Foster’s Tern, Mississippi River, near Mud Lake, Iowa
Despite a stiff breeze it was a perfect day for a paddle trip with the kayaks on the Mississippi River this afternoon. It wasn’t the first time that I saw a Foster’s Tern just outside of the marina at Mud Lake but it is a bird we don’d see very often. The tern was in good company with a number of Ring-billed Gulls. They all enjoyed resting in the sun on this massive log that was stranded in the mud. The diet of a Foster’s Tern consists mostly of fish, but they also do not reject insects, small crustaceans, mollusks, or frogs. They catch fish at the surface or by plunging into the water from a perch or a hover.
The challenge was to isolate the bird from the rest of the bunch for this photo. The water was a little choppy and that’s when image stabilization in camera or lens really helps to get a sharp shot. I had to paddle into a field of water lilies in order to get between the sun in the west and the bird.
Nikon Z6II, Nikon FTZ adapter, Sigma 150-600mm / f5-6.3 DG OS HSM S, @ 600 mm, 1/1250 s, f/8, ISO 200, image slightly cropped
Big patches of water lilies in full bloom along the shore of the mighty Mississippi