05:41:45-06:00September 1st, 2015|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Beaverhead County, Birds, Black Skimmers, Box Elder County, Cliff Lake, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Madison County, Montana, Pinellas County, Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge, Utah|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

The first day of September signals to me that cooler weather is arriving so I took a look back at some of the images I have taken in September from 2008 on.

Use of Decoys for Colonial-nesting Seabirds and the Need for Protected Nesting Areas

By |2022-03-10T21:15:22-07:00July 2nd, 2015|Categories: Birds, Black Skimmers, Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, Egmont Key State Park, Florida, Fort De Soto County Park, Gandy Beach, Least Terns, Pinellas County|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , |

On an extremely hot April day I was out on Egmont Key for a Florida Master Naturalist class and from a distance I thought I saw some Black Skimmers and Least Terns resting on a beach but they turned out to be decoys.

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