I was out at Esquimalt Lagoon on the weekend and managed to capture this close-up of a Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia). I have seen Caspian Terns at the lagoon before but never more than three or four. On this day this bird was the only tern I saw and he was content to stay on the ground while I was around. I was hoping that after he had given me some static close-ups he would do some fishing. These terns are a pleasure to watch when they are hunting. They hover high above the water like kingfishers and then suddenly plunge down onto the small fish that are their prey. The first recorded sighting of a Caspian Tern in this area was in 1959 but since then they have been regularly seen in the summer.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia)
I was out at Esquimalt Lagoon on the weekend and managed to capture this close-up of a Caspian Tern (Hydroprogne caspia). I have seen Caspian Terns at the lagoon before but never more than three or four. On this day this bird was the only tern I saw and he was content to stay on the ground while I was around. I was hoping that after he had given me some static close-ups he would do some fishing. These terns are a pleasure to watch when they are hunting. They hover high above the water like kingfishers and then suddenly plunge down onto the small fish that are their prey. The first recorded sighting of a Caspian Tern in this area was in 1959 but since then they have been regularly seen in the summer.
5 comments:
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A very pretty bird! Love his markings, esp. on his beak. I assume this is a male?
ReplyDeleteHi JoJo - my field guides don't indicate any differences in appearance between the genders (although I'm sure terns can see the difference) so this could be a male or a female. But there is a difference in plumage between "breeding" and "non-breeding" - what we're seeing in this photo is the "breeding" plumage and colors.
ReplyDeleteGreat close-up, and what a cool-looking bird.
ReplyDeleteI suppose we can expect a second foto like this tomorrow since one good Tern deserves ...... :)
That is a great close up shot! :) I've tried capturing the MANY birds out this early Spring but none of them want to stay still. Nice.
ReplyDeleteYou got a nice, clear close-up. You will need to supplement the bird book to indicate that they like posing to have their photos taken.
ReplyDelete