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Common Tern
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| [Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note |
An adult Common Tern at Stodmarsh nature reserve in Kent.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:
The Common Tern (Sterna hirundo) is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae. This bird has a circumpolar distribution breeding in temperate and sub-Arctic regions of Europe, Asia and east and central North America. It is strongly migratory, wintering in the subtropical and tropical oceans. It is sometimes known as the sea swallow.
This is a medium-sized tern, 34-37 cm long with a 70-80 cm wingspan. It is most readily confused within its range with the similar Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea and Roseate Tern Sterna dougalli.
Its thin sharp bill is red with a dark tip. Its longish legs are also red. Its upperwings show a dark primary wedge, unlike Arctic, in which they are uniformly grey. Its long tail extends only to the wingtips on the standing bird, unlike Arctic and Roseate Terns, which extend past the wingtips. It is not as pale as Roseate Tern, and has longer wings.
In winter, the forehead and underparts are white. Juvenile Common Terns show extensive ginger coloration and lack the scaly appearance of juvenile Roseate Terns.
The call is a clear piping, like Arctic Tern but lower pitched and less strident.
This species breeds in colonies on coasts and islands and often inland on suitable freshwater lakes. This latter practice is assisted by the provision of floating "tern rafts" to give a safe breeding area. It lays two to four eggs. Like many white terns, it is very defensive of its nest and young and will attack humans and other large predators, but unlike the more aggressive Arctic Tern rarely hits the intruder, usually swerving off at the last moment.
Like all Sterna terns, the Common Tern feeds by plunge-diving for fish, from either the sea or freshwater lakes and large rivers. 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. Common terns are known to reach an age of 23 years or more on occasion (Austin, 1953).
The old Scottish word for the Common Tern is pictar, occasionally encountered in Scotland and the Maritime Provinces of Canada.
The Common Tern is one of the species to which the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) applies. |
jaycee, Jamesp, marhowie has marked this note useful
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Nicely done, Pekka..
Difficult one to capture. You even managed to photograph one in flight...
TFS
Annick
Hi Pekka, superb flying dern with wonderful details and excellent sharpness, very well done, ciao Silvio
- PeterZ
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1081 W: 59 N: 2201]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-g-g.gif)
(7305) - [2008-07-04 11:03]
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Hello Pekka,
Excellent photo of this Tern in flight. The natural colours looks beautiful. Very good sharpness and details. Fantastic composition and BG.
Have a great weekend,
Peter
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- jesst
![Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 353 W: 0 N: 163]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-g.gif)
(2084) - [2008-07-04 13:38]
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Wonderful photo!
I should say thanks to you - I took picture of this bird some days ago, but I didn't know what is it. Now I know this!
And I know that it lives in Moscow too...
If you want you can see my picture in my page of TN
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- joey
(18367)
- [2008-07-04 14:53]
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Hi Pekka,
nice shot of this Common Tern.
The pose is great!
Superb detail and sharpness.
Great DOF.
Well done,
Joe
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- jaycee
(13881)
- [2008-07-04 16:04]
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Hi Pekka,
Nice to see another of your in-flight shots. Good one of this Tern captured in a nice pose. Wonderful natural colors and good details.
Jane
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- arfer
![Gold Star Critiquer [C: 2731 W: 0 N: 0]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-n-n.gif)
(0) - [2008-07-04 22:52]
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Hello Pekka
A lovely capture of this tern in flight.
The details are sharp with lovely colours.
Very well focused with lovely sharpness.
TFS
Rob
Hi Pekka
Excellent in-flight capture.
Great composition
Good sharpness
Good DOF
Good POV
Chris
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- Jamesp
(13438)
- [2008-07-05 14:26]
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Hi Pekka
I got dive-bombed by these - and their arctic cousins in the Farne Islands. Great shot good detail - excellent panning
James
Great inflight Pekka,
Nice exposure of the difficult black & white combo..
Very good DOF, POV, detail, and comp as well.
Howard
![Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 269 W: 21 N: 980]](http://i1.treknature.com/misc/g-s-g.gif){kind=small}