Photos: Earth >> Asia >> India >> East >> Orissa >> Tangi

Register

  << Previous Next >>

GULL-BILLED TERN


GULL-BILLED TERN
Photo Information
Copyright: Sumon Sinha (Mana) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1899 W: 36 N: 5579] (18518)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-11-29
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 400D, EF75-300mm f/4-5.6 USM
Exposure: f/7.1, 1/640 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite bird in-flight photos 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-07-06 7:32
Viewed: 682
Points: 34
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
I present my first modest attempt at capturing flying birds on this day......it is my Birthday today....

Shot taken hand held on a cloudy day at Mangalajodi, on the frinzes of Chilka Lake, hope everyone like it.

----------------------------

The Gull-billed Tern, Gelochelidon nilotica, formerly Sterna nilotica (Bridge et al., 2005), is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae.

It breeds in warmer parts of the world in southern Europe (and a very small isolated population in northern Germany and Denmark), temperate and eastern Asia, both coasts of North America, eastern South America and Australia. This bird has a number of geographical races, differing mainly in size and minor plumage details.

All forms show a post-breeding dispersal, but the northern breeders are most migratory, wintering south to Africa, the Caribbean and northern South America, southern Asia and New Zealand.

This species breeds in colonies on lakes, marshes and coasts. It nests in a ground scrape and lays two to five eggs.

This is a somewhat atypical tern, in appearance like a Sterna tern, but with feeding habits more like the Chlidonias marsh terns, Black Tern and White-winged Tern. It used to be grouped in the genus Sterna but is now placed on its own in the genus Gelochelidon.

The Gull-billed Tern does not normally plunge dive for fish like the other white terns, but feeds on insects taken in flight, and also often hunts over wet fields, to take amphibians and small mammals, as well as small birds.

This is a fairly large and powerful tern, similar in size and general appearance to a Sandwich Tern, but the short thick gull-like bill, broad wings, long legs and robust body are distinctive. The summer adult has grey upperparts, white underparts, a black cap, strong black bill and black legs. The call is a characteristic ker-wik.

In winter, the cap is lost, and there is a dark patch through the eye like a Forster's Tern or a Mediterranean Gull. Juvenile Gull-billed Terns have a fainter mask, but otherwise look much like winter adults.

Scientific classification -
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Sternidae
Genus: Gelochelidon
C. L. Brehm, 1830
Species: G. nilotica
uleko, Argus, Juyona, rajwades, haraprasan, MMM, nglen, cataclysta, maurydv, jaycee, CeltickRanger, Noisette has marked this note useful
Only registered TrekNature members may rate photo notes.
Add Critique [Critiquing Guidelines] 
Only registered TrekNature members may write critiques.
Discussions
None
You must be logged in to start a discussion.

Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2992 W: 162 N: 950] (2789)
  • [2009-07-06 7:59]

Hello Sumon,
Happy Birthday! and congratulations on your first in-fligt bird shot!! This is really nice, I love its pose and details and colours are excellent too.
TFS and have a lovely day! Ulla

  • Great 
  • Argus Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3816 W: 190 N: 11348] (34987)
  • [2009-07-06 8:10]

Many Happy Returns of the Day Sumon!
You celebrate the occasion for us with a fine in-flight shot of a juvenile Gull-billed Tern that must have come to Orissa to spend the winter.
The POV and wing position are excellent and show the features with fine sharpness and lighting.
TFS this and I hope to see more bird shots from you!
With best wishes,
Ivan

  • Great 
  • PeterZ Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2388 W: 94 N: 5521] (17576)
  • [2009-07-06 8:10]

Hello Sumon,
Good to see you back and congratulations on your birthday. Excellent first in-flight shot. Great sharpness and details. Very nice pose and beautiful colours. Very pleasant blue sky, POV and composition.
Regards,
Peter

  • Great 
  • Juyona Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2262 W: 10 N: 2630] (15565)
  • [2009-07-06 8:33]

ola Sumon,
magnífica captura,
pov y fino encuadre,
atractivo foco.
saludos

Excellant capture.Well focused subject.Tfs. regards.
Milind

Hi Sumon Da,
Wishing you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY. A nice capture of this beautiful bird in flying action. Lovely composition, excellent timing and sharp details. Thanks a lot for sharing.

Hello Sumon,
very god in flight shot with excellent lighting
Have a wonderfull birthday
friendly,
Pat

  • Great 
  • MMM Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 921 W: 0 N: 1985] (8905)
  • [2009-07-06 10:55]

Hi Sumon
First happy birthday.Excellent first presentation on inflight subject.Good POV ,sharp image and excellent detail.I realy like the detail and the structure of your subject wings.
TFS Michel

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2908 W: 34 N: 8625] (32146)
  • [2009-07-06 11:24]

Hi Summon. A happy birthday to you . This is a fine inflight shot of this Tern. You have frozen the bird so well. We can see the detail in the open wings. wit hnatural colours. All with interesting notes. well done TFS.
Nick..

Hello Sumon
Perfectly frozen bird.I like simple composition and minimalism of this picture. Perfect, blured background, good sharpness on main object I am waiting for more ;-)
TFS
Krzysztof

PS And of course Happy Birthday

Happy birth day and a nice flying action....

happy birthday,Sumon!!!!
good first attempt to capture in flight
take care !!
greetings sERGIO

Hello Sumon
welcome back and birthday to you. A wonderful picture of the Gull-billed Tern in-fligt, very good sharpness and beautiful colours, very good visual impression.
TFS
Best regards
Maurizio

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2493 W: 11 N: 6885] (21912)
  • [2009-07-06 16:17]

Hi Sumon,

Happy birthday dear Sumon, happy birthday to you.
This is some first attempt of an in-flight bird. It looks like you have been doing it for years. The Gull is magnificent with excellent details of the face, wings and legs. You captured him in a beautiful position - looks like he's coming in for a landing. Beautiful colors, shading and composition.

Jane

hello Sumon

first of all Happy Birthday, and secondly congratulations
to your very first bird in-flight photo, shot with fine POV
and framing, fine focus excellent sharpness and details, TFS

Asbed

Hi Sumon,

Wishing you many many happy returns of the Day! Congratulations on your first airborne shot!! Awesome capture with great details and perfect position. Have fun and enjoy your day!

TFS,
Kedar

Hello Sumon
it's not a modest shot but a great one in all aspects :pose of the bird, sharpness, colors, POV and composition
the lighting is also good
Thanks a lot for sharing
Jacqueline

  • Great 
  • nagraj Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 566 W: 94 N: 1194] (4870)
  • [2009-07-07 22:36]

Hi,
Happy Birth Day! Fine capture of this beautiful bird in flight. Good composition and fine contrast with that grey sky. tfs.
nagraj.v

  •      
  • Nilson Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 442 W: 0 N: 427] (3110)
  • [2009-08-01 16:50]

Hello Sumon

Nice shot with excellent details, combination of colors, lighting and exposition.
The composition is great.
Well done
Nilson

Calibration Check
















0123456789ABCDEF