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Sandwich Tern


Sandwich Tern
Photo Information
Copyright: Pekka Valo (pekkavalo1) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 307 W: 21 N: 1202] (3793)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2008-06-29
Categories: Birds
Camera: Canon EOS 1D Mark III, Canon EF 400mm f4.0 DO IS USM, RAW ISO 800, Canon EF 1.4x Extender II
Exposure: f/16, 1/2000 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): CeltickRanger's favorite Bird photos -2-, The predator with the Prey 2 [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-06-29 11:45
Viewed: 501
Points: 36
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
An adult Sandwich Tern carrying fish to its chicks at Rye Harbour nature reserve.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:

The Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis, syn. Sterna sandvicensis) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. It is very closely related to the Lesser Crested Tern T. bengalensis, Chinese Crested Tern T. bernsteini, and Elegant Tern T. elegans, and has been known to interbreed with Lesser Crested.
This bird has three subspecies:
• T. s. sandvicensis breeds on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts of Europe, and winters off western Africa and Arabia.
• The marginally smaller T. s. acuflavida breeds on Atlantic coasts of North America, wintering in the Caribbean and further south, and has wandered to Western Europe.
• Yellow-billed T. s. eurygnatha (sometimes treated as a separate species, Cayenne Tern T. eurygnatha) breeds on the Atlantic coast of South America from Argentina north to the Caribbean, intergrading with T. s. acuflavida in the north of its range.

In birds, the specific name sandvicensis usually denotes that the species was first described from Hawai‘i, formerly known as "Sandwich Islands". The Sandwich Tern does not occur there; in this case, its specific name refers to Sandwich, Kent, Latham's type locality.

This species breeds in very dense colonies on coasts and islands, and exceptionally inland on suitable large freshwater lakes close to the coast. It nests in a ground scrape and lays one to three eggs. Unlike some of the smaller white terns, it is not very aggressive toward potential predators, relying on the sheer density of the nests (often only 20-30cm apart) and nesting close to other more aggressive species such as Arctic Terns and Black-headed Gulls to avoid predation.

Like all Thalasseus terns, Sandwich Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, almost invariably from the sea. It usually dives directly, and not from the "stepped-hover" favoured by Arctic Tern. The offering of fish by the male to the female is part of the courtship display.

This is a medium-large tern, 37-43cm long with an 85-97cm wingspan, which is unlikely to be confused within most of its range, although the South American race could be confused with the Elegant Tern.

The Sandwich Tern's thin sharp bill is black with a yellow tip, except in the yellow or orange billed South American race. Its short legs are black. Its upperwings are pale grey and its underparts white, and this tern looks very pale in flight, although the primary flight feathers darken during the summer. The call is a characteristic loud grating noise.
jaycee, angela926, eng55, mariki, SelenE, Gert-Paassen, uleko, CeltickRanger, iris, parthasarathi has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • nglen Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1993 W: 5 N: 5571] (21050)
  • [2008-06-29 11:49]

Hi Pekka. This is a first class inflight shot of this Tern. Great timing to get this one with such detail and with the fish in its mouth. good rich colours. I like the detail i nthe wing tips. well done TFS.
Nick..

  • Great 
  • jaycee Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 1788 W: 8 N: 4639] (15001)
  • [2008-06-29 12:23]

Hi Pekka,

I love this Tern flying along with the big fish in his mouth! A magnificent position with the vertical wings. Wonderful details of the face, eye, the beautiful tips of the wings, the tail feathers and even of the fish. Nice colors and shadings against the blue sky.

Jane

  • Great 
  • siggi Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 289 W: 3 N: 788] (2822)
  • [2008-06-29 12:42]

Hello Pekka,
beauty photo, all is well done: sharpness, tones, POV... bravo, very well done!
Regards,
Siegfried

Hello Pekka,
WOW! fantastic in flight shot of this tern with his catch, excellent composition and pov, superb sharpness and n ice depth of field, lovely vivid colors and good contrast against the clear blue sky. well done.
Angela

  • Great 
  • eng55 Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 353 W: 3 N: 376] (1127)
  • [2008-06-29 23:41]

Hi Pekka,
Very nice capture.Details,POV,framing,pose of bird and composition are wonderful.
Thanks for posting.

Hello Pekka,

Superb picture of this Tern. Excellent sharpness. Very good composition with a great POV. Wonderful colours. The grey colour of the feathers on the back of the Tern is excellent. The shine of the fish is great too.
Very well done,
Cheers,
Mariki

  • Great 
  • SelenE Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2351 W: 61 N: 3811] (12226)
  • [2008-06-30 0:54]

Hi Pekka,
It's a very good catch for both of you. The tern looks beautiful against the bright blue sky. Details on the plumage and pose you captured are very nice. TFS
Greetings,
Selen

Hi Pekka,
Superb inflight shot, well framed with natural colors, not easy to take
really well done
TFS and regards

Hi Pekka

You've done a great job here; this is a great in-flight shot
Brilliant sharpness
Good composition
Great DOF and POV
Good background

Chris

Hello Pekka,
Wonderful in flight photo in perfect sharpness. Excellent timing. The colours are very clear. The fish is a great bonus. Very good composition, BG and POV.
Regards,
Peter

Hi Pekka,

On the just moment taken, good capture and lots of details.

Gert

  • Great 
  • uleko Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2468 W: 168 N: 7464] (23588)
  • [2008-06-30 9:15]

Hello Pekka,
Very beautiful in-flight capture of the Sandwich Tern carrying fich for its young. Godd light and colours and fine sharp details. Framing is a bit tight but perhaps you were too close! :-)
TFS and cheers, Ulla

  • Great 
  • gannu Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 927 W: 4 N: 2317] (10792)
  • [2008-06-30 10:38]

Hello Pekka,
This is just beauty. Excellently shot. Ganesh

  • Great 
  • joey Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1696 W: 242 N: 5596] (19883)
  • [2008-07-01 12:52]

Excellent shot, Pekka!
Very sharp and crisp.
Superb pose.
Great frame-filling composition that is definately not too tight ;-)
That fish is a massive bonus!

Very well done,

Joe

  • Great 
  • arfer Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0] (0)
  • [2008-07-01 21:25]

Hello Pekka

A lovely in flight capture of this tern.
The fish in the beak is a lovely bonus.
Good focus and detail.
The colours are natural.
Well done.
TFS

Rob

hello Pekka

superb in-flight close shot of this tern with the fish on his beak,
i love the fine POV the bird from above showing
the excellent sharpness and details of the plumage,
and i love too the expression on the bird's look, TFS

Asbed

  • Great 
  • iris Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 392 W: 41 N: 735] (2314)
  • [2008-07-03 22:03]

Hi Pekka,
Wow, is all i can say....Your in-flight shot are spectacular...And looking at this Sandwich Tern in flight with food in beak for its chicks, is a sheer pleasure.The shot is tack sharp with excellent focus and clarity.

The black on the head must have been tricky but you managed it very well with a great catchlight in the eye.
I love the clear blue of the sky.The wingspan look impressive and wonderful.
Thanks for sharing this wonderful composition.
TFS & cheers

Lovely… Lovely and LOVELY. I am sorry that every day I can not follow the net as I am now busy to teach photography to some deaf students in Delhi . So, normally only on Saturday I check the net to watch the beautiful pictures clicked by you and other TN friends.

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