August 19th, 2011 – Avian Friday: Forster’s Tern

For capturing birds-in-flight I can’t think of  a much better place than the Bolsa Chica Wetlands in Huntington Beach , California. Especially during the summer months when there are great numbers  of Terns,  Black Skimmers,  Egrets, Herons and Pelicans. Most frequent the area to feed on bait-fish from the tide waters of the  Pacific Ocean. Especially with the Terns there such an abundance that it is almost overwhelming trying to figure out which one to focus on.  Many people stop and park themselves on the bridge near the parking lot, but during the right tide if you make the effort to hike a half mile down to the tide gate you can be rewarded with better opportunities to capture the birds diving into the water to capture prey. With this image I was trying to get some more interesting backgrounds other than the typical blue skies. Tracking these birds with a large telephoto lens is sometimes challenging, but with some practice and patience one can have some success. 

View of  a Forster’s Tern Hunting for Bait-fish At the Bolsa Chica Tide Gage.  Huntington Beach, California

Canon 1D, Mark III,  Canon EF-500/f4 IS , 500mm,  f/4.5, 1/1250th Sec, ISO 200, Hand-held. Post processing -Lightroom 2, Photoshop CS3.

To see a larger version  please click on the image.

Feel free to comment below if you like what you see or have any other observations.

Thanks for stopping by,

JayT

Tags: Bird-in-flight, Bolsa Chica, Canon 1D MkIII, Canon EF 500mm f4.0 L IS USM, Nature photography, Terns

• August 19, 2011
• Birds in Flight
• 1 Comment