Royal Terns

Looks like they are practicing to be in the Royal British Army. The only nit is the lack of catchlight in the OOF tern.

Do you know what the tag(s) on the OOF tern are from?

Even the thumbnail is a commanding image. A great moment captured, and good work on the presentation. I really like the raised foot on each tern here.

David, I love the uniformity of the sand and the great poses. Nice job on the exposure. If I had to find something to improve this image, it would be better light on the back bird's eye. Pretty picky. Well done.

Perfect pose and great work on a difficult exposure at noon! If I had to change something, I'd love to see the birds turned a tiny bit towards the camera but a great capture of courtship.

Drew

Interesting behaviour well captured.

David, given the lighting conditions I would be very happy with this. I find the composition very interesting and the exposure well handled for the conditions.

Nicely done.

Very nice David, this pair reminds me of two military guards marching in step! The larger view is over the top!

Great image, David. I love the "in unison" lifted legs.

That is brilliant! Stragely, I also thought of the British Army at the changing of the guard, before I read the other comments. Well spotted and captured.

Thanks for the comments. This was my first birding visit to St. Augustine and I was just walking along the beach to find a spot for photographs the next morning. But the courtship behavior of the terns was so interesting, I spent about an hour taking shots.

Luke asked
Do you know what the tag(s) on the OOF tern are from?

The bird has been banded. I have better views of the band in other shots, but it is always in shadow; numbers or letters are not visible.

Dave, I'm sure this must be the Ghanging of the Guard in St Augustine! Really fun behavioral image and nicely handled exposure for the sunny conditions.

Great job in spite of the light David - love the symmetry

cheers
Rob

Love the repeating stance, down to marching in unison. Outstanding image!

The light seems fine to me. I really like the marching poses here David. Ideally, I'd like a little separation of the bird's heads.

Neat image David. I really like the crisp, contrasty lighting. Cool lockstep poses.

Looks like a mirror image David. I really like the comp on this a whole lot! Your choice for DOF was perfect for my taste.

Were you whistling or playing an ipod to get the birds marching in step? Great action.
May

A royal pas de deux! Brilliant!

Light looks fine. I like that they are walking in unison

Excellent image, David. I find it interesting that the thin shadows fit perfectly here because they don't overlap and so do not interfere with our view of the lockstep behavior of the two birds.

David,

I have always loved watching Royal Terns during breeding season as they become more animated & interesting with the courtship behaviors they exhibit. You and done an excellent job in capturing that behavior with this image plus you nailed the exposure of a challenging species.

I don't mind at all the lack of catchlight in the rear bird, there wasn't one and to add one would look unnatural. I enjoy the raised foot of each tern, the setting with the hard-packed sand and the light.

A great photo as posted.

Lovely image, David. Looks like what a lot of people including me do; hot-stepping it on florida beach sand.

what a delightful shot--this is really a perfectly captured moment. I might crop it a bit looser, with a bit more room on the left and top (and on the right if necessary to rebalance it). well done!