Foster's Tern is Diving for Fish

It was pure luck, when one of Forster's terns began to hover in the air, preparing to dive into the water and then the bird began flying low in search of fish.

All terns dive head first into the water to catch small fish.

The tern emerges from the water with a tiny fish in its beak.

Successful fishing is over!  Terns eat their prey in flight to ensure that their food is not stolen by other terns or gulls. 

Generally, life is good.

Finally

Strange word "finally". There is some kind of victorious note in it. But I cannot call my attempts to capture the moments of Forster's Tern diving for a fish victorious.

It’s just that this time, by some miracle, I somehow managed to photograph a few important moments and missed the rest.

Forster's Tern is looking for fish.  In a few seconds it will dive to catch it.  

Tern emerged from the water with a fish.  I missed the moment of Tern's dive. 

The Tern is flying to its family to deliver fish to its babies.  Forster's Terns breed and raise their young in Utah. 

Generally, life is good.

Female Foster's Tern is Begging for Food

The female was persistently begging for food from her mate but all her efforts were in vain. Her mate never showed up.

Generally, life is good.

Forster's Terns in Flight

 

Photographing Forster's Terns in flight is always a challenge that starts with a lot of blurry photos, cut off tails and wings of birds, but that morning was harder than usual because the Terns were fishing in the small backwater  surrounded by the tall phrags.  

On top of it all, when the birds were flying a little closer they immediately dived in the water after fish and became invisible.  But somehow I managed to get some decent photos after spending nearly an hour watching Forster's terns in their chaotic flies.

 

This moment was perhaps the best, because the Tern was quiet close.

This Tern fished successfully.  I was surprised by the large size of fish he caught.

  

Generally, life is good.

Great Catch

Some Foster's Terns were quite aggressive this morning, they flew toward me, circling over my head with menacing cries. Others simply ignored my presence, they were busy catching fish.

I am sure there were chicks somewhere nearby and the parents tried to protect them. 

At some point, one of Terns suddenly appeared out of nowhere with a large fish in its beak and that was a pure luck.

Generally, life is good.

CaspianTern is Looking for Fish

 

There appear to be two species of Terns in the Bear River MBR: Foster's Terns and Caspian Terns.  Forster's Terns have an orange bill with black tip.  Caspian Terns do not have a black tip. 

The Caspian Tern in the photo above was flying at low altitude in search for fish and in a few seconds it will drop straight into the water headfirst to catch it. 

I made a few attempts to capture the bird emerging out of the water with fish in its bill but, as usual, without success. 

Life goes on.

Male Forster's Tern is Feeding His Mate

That evening I spent a long time with female Foster's Tern who was waiting to be fed by her mate.  

That evening everything was just perfect, the female was close to the road, the stormy sky created nice gentle colors, and most importantly I could take as many photos as I wanted.  

The female was very persistent and never stopped asking for food.

Life goes on.

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.