Tags

, , ,

On a drive on Wildlife Drive at Edwin B Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, I kept hearing splash sounds in the ponds on either side of the drive. They were made by dozens of Forster’s Terns as they dove into the water to catch small fish. The Terns were amazingly energetic and fast, perhaps not to the level of Peregrine Falcons, but still way too fast for me. By the time I heard a splash sound, they were already in and out of the water, climbing toward the sky.

I tried to photograph them diving but found that I missed them practically all the time. Finally, I stopped following them with my camera as they were flying around, and aimed it at an an area of a pond where many Terns were diving, and then waited. As soon as I heard a splash, I clicked on the shutter. The images shown below are combined from two passes around Wildlife Drive.

Forster’s Tern looking for food.

Forster’s Tern looking for food.

Forster’s Tern looking for food.

The following photo is not sharp, but the Tern’s speed left me no time to react and focus properly.

Forster’s Tern diving.

Forster’s Tern diving into water.

Forster’s Tern coming out of dive.

Forster’s Tern out of water.

Forster’s Tern emerging from dive.

Forster’s Tern flying up.

Advertisements