While photographing black skimmer chicks at a nesting colony, this pair began exhibiting mating behavior directly in front of me. The male (the larger of the 2 on the right) brought in the fish for the female and teased her with it by continually pulling away with the bait whenever she got close. After 2 minutes (I went back and looked at the time sequence), when he knew he had her attention, the male allowed her to grab the fish. Immediately thereafter, they copulated for several seconds while the female held onto her prize. After the male dismounted, the female consumed the fish. Less than 30 minutes later, the pair repeated the ritual and were sitting on eggs 3 days later.
This image is full frame. I didn't dare remove the TC for fear of missing something, and I actually like this in-camera composition and the kicked up sand.
Comments & critiques welcomed and much appreciated.
Canon 1D4, Canon 500L & 1.4
F10, 1/1600sec, ISO 800, manual mode
Feisol tripod, Jobu head
Full Frame