Forster's Tern – Mia McPherson's On The Wing Photography

An Assortment Of Spring Birds From Bear River MBR

By Mia McPherson|April 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: adult, Aechmophorus clarkii, Aechmophorus occidentalis, Agelaius phoeniceus, Antigone canadensis, Ardea herodias, Bear River, birds, breeding plumage, Clark's Grebe, Definitive Alternate Plumage, displaying, Double-crested Cormorant, Eared Grebe, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, Gadwall, Great Blue Heron, horn, Long-billed Curlew, Mareca strepera, marsh, Mergus serrator, Nannopterum auritus, Numenius americanus, Pelecanus erythrorhynchos, Plegadis chihi, Podiceps nigricollis, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-winged Blackbird, river, Sandhill Crane, spring, Sterna forsteri, Weed Ceremony, Western Grebe, wetlands, white pelican, White-faced Ibis, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

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

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

By Mia McPherson|May 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: American Avocet, American Bittern, American Coot, American White Pelican, Black-crowned Night Heron, Blue-winged Teal, Brown-headed Cowbird, California Gull, Cinnamon Teal, Clark's Grebe, Cliff Swallow, Forster's Tern, Killdeer, Long-billed Dowitcher, Marsh Wren, Northern Shoveler, Red-winged Blackbird, Ruddy Duck, Savannah Sparrow, Tree Swallow, Western Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

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.

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

By Mia McPherson|October 4th, 2017|Categories: American Coots, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Forster's Terns, Utah, Yellow-rumped Warblers|Tags: adult, American Coot, autumn, curly dock, Curlydock, fall, feeding, flight, Forster's Tern, Fulica americana, juvenile, marsh, perch, Rumex crispus, Setophaga coronata, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, warbler, warblers, wetlands, Yellow-rumped Warbler, young|

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.

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Breeding and Nonbreeding Forster’s Terns

By Mia McPherson|April 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: adult, beach, breeding, breeding plumage, coastal island, Forster's Tern, Gulf Coast, Gulf of Mexico, marsh, nest, nonbreeding, nonbreeding plumage, pair, plumage differences, sand, Sterna forsteri, stretch, tern, terns, water, wetlands, wing lift|

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.

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

By Mia McPherson|December 22nd, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, hovering, hunting, refuge, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns|

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.

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

By Mia McPherson|September 23rd, 2016|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, coastal, elegant, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, nonbreeding, nonbreeding plumage, sky, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, winter|

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.

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An Adult Forster’s Tern Hovering Over Prey

By Mia McPherson|April 8th, 2016|Categories: Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Birds, Box Elder County, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: adult, breeding plumage, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, hovering, marsh, prey, sky, spring, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, wetlands|

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.

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Forster’s Tern in a Canada Goose nest

By Mia McPherson|November 21st, 2015|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: breeding plumage, Canada Goose, Forster's Tern, marsh, nest, nesting season, spring, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, wetlands|

This Forster's Tern wasn't trying to take over this Canada Goose nest when I photographed it but it might look that way in this image.

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Hovering Forster’s Tern

By Mia McPherson|August 12th, 2014|Categories: Birds, Davis County, Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area, Forster's Terns, Utah|Tags: adult, eye contact, flight, flying, food, foraged, Forster's Tern, hovering, hunting, pond, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, wetlands|

Last week I photographed this adult Forster's Tern in flight as it foraged for food above Glover Pond near Farmington Bay WMA.

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Waves and a Forster’s Tern

By Mia McPherson|September 3rd, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, autumn, coastal, fall, Forster's Tern, Gulf of Mexico, nonbreeding plumage, shoreline, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, water, waves|

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.

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Potpourri Of Birds From This Week

By Mia McPherson|May 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: Aechmophorus clarkii, Alectoris chukar, California Gull, Chondestes grammacus, Chukar, Clark's Grebe, Eastern Kingbird, Forster's Tern, Lark Sparrow, Larus californicus, Mourning Dove, Sterna forsteri, Tyrannus tyrannus, Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus, Yellow-headed Blackbird, Zenaida macroura|

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

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Forster’s Tern and friend

By Mia McPherson|March 28th, 2013|Categories: Birds, Florida, Forster's Terns, Fort De Soto County Park, Pinellas County|Tags: adult, beach, flight, flying, Forster's Tern, nature, nonbreeding plumage, resting, sand, sky, Sterna forsteri, summer, tern, terns|

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.

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

By Mia McPherson|February 6th, 2013|Categories: American Avocets, American Barn Owls, American White Pelicans, 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: American Avocet, American Barn Owl, American White Pelican, avocet, avocets, birds of prey, Black-crowned Night Heron, Black-necked Stilt, blackbird, blackbirds, Cinnamon x Green-winged Teal hybrid, Eastern Kingbird, Forster's Tern, grebes, hawk, hawks, hybrid, hybrids, Marsh Wren, night heron, night herons, pelican, pelicans, raptors, Snowy Egret, stilt, stilts, Swainson's Hawk, swans, tern, terns, Tundra Swan, Western Grebe, Western Kingbird, wren, wrens, Yellow-headed Blackbird|

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.

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Forster’s Terns

By Mia McPherson|April 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: adult, beach, breeding, breeding plumage, coastal, Forster's Tern, marsh, nest, nonbreeding, nonbreeding plumage, Sterna forsteri, tern, terns, wetlands|

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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Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge – another favorite location

By Mia McPherson|May 29th, 2011|Categories: Birds, Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Juab County, Pronghorn, Simpson Springs, Tooele County, Utah|Tags: animals, antelope, baby, bird photography, birds, Caspian Tern, cute, Fish Spring Range, Forster's Tern, Gadwall, nature, oasis, Pronghorn, refuge, Rock Wren, sign, Simpson Springs, Western Tanager, White-tailed Antelope Squirrel, wildlife|

After a recent journey from Simpson Springs in Tooele County to Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge in Juab County I have added it as a Favorite Location. It was an amazing trip with gorgeous views. I hope to return there soon.

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