Fish sandwich
Sandwich tern with catch
I find it hard not to have a camera with me, even when the day doesn’t seem to be planned around wildlife sightings. So for a trip to walk on the beach the camera and 600mm went with me. As a complete surprise there were sandwich terms fishing just meters back from the edge of the lagoon. For close to two hours the birds kept me fully entertained as the dived again and again, plucking fish from the salty water. It was a wonderful and rare time when the direction of the sun and the breeze worked in my favour. They proved to be hard subjects - not because of their speed, but more for the eyes that disappear into the black if the head feathers, and the shadows they cast in their own bodies from every angle. Happily they were persistent in their fishing and seemed intent on showing me each fish they caught.
I happily admit to hooting with laughter each time a tern plucked a fish from the water and showed it to the camera. it was a total joy to watch them and have them so close and so happy with my presence. It was lovely to have no sense I were disturbing them - they just didn’t care, and that is fine by me.