Forster’s Terns

Forster’s Terns are medium sized terns with white underparts and pale gray upperparts, short red legs, thin, orange bills with black tips and a black cap in breeding plumage.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Waves and a Forster’s Tern

By |2022-09-13T03:41:54-06:00September 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.

Potpourri Of Birds From This Week

By |2024-03-07T07:14:22-07:00May 25th, 2013|Categories: Antelope Island State Park, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, California Gulls, Chukars, Clark's Grebes, Davis County, Eastern Kingbirds, Forster's Terns, Lark Sparrows, Mourning Doves, Tooele County, Utah, Yellow-headed Blackbirds|Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |

These are but a few of the birds I photographed this week in various Utah locations and all of them made great subjects!

Forster’s Tern and friend

By |2022-09-13T04:19:13-06:00March 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 |2024-02-09T09:47:33-07:00February 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.

Forster’s Terns

By |2022-09-13T03:50:38-06:00April 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.

Go to Top