Juvenile Caspian Tern

Gallery: AvianPosted August 19, 201141 views6 comments

I've been trying for a shot with a fish in the beak, but haven't managed one in close enough, so a basic flight shot will have to do for now.

I assume this is a juvenile rather than a bird edging toward winter plumage, but don't know how to tell for sure. Most of the other Caspian's I have seen recently have the all-black forehead.

Such difficult birds to expose properly!

Nikon D300; Sigma 500/4.5; f 6.3 @1/1250th; ISO 400; HH; approx. 75% FF.

All comments and suggestions most welcome.

Comments

6 comments

Comment posted by Michael Lotito on August 20, 2011 at 4:19 AM

Looks like you were dealing with some harsh light. I appears like you got a nice shot despite the harsh conditions.

Registered on June 26, 2009, 181 Posts, 1558 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Dudley on August 20, 2011 at 10:21 AM

Nice and sharp Tom and I think the light angle may have helped with the exposure. I also like the wing position and eye contact.

Registered on March 30, 2007, 437 Posts, 10915 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on August 20, 2011 at 3:10 PM

Neat. I like the warm tones on the underwing.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Bielefeld on August 20, 2011 at 5:36 PM

Nice light, exposure, and detail Tom. Solid flight shot.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 360 Posts, 7132 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Gulash on August 20, 2011 at 7:58 PM

No nits Tom. The warm light is a nice bonus and you have excellent detail in those white feathers, well done.

Registered on January 28, 2005, 879 Posts, 12098 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Ormand on August 21, 2011 at 6:46 PM

The colors on the beak look a little rich but otherwise this is a wonderfully exposed image. I didn't realize they had the black spotting on the head

Registered on February 4, 2009, 1093 Posts, 7035 Comments