Black Tern

[Mike Milicia]

EOS-1D Mk III, 500mm f/4 + 1.4xII, 1/3200, f/5.6, ISO 400
Tripod

Photographed last week in Burns, Oregon.

I had never seen this species before and I was pleased to get a photo
opportunity but I wish I could have gotten them a bit closer.
This is about 30% of full frame :(

Looking forward to your comments and critiques !

[Harold Davis]

looks to have held up pretty well to the large crop!! i have never seen one of these either. thanks for sharing.

[Gus Cobos]

Good capture Mike, I like the wing position, nice sharp details. My only suggestion would be to apply a little of selective lightening around the eye and head area...:cool:

[David Hemmings]

I got a chance to shoot these last week and it was tough getting close, this looks great for the crop, well done:)

[Judy Lynn Malloch]

Beautiful flight image and I love the complimentary BG in this capture.. Great flight pose and Love the wing position and eye contact. Fine work !!!

[Steve Maxson]

Nice job of getting the black eye to stand out from the black head - not easy to do with this species. Good exposure and nice overall sharpness.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

Looks pretty good for a large crop. I like the eye contact and wing position and would be glad to get a chance to photograph this species sometime.

[Robert O'Toole]

Nice Mike,, good exposure and sharpness.

These guys in So Cal and FL are usually found inland near freshwater. They eat mostly insects in the air and from the waters surface and small fish too.

Robert

[Sid Garige]

Wonderful exposure control. Excellent job with blacks and eye.