Least Tern Courtship

Gallery: AvianPosted May 20, 2017282 views12 comments

We just wrapped up our first Galveston, TX photography workshop. One of the highlights for the group was photographing courting and mating Least Terns on the Bolivar Peninsula. The male brings a fish to the female and feeds it to her during the course of mating with her, in this shot they are exchanging the fish.
Canon 1DX II, 500F4 1.4x 1/2500 F10, iso 800, sitting on the ground

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on May 20, 2017 at 3:26 PM

wow, spectacular image! you got the perspective perfect, to catch all eyes, beaks, fish, and "interaction."
This is a winner, for sure.
Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on May 20, 2017 at 3:47 PM

Nate, this is a totally amazing shot. It couldn't be any sharper, and for sure these birds were not being perfectly still, but they might as well have been for as sharp as this is. Just beautiful.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments

Comment posted by John Robinson on May 20, 2017 at 4:56 PM

The ladies have spoken ! I agree -great stuff indeed.
JohnR

Registered on March 2, 2008, 535 Posts, 2453 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on May 20, 2017 at 5:33 PM

Beautiful, Nate. The dof is just perfect and the exposure is excellent, which is difficult with the black heads and reflective body of the fish.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Williams on May 20, 2017 at 6:27 PM

Look at the fish! Look at the fish! It would just be horrible if he flew off with the fish afterward... Nate this is really an amazing shot. It really documents their courtship rituals. Nice work.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by Matt Shellenberg on May 20, 2017 at 8:30 PM

An awesome action shot, Nate. Excellent job on the exposure and thee is plenty of DOF. Great image!!!!

Registered on February 6, 2008, 168 Posts, 3118 Comments

Comment posted by Jerry Austin on May 21, 2017 at 10:16 AM

Not much else to be said. Just a superb image.

Registered on January 6, 2012, 651 Posts, 3448 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on May 21, 2017 at 11:57 AM

Hi Naten

Awesome image. Well done devil

.........................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on May 21, 2017 at 5:03 PM

A superb image - a combination of great documentary value and high aesthetic quality devil

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by David Schoen on May 22, 2017 at 12:19 PM

Very nice clear interaction here. Terrific behavioral image. Out of focus foreground and background and contrast between subject foreground and background really make this work well.

Registered on November 6, 2006, 1213 Posts, 4587 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Thompson on May 24, 2017 at 2:25 PM

Really cool interaction amd story Nate. The low pov and your timing really makes this image effective. Excellent!

Registered on August 7, 2014, 125 Posts, 2319 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Minish on May 29, 2017 at 2:57 AM

This one has everything, Nate! Action, mating behaviors, great background bokeh for isolation, exceptionally sharp detail and all of the birds in focus! The fish is a big bonus also. I have been getting pictures of the Arctic Terns here and thought I was doing pretty good but so far I don't have anything with all these elements in one shot! Killer shot and a winner in any contest in my non-expert opinion! devil

Registered on February 4, 2006, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments