Forster's Tern

[Bill Dix]

I've struggled with terns in flight, especially when the background is other than sky. But I kind of liked the feeling of this one despite the large crop. Might have gone with a vertical crop but I liked the bg and wanted to give him some flying room. Juvenile Forster's Tern from Brigantine several days ago. C&C welcomed and appreciated.

D90 | 80-400 VR @ 370mm | ISO 800 | 1/3200s @ f/7.1 | -0.7 EV | HH

[Stu Bowie]

Hi Bill, I would take this BG rather than a sky BG any day. Good wing position, sharp, and I like the feather detail.

[denise ippolito]

Bill, I love this BG. I do wish the other wing were visible but the details look good.

[Michael Zajac]

Bill, I like the colors in the background. I think you did a great job with this one. I agree with Denise I'd like to see the other wing but I would still like to have this one in my files.

[Joe Senzatimore]

This BG makes the tern "pop" off the page. Beautiful feel with the room to fly into.

[Hendri Venter]

The BG and composition just perfect in my eyes. The exposure looks spot on and detail very good.

[Bill Dix]

Thank you all for the comments. Denise, I did get a frame with him banking, showing both wings, but I must have let the AF slip because the feather detail didn't hold up as well. Thanks for looking.

[denise ippolito]

Bill, I meant to ask you how was the activity at Brigantine?

[Bill Dix]

Bill, I meant to ask you how was the activity at Brigantine?

Denise, Things are picking up at Brig (never as good as Cape May but a shorter drive for me). Green Meenies are starting to thin out, and early migrants are showing up. My list included:

Clapper Rails (lots, some with young)
Marsh Wren
Saltmarsh Sparrow
Black Skimmers (see post on ETL)
Forster's, Caspian and Gull-billed Terns
Greater and Lesser Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitchers
Semi-palm and Black-bellied Plovers
Semi-palm and Least Sandpipers (and others; I'm terrible with peeps esp. at a distance)
Ruddy Turnstones
Glossy Ibis
Wood Ducks incl. juveniles
Thousands of Snowy Egrets
and the other usual suspects. I don't have a scope so there's always lots of stuff out in the middle that I can't identify - one of the problems at Brig.
Heard but didn't see White-throated Vireo and Blue Grosbeak.

All in all, a good morning of birding but with limited photo opportunities for a short lens. Ran into Tom Southerland and Pete Bacinski.

[denise ippolito]

Bill, Thanks so much for the list and glad to hear the green meenies are thinning out! Sounds like a great day!

[Doug Brown]

Hi Bill. Wing issues aside, I would try to get the whites a little whiter on the bird; they look a little gray on my monitor.

[Bill Dix]

Hi Bill. Wing issues aside, I would try to get the whites a little whiter on the bird; they look a little gray on my monitor.

Thanks Doug. There are parts of the bird's body that are running in the mid 240's, so I didn't think I could brighten it up any more. Perhaps I could have gotten the whites in the wings a little whiter, where they are running around 200. Thanks for the comment.