Thursday, May 25, 2023

Female Forster's Tern is Waiting for Fish





The flooding of the Bear River has attracted numerous waterfowl to the areas that  are not normally found there during dry years. Yesterday I was lucky enough to watch and photograph a Forster's Tern demanding to be fed by its parents as I thought at first.  

I later changed my mind after a comment I received.  This remark made me question whether it was indeed a juvenile or it was an adult female waiting to be fed by her mate.

That is true that during the mating ritual the male starts offering food to the female, eventually feeding her almost exclusively as they become a pair.










 The female is very impatient in anticipation of food.










In the photo above the male Tern offers fish to his mate who was impatiently waiting for it.


Finding fish is a challenge for Terns.  They have to fly at low altitude, scanning for fish that is close to the surface.  

When Tern finds fish it stops in the air and hovers, waiting for the right moment and then drops straight into the water headfirst, hoping that it can close its beak around the fish.  







Life goes on.








10 comments:

  1. Kaya, I'm not at all sure that it could be a juvenile being fed by an adult, but rather an offering from adult to adult in the pre-nuptial period, or even courtship. What do you think?

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    1. Cão, at first, I wasn't sure that this Tern was a juvenile but the longer I watched it, the more I was inclined to think, that it was a juvenile. Its behavior, its impatience to be fed was the one of reasons I has changed my mind. What you said also makes sense :) I have never thought about courtship. Thank you for pointing to it!

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  2. Está desesperado, por conseguir alimento. Tiene un insaciable apetito.
    Muy buenos los momentos que has captado.
    Feliz fin de semana. Un abrazo

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  3. Wow maravilloso instante el que has conseguido captar.

    Abrazote utópico.-

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  4. Чудесные снимки. Очарована.

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  5. Tiene apariencia de adulto pero eso es accesorio. Lo importante es la calidad y belleza de las fotografías. La tercera es impresionante.
    Un abrazo.

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  6. They become closer through the menu of the day.

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  7. La calidad de las imágenes es extraordinaria, Kaya, captas unos momentos muy interesante. Fotos muy validas para una revista de naturaleza.

    Saludos.

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  8. WOW! Great moment! It seems that he/she is nearly great enough for an own fishing trip.

    Best regards, dear Kaya.

    _i.

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  9. Una serie magnífica en la que has recogido todo el proceso de alimentación, bien sea como fase del cortejo o no. La calidad de las fotografías es innegable.
    Un fuerte abrazo,

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