Common tern in flight

Common tern in flight · 06:26 PM

I've been trying to get a decent flight shot of a common tern for a month. They are very erratic flyers- up, down, you never know where they will be next.

We do a lot of work at the National Park where I work trying to prevent this tern from disappearing from the region - they are colonial nesting birds, and their traditional nesting areas have been overrun by cormorants and ring-billed gulls.

Buddha Jones · 05-19-2007, 06:57 PM

Nice shot Tom, you sure got a good one there.

kskjon · 05-20-2007, 05:06 AM

Lovely shot! Just spot on

daacon · 05-20-2007, 06:06 AM

J. Geils Band said it best - Freeze Frame - well done

J.Scott · 05-20-2007, 06:24 AM

Originally posted by Tom Lusk

We do a lot of work at the National Park where I work trying to prevent this tern from disappearing from the region - they are colonial nesting birds, and their traditional nesting areas have been overrun by cormorants and ring-billed gulls.

Fantastic! Your perserverance has paid off. I like the sweeping shape of it's tail in flight. Great shot!

Oh - and one final thought - death to the evil cormorants! They are the scurge of the Great Lakes.

**Eaglerapids** · 05-20-2007, 10:21 AM

My goodness you get some fantastic bird shots, Tom.
Is this pic a crop? I mean, is it ok if you don't have a super dooper long lens to crop the bird? I'm talking about me. I really want to learn to do better bird shots and I'm starting to obsess over the sharpness like you achieve. I got a Sigma 70-300 APO DG lens and of course it's not nearly long enough and many times (well, most of the time) to get the composition I want, I need to crop the image. I really like this lens but it's not a $2000 lens and I know I'm making compromises in IQ compared to a monster lens but I just have to work around my (monetary) limitations.
Once I made the decision to go with a Pentax DSLR, I had to decide whether to buy the K100D or the K10D body and one of the biggest factors in my decision to buy the K10D was the 10 megapixel sensor. I knew I would have more advantages cropping the bigger file sizes.
I fish, a lot, and this dilemma I can liken to going to a world class trout fishery and catching a whitefish. I want to tell my buddies I caught a fish but I don't want to admit it was a whitefish:-).
Actually, I'm not a whitefish hater like some are. They are in their native habitat, they belong there and I'm as honored catching them as any other fish, but I hope you see my point.

Tom Lusk · 05-20-2007, 06:07 PM

J Scott: few in this region would argue with your views of the thousands of cormorants that have caused so many problems, decimating fish stocks, destroying many beautiful islands, and displacing other species.

Eaglerapids: nice to see another hard-core angler on the site! This shot is about a 50% crop, taken with a 300mm Pentax lens on my K100. I'd like to have more reach, too, but don't want to give up the ability to hand-hold when doing nature photos.

LaRee · 05-20-2007, 08:20 PM

Good work Tom. You did quite well. These terns are a crazy flying bird, I think the Least Terns are the fastest and nuttiest fliers. Something about getting a bird in flight, especially a fast bird, is very rewarding.

**Eaglerapids** · 05-22-2007, 06:33 PM

Thanks for your reply Tom:-). That's very good news for me, man what a beautiful photo.

vievetrick · 05-22-2007, 06:46 PM

Tom, great shot as always. Did you get him with wings up to?

Tom Lusk
	View full profile
	Contact via private message
	Find other posts by Tom Lusk
	Find threads started by Tom Lusk
	Find threads in which Tom Lusk has posted

05-20-2007, 06:07 PM	#7
Tom Lusk Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Photos: Gallery Posts: 973 Original Poster	Well... J Scott: few in this region would argue with your views of the thousands of cormorants that have caused so many problems, decimating fish stocks, destroying many beautiful islands, and displacing other species. Eaglerapids: nice to see another hard-core angler on the site! This shot is about a 50% crop, taken with a 300mm Pentax lens on my K100. I'd like to have more reach, too, but don't want to give up the ability to hand-hold when doing nature photos.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Nature Lesser Crested Tern & more	goddo31	Post Your Photos!	0	11-13-2009 06:24 AM
Macro Just a common fly	ismaelg	Post Your Photos!	1	10-02-2009 01:17 PM
Cloudy day, tern action	pingflood	Post Your Photos!	3	07-15-2009 11:31 AM
ID this tern	pingflood	Post Your Photos!	7	07-13-2009 07:24 PM
Black tern (3 img)	ToXiQ	Post Your Photos!	3	05-12-2008 06:00 PM

05-19-2007, 06:57 PM	#2
Buddha Jones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Charlotte, NC Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,587	Nice shot Tom, you sure got a good one there.

05-20-2007, 05:06 AM	#3
kskjon Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Ålesund, Norway Photos: Gallery Posts: 170	Lovely shot! Just spot on

05-20-2007, 06:06 AM	#4
daacon Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Alberta,Canada Photos: Gallery Posts: 20,914	J. Geils Band said it best - Freeze Frame - well done

05-20-2007, 06:24 AM	#5
J.Scott Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,675	Originally posted by Tom Lusk We do a lot of work at the National Park where I work trying to prevent this tern from disappearing from the region - they are colonial nesting birds, and their traditional nesting areas have been overrun by cormorants and ring-billed gulls. Fantastic! Your perserverance has paid off. I like the sweeping shape of it's tail in flight. Great shot! Oh - and one final thought - death to the evil cormorants! They are the scurge of the Great Lakes.

05-20-2007, 10:21 AM	#6
Eaglerapids Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Idaho,USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,619	My goodness you get some fantastic bird shots, Tom. Is this pic a crop? I mean, is it ok if you don't have a super dooper long lens to crop the bird? I'm talking about me. I really want to learn to do better bird shots and I'm starting to obsess over the sharpness like you achieve. I got a Sigma 70-300 APO DG lens and of course it's not nearly long enough and many times (well, most of the time) to get the composition I want, I need to crop the image. I really like this lens but it's not a $2000 lens and I know I'm making compromises in IQ compared to a monster lens but I just have to work around my (monetary) limitations. Once I made the decision to go with a Pentax DSLR, I had to decide whether to buy the K100D or the K10D body and one of the biggest factors in my decision to buy the K10D was the 10 megapixel sensor. I knew I would have more advantages cropping the bigger file sizes. I fish, a lot, and this dilemma I can liken to going to a world class trout fishery and catching a whitefish. I want to tell my buddies I caught a fish but I don't want to admit it was a whitefish:-). Actually, I'm not a whitefish hater like some are. They are in their native habitat, they belong there and I'm as honored catching them as any other fish, but I hope you see my point.

05-20-2007, 08:20 PM	#8
LaRee Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: San Diego Photos: Gallery Posts: 2,225	Good work Tom. You did quite well. These terns are a crazy flying bird, I think the Least Terns are the fastest and nuttiest fliers. Something about getting a bird in flight, especially a fast bird, is very rewarding.

05-22-2007, 06:33 PM	#9
Eaglerapids Site Supporter Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Idaho,USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,619	Thanks for your reply Tom:-). That's very good news for me, man what a beautiful photo.

05-22-2007, 06:46 PM	#10
vievetrick Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Easthampton - Massachusetts - USA Photos: Gallery Posts: 5,183	Tom, great shot as always. Did you get him with wings up to?