Comming Home to The Eggs

[Joe Senzatimore]

The tern chicks havn't hattched yet , but can't be far off.:S3: The Commons return to the nest and land right on the eggs , so this is not a difficult pose to capture. Just stayed focused on the nest and fired away when the tern came back. The least terns are harder to get this way as they land in different spots , then walk to the nest.:2eyes2:

400ISO F8 at 1/1000th
Inc. Metered
Man. fill at 1/4 power

[Bill Dix]

Lovely wing position and detail; super low angle and great BG. Too bad the light from the left didn't illuminate the bird's face as well as it might have in a perfect world, but the fill flash certainly helped. Beautiful shot nonetheless, and nicely composed. Is this Nickerson? Maybe I'm not too late to get there this year.

[Richard Stern]

Hi Joe,

Overall I like this image, with an interesting pose and head angle, and a good sense of habitat. The bird is sharp, but I find the shadow of the bill on the chest distracting - perhaps consider cloning it out. I don't mind the grass stems in front of the wing, as it's part of the habitat, but there are some that look like oof shadows, and they could use some cleaning up. Also the whites on the bird could be a bit whiter.

Richard

[Brendan Dozier]

Nice pose and capture, Joe, way to be patient and wait for the opportunity. Beautiful bird and good detail on the wings. Like the habitat and long grass, but wondering if having them sharp with a bit more dof would have worked better, and moving just a bit to rt. to see more of wing. Hope you can capture the tern chicks when they hatch!

[noelle zaleski]

Hey Joe, I was looking for the eggs :bg3:

Must be great to see this behavior. I like the pose and wished the grasses were not in the way. Also the shadow under the beak is distracting.

Looking forward to seeing those chick images from you!

[Joe Senzatimore]

Hey Joe, I was looking for the eggs :bg3:

Must be great to see this behavior. I like the pose and wished the grasses were not in the way. Also the shadow under the beak is distracting.

Looking forward to seeing those chick images from you!

Grass is all around. tried to get the best vantage point. Also , moving around too much keeps them off the nest , which is not a good thing. Gotta find the best spot you can and just hang there. No shot is worth a failed nest.:2eyes2:

[Joe Senzatimore]

Hey Joe, I was looking for the eggs :bg3:

Must be great to see this behavior. I like the pose and wished the grasses were not in the way. Also the shadow under the beak is distracting.

Looking forward to seeing those chick images from you!

Check my reply above. I think it explains alot. The birds come first.

[Bob Pelkey]

I'm a fan of the shadows on the bird. Would like to see a smidgen taken off the top.
The crown feathers appear to be a bit over lightened.